by The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued a release yesterday severely criticizing the media’s double standard when it comes to the NFL. On the one hand, they go all righteous and pro-gun control when Jovan Belcher kills the mother of his child and then himself. On the other, they barely blink an eye when Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent drives intoxicated and kills a fellow Cowboy teammate.
From the CCRKBA:
NEW NFL DEATH SHOWS MEDIA’S DUAL
STANDARD ABOUT GUNS, SAYS CCRKBABELLEVUE, WA – After yet another tragic death involving an NFL player over the weekend, there is the appearance of a double standard in media handling of the case, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
“A week ago,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “NBC’s Bob Costas was having fits about a so-called ‘gun culture,’ but what about the culture of big money, flashy cars and alcohol that permeats the NFL? Dallas player Jerry Brown is dead from what appears to be a drunken driving crash involving teammate Josh Brent. Brown is no less dead than Javon Belcher or his girlfriend and Brent faces criminal charges. Costas was alarmed at the number of NFL players with guns, but he’s said virtually nothing about the ones who drink and drive.”
Costas ignited a firestorm last week, showing a lack of knowledge about firearms, current laws and the so-called “gun culture” when he editorialized about the Belcher case and then had to do damage control for several days.
“What Bob Costas doesn’t know about guns,” Gottlieb said, “would probably fill a library. His remarks about violent crime, gun owners and semiautomatic firearms demonstrated why the firearms community distrusts mainstream press because many, if not most, of the talking heads don’t know what they’re talking about.
“According to FBI crime data,” he continued, “the number of homicides involving firearms has declined over the past several years. Last year, out of 12,664 homicides, firearms were used in about 8,500 of those crimes, and handguns were used in less than half.
“Compare that to more than 10,000 deaths attributed annually to drunk driving,” Gottlieb said, “yet where is the great discussion about that after Brown’s death?
“Last week, Costas asked who ‘needs’ a semiautomatic firearm,” he added. “Well, who needs to drive drunk? NFL players certainly have enough money to pay for a cab ride, don’t they?
“How many drunks are on the road every weekend following tailgate parties at NFL games,” Gottlieb questioned. “What’s more dangerous, a citizen with a firearm or an NFL player with a bar tab?”
back when i worked armed in massachusetts my non-resident carry permit read "for all lawful purposes" issued by mass. state police. i was told that msp issued all permits as "class A" and with that wording. local chiefs of police issued restrictive permits. if a state feels it needs permits i'd prefer to see "shall issue" and "for all lawful purposes" as the standard, though my own state is the "gold standard" in my opinion. no permit issued, no permit required for any law abiding citizen. concealed or open carry at individual desecration, convicted felons not allowed posession of any firearm. we have lived for over a century with this, in relative peace and safety. i do not forsee many states following our lead, though a few recently have, but permit holders in "shall issue" states have shown, by and large, that the ordinary law abiding citizen can, and i think, should be trusted with guns "for all lawful purposes" including self defense.