Topic: Media Research Center
The Media Research Center is a profuse apologist for anything gun-related, no matter how dubious -- like ghost guns. When Philadelphia officials tried to hold ghost-gun providers accountable for the carnage their weapons create, the MRC objected. Naturally, this started as an attempt to deflect from yet another mass shooting by focusing on anything else but the guns (a trick the MRC specializes in). Nicholas Fondacaro did exactly that in a July 5 post:
On Tuesday, authorities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania announced that the suspect behind the Monday mass shooting there was Kimbrady Carriker, a transgendered man who pretends to be a woman and a Black Lives Matter activist. But while the Wednesday morning newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC omitted all of that information, ABC’s Good Morning America went the furthest, using gender-neutral pronouns when talking about the shooter and editing a video of the district attorney referring to Carriker as male.“We do turn to the mass shooting that left five people dead in Philadelphia. We are learning more about the victims and police are identifying the suspected shooter who they say was armed for battle,” ABC co-anchor Whit Johnson declared, teasing they would inform viewers about the shooter.
But correspondent Trevor Ault refused to disclose anything about Carriker’s background and repeatedly used gender-neutral/plural pronouns and other non-descript language:
[...]
It was late in the report when Ault actually got around to giving a name to the suspect, even then, he refused to call the shooter a male. ABC was so dedicated to not offending the sensibilities of a mass shooter that they edited a video of liberal District Attorney Larry Krasner using male pronouns:
Fondacaro failed to explain what relevance (beyond his employer-mandated transphobia, that is) the shooter's alleged transgender status had in the shooting. When the topic turned to the fact that the shooter was armed with untraceable ghost guns, Fondacaro whined in a July 6 post:
With the broadcast networks ignoring the fact that the Philadelphia mass shooter was transgendered and a Black Lives Matter activist, their new narrative was to put focus on the weapons used: so-called “ghost guns.” Both ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today celebrated liberal Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner targeting two gun parts manufacturers (Polymer80 and JSD Supply) with laws suits, despite both companies selling a perfectly legal product.
“We also have information this morning out for Philadelphia and that mass shooting that left five people dead. We’re learning more now about the ghost guns use in the attack,” announced co-anchor Whit Johnson.
[...]
But in the reality obfuscated by the ABC, it’s not that easy. The parts sold by those companies are legally considered 80 percent finished and special milling equipment is needed to finish the build. These kits are completely legal and at-home gun building has been an American tradition since before the founding of the country.
Ana Schau whined further about it in another July 6 post:
CNN decided to break the new information about the ghost guns used in the Philadelphia shooting over the weekend on Thursday’s CNN News Central by blaming the ghost gun manufacturers and distributers for the shooting. In addition to blaming these companies for this shooting, anchor Sara Sidner hosted former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on the show to essentially blame these companies for illegal gun ownership as well, since apparently they were “specifically…marketed to evade the law.”
Sidner began the segment by briefly describing the shooting itself, as well as breaking the new information about the ghost guns that were used in the crime. She then described ghost guns, being careful to note specifically that this type of firearm “doesn’t have any markings, and is not traceable.”
As if having a serial number would have somehow stopped the shooting?
Sidner then brought McCabe on the show to discuss the fact that “the City of Philadelphia is suing the two largest suppliers of ghost guns,” Polymer80, Inc. and JSD Supply. McCabe called the lawsuit “an admirable step” to “start to address” the issue, since Biden’s federal ban had been overthrown.
This lawsuit, in principle, makes no sense. Making firearms has always been legal in America, and possession of these firearms when completed is also legal, according to the Second Amendment. Suing a company for selling a product that enabled these things wasn’t right, even if those guns were used for bad things.
When McCabe pointed out that “really anyone with any sort of mechanical ability” could use these companies' kits to construct a gun, Schau huffed in response: "In reality, these guns required quite a bit of skill and some specific equipment to assemble, not merely the simple task that these two seemed to think it was." She offered no evidence to back this up. She then insisted that the disclaimers the companies post on their websites purportedly absolve them of blame:
And yet, amidst all of those claims, the websites of both companies being sued advise the buyer to follow the firearm regulations in his area. JSD Supply disclaimed for the buyer to “always make sure you know your local firearms laws for your own protection.” Polymer80’s website included a disclaimer at the bottom of the page that read, “By using this website, or using or purchasing a Polymer80 product, you affirm that you have verified that you may possess, purchase, and use Polymer80 products under all applicable federal, state, and local laws.”
Rather than seeming like a place that was “perfect” for criminals to obtain guns, these websites seemed to be places that cared a lot about the law, and encouraged its customers to follow all pertinent regulations.
If criminals ignore gun-control laws, as the MRC loves to claim whenever such regulations are proposed, there's no reason to believe they won't also ignore these disclaimers as well.
Schau's post called McCabe an "FBI Liar" in its headline, though she identified nothing he said as a "lie" in her post.
