On the Bright Side:
NBC's Different Look at Guns
At a time when reporters were
quick to blame access to guns for the Littleton massacre, NBC actually
spotlighted positive aspects of gun ownership. NBC’s April 30 Nightly
News ran four stories in which gun owners were depicted as normal,
law abiding citizens and even heroes.
Pete Williams looked at an
NRA-supported program being used with great success. "Not long ago
Richmond had one of the nation’s highest murder rates. But now under
Project Exile here in Virginia gun crimes are prosecuted under tough
federal laws." Williams noted Richmond’s murder rate dropped by 30
percent. Williams showcased the brave actions of businessman Gary Baker:
"He says he’s here today because of his guns. Four years ago as he
opened his jewelry store two men with guns stormed in and started
shooting. He fired back killing both of them."
Robert Hager picked up on the
self-defense theme in exploring concealed-weapons laws. He profiled
71-year-old Ryland Moore, who "fended off a shotgun toting robber at a
Texas diner with his concealed .22 caliber revolver," and Texas state
representative Suzanna Gratia Hupp, who "remembers how her parents were
killed with 20 others in a Texas cafeteria massacre in 1991. Says she
had a shot at the gunman but wasn’t carrying her pistol because back
then it was against the law."
Hager cited the rarely noticed
research of University of Chicago professor John Lott, showing "states
permitting concealed weapons murder rates declined nine percent, rape
five percent, robbery three [percent]."
Roger O’Neil visited a
Milwaukee hospital to interview an emergency room doctor about how the
higher caliber bullets of today are doing more damage to victims, but
then Kelly O’Donnell profiled a family that taught their children how to
responsibly use guns. After airing soundbites from the parents stressing
gun safety, O’Donnell concluded: "One estimate says 1.8 million kids
between seven and seventeen use guns to hunt. Like millions of families,
handing down an American tradition. A respect for weapons. A belief,
this family says, that a parent’s guidance with guns can prevent what
happened in Littleton."
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