I know Mark Walters, host of Armed American Radio, discussed this topic in his Daily Devotional column a couple weeks ago. (Go to www.armedamericanradio.org to listen to previous shows and read past columns by him.) I thought at the time he didn’t go far enough, but I know his time and space are limited.
So let me set the groundwork here. A few weeks ago, Will Smith, a former member of the New Orleans Saints, was gunned down in an apparent road rage incident. The details of the events are still being sorted out, but that didn’t stop Saints Coach Sean Payton from railing against guns and gun ownership following the shooting.
The worst part of this is that the national media hung on Payton’s every word and printed all he had to say without checking any facts or correcting any misstatements. This is what the media has become in this country: people who publish and broadcast lies in order to further a political agenda. When I was younger I wanted to be a reporter, because reporters tore into things like the Watergate scandal. Now, I’m glad I left the mainstream media when I did. I watched it spiral down into a sewer.
But I digress. Here are just some of the crazy things he said. I will quote him, then I will print the truth afterward.
“It was a large caliber gun. A .45,” Payton said. “It was designed back during World War I. And this thing just stops people. It will kill someone within four or five seconds after they are struck. You bleed out.”
The .45 ACP round was actually designed in 1905, nearly a decade before World War I started. The most common platform for firing a .45 ACP round is a 1911-pattern pistol—also designed well before WWI began. And as for stopping power, some people believe the .45 ACP to have mythical powers, but read this story: https://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/6199620-Why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job/.
It is the tale of a police officer who shot a determined (not drug-fueled) attacker 14 times with a .45 ACP. Six of the hits were declared “fatal” by the medical examiner. It is just one case, but it is proof that one does not die in five seconds just because he was hit by a .45-caliber slug.
Payton went on to say, “We could go online and get 10 of them, and have them shipped to our house tomorrow.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. If you try to buy a gun online, you must provide a copy of a valid Federal Firearms License to the seller. The seller must ship that gun to the FFL holder. Then the FFL holder must conduct a background check before the gun can be delivered to you, the buyer. Anything else is completely illegal. Maybe there are some “darknet” websites where black marketeers are working, but in the real world, the internet is not some hub of illegal gun activity. But CNN, USA Today, nor even the conservative Fox News said anything to correct Payton’s inaccurate statements.
Payton went on to proclaim, “I know there are many kids who grow up in a hunting environment. I get that. But there are places, like England, where even the cops don’t have guns.”
He is right; with the exception of those officers working in Northern Ireland, most British police officers do not carry guns regularly. But the British police forces do have a sizeable contingent of “armed police” who are called to scenes when needed. I would go on to point out that our Second Amendment rights were created for the exact same reason London Police Officers were not issued guns when the London Metropolitan Police Service was created in the 19th Century. That’s because so many people voiced objections as a result of the British Army brutally maintaining order against otherwise disarmed subjects. We here in the U.S. are citizens, not subjects, and we will not give up our right to defend ourselves. The Second Amendment is not about hunting.
I don’t know what can be done to change this style of reporting. Likely nothing. I have offered to host media members for instructional days. None took me up on my offer. I have sent letters to editors all over the country. No response.
I guess all I can do is keep telling you in hopes that you keep telling others.
We know the truth. Let’s keep repeating it.
