Thread: Guns and the media

I am sure those of us who defend gun rights/2A rights, have had "that" conversation where we explain guns are used to prevent crime, save lives, etc and the person we are talking to responds with something like "If that's true, why don't I hear about that on the 10 Oclock news if it's so common?"

The reason you don't hear about it is the media actively suppresses that information. Time after time their version of a story conveniently leaves out the fact an armed citizen was involved and saved lives, etc. Here's a perfecr example. Read the AP report of a recent shooting:

Gunfire kills 1, injures 2 in Montana town

1 day ago

GLASGOW, Mont. (AP) — Shots were fired near the Glasgow hospital's ambulance barn on Saturday, killing one person and wounding two, and a manhunt was under way for the shooter, police said.

Valley County Sheriff Glenn Meier told the Great Falls Tribune the other two shooting victims were in stable condition. He did not release the names of the victims.

Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital was under a lockdown and a spokesman said it was caring for the gunfire victims.

"We're on a lockdown, with no admittance to the facility permitted at this time," spokesman Nickolas Dirkes said. "An ambulance crew is available offsite and we have initiated our incident command system."

Sports reporter Beth Henville of the Glasgow Courier said Glasgow High School was locked down during basketball games at the school.

"They did allow people to leave after the police were able to come up and secure the area," she said. Glasgow residents were told to "go directly home and lock the doors."

Henville said those who live on the edge of the town in northeastern Montana were stopped at checkpoints.

The Associated Press: Gunfire kills 1, injures 2 in Montana town


Seems straight forward enough right? Wrong. The AP totally ignores the fact there was a legally armed citizen there who engaged the gunman and prevented the intended killing spree, is considered a hero by those who were there, and yet, the AP totally ignores that. That's what happens all the time with the media and why you don't hear about it. The media has it's own agenda, and showing regular legal use of guns by law abiding types to ave lives, reduce crime, etc, is simply not on that agenda. Thus why the data that exists showing the high number of legal defensive uses seems so out of whack with the general media, who you would think find the hero angle of legal gun use good for ratings, but they don't. Now, compare the above AP account to the one below, the same event:

January 18th 2009
Good Guy Shoots Bad Guy.
We Assume Sarah Brady in Tears.

Confirmed: There was a shooting incident in Glasgow, Montana on Saturday afternoon. Besides the shooter, one person was killed and two were injured. Police locked down the community, warned people to lock doors and stay inside, and followed a blood trail which eventually led to the deceased shooter.

Unconfirmed but probable: The shooter made his attack at a local hospital and killed a female Emergency Medical Technician. Scott Billingsly was present because his wife works at the hospital. Scott has a Montana concealed weapon permit, was armed, and engaged the shooter in defense of himself and others. Scott was injured in the hand and Scott's wife was also injured. The shooter was seriously injured and was driven off by Scott's armed engagement of the shooter. The seriously wounded shooter sought shelter, leaving the blood trail that law enforcement followed, where they found the shooter dead of a possibly self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The people of Glasgow who know these details are highly thankful that an armed citizen was present and able to interdict the killer before he could kill more than the one person murdered, possibly saving the lives of many other hospital employees.

Gary Marbut, President Montana Shooting Sports Association
Author, Gun Laws of Montana
406-549-1252


The AP ignoring the above is bad poor journalism at best, actively suppressing the info at worst. That's how it works and why you don't see the truth on the 10 Oclock news and such hero's are ignored....The Media, Brady Bunch et al, would much rather see high body counts of dead people then ever admit guns can be, and are, used to save lives and prevent crime (and again, the data supports that fact) and are a net plus to law abiding citizens.

Originally Posted by highpockets

It's not uncommon to hear stories of people defending their homes and themselves from intruders-- but when it's a 70-year-old woman, that story is a bit more uncommon.

It's exactly what happened in St. Joseph County on Sunday night, after an intruder broke into an elderly woman's home on Portage Road.

The woman held the man at gunpoint until police arrived. That man is 28-year-old Cyrus Brown. Brown is being held in jail on a number of charges, including burglary and intimidation.

The woman who defended herself is Sandra. She asked us not to use her last name. Newscenter 16 spoke to her by phone Monday night, while she recovered in her hospital room. She’s being treated for heart problems, problems she didn't have until Sunday night's scare.

As you'll hear, this 70-year-old is a gutsy lady who wasn't about to let anybody mess with her.

It was all started about nine o'clock Sunday night. Sandra says she was in the midst of splitting wood for her fire and making vegetable soup, when she heard a ruckus outside.

“All of a sudden, I’m hearing fast footsteps around my yard, around my deck,” says Sandra.

That's when she says she grabbed her gun and called 911. Moments later-- the intruder-- 28-year-old Cyrus Brown, broke through her back patio door, pushing his way through the glass.

“Immediately, I felt there was danger because he was so desperate,” explains the 70-year-old. “He's in the kitchen by the stove, I told him to get down on the floor. I said if you come any closer to me, I will shoot you to kill. I told him to sit down, don't move, and I want to see your hands at all times,” adds Sandra.

Newscenter 16 obtained the 911 call that Sandra made. In the background, you can hear her demanding the suspect get down.

911 call:
Dispatch: “Ma’am, where is he at in the house?”
Sandra: “Get, get, get! You have more to fear from me!”

911 call:
Dispatch: “Ma'am, are you holding him at gunpoint?”
Sandra: “Yes, I am. And if he moves towards me, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill. I don't want to have to kill him.”

In that moment, Sandra says she was glad she had a gun and knew how to use it-- just in case.

“I thought that this could turn out badly because I heard of other people being murdered in their house, but I decided, I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I owe that to my children,” she explains. “Guns aren't all bad, only in the hands of the criminal and guns can be a good defense.”

In the end, you can hear the relief in Sandra's voice, as the police arrive at her back door.

911 call:
Sandra: “Cops!”
Police: “Get down, get down!”
Dispatch: “Ma'am, can you put the gun down for me please?”
Sandra: “It's down.”
Dispatch: “Great, great, ok!”

If you'd like to listen to Sandra's 911 call in its entirety, we have a link at the top of this story.

Sandra is a mother of three and has several grandchildren.

She's set to have a procedure on her heart this week. As you can imagine, this whole situation has caused the 70-year-old a lot of stress.

She says she hopes others can learn from her story and think about protecting themselves. She’s hoping to have a neighborhood meeting in her area to discuss safety in homes.

I heard about this. My boss was talking about it the other day. I guess the police chief went to the lady's house and commended her for doing a good job. Very cool and we need the pussy media to talk more about the good guns do in homes.