“There are a lot of reasons why Americans buy firearms, but one of the main reasons is the concern that gun control is, this time, really going to happen, and it’s necessary to buy guns now, because you won’t be able to later,” Dan Cassino (above) opines at newsweek.com. “Why would Americans think this? Perhaps because the news media, and Fox News in particular, are saying it. The possibility of gun control may make for good ratings, but it’s also directly responsible for millions of additional gun sales in America over the past few years.” The possibility of gun control? What about the reality? Like New York’s SAFE Act. Or California’s Gun Violence Restraining Orders. Or the Golden State’s forthcoming ban on “high capacity” magazines. Or Connecticut. Or Maryland. That said, I am angry at Fox for . . .
giving that secret statist, faux populist, anti-firearms freedom blowhard Bill O’Reilly a platform for his toxic blend of bombast and bilious bullying.
Then again, ratings. Like Mr. Trump, Mr. O’Reilly is giving “the folks” what they want. Like it or not — and I think I made it clear that I find the duo’s popularity deeply disconcerting — that’s how we roll in a Constitutional republic.
By the same token, if Fox sounding the alarm on gun control leads to more Americans exercising their natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms, why is that a bad thing? If Fox’s coverage of yoga led to more people exercising their right to exercise, result!
I am equally curious why the left-leaning mainstream media — led by their imperious leader in the White House — suddenly decided to tell voters that “no one’s coming for your guns.”
Statistically minded members of TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia may wish to examine Mr. Cassino’s number crunching and mark his paper WTF. Suffice it to say, the New Jersey professor’s “reasoning” led to this inherently dubious correlation = causation conclusion:
All told, coverage of gun control on Fox led to an additional 1.9 million background checks in the three months following the Sandy Hook shootings, and millions more over the course of Obama’s term in office. Those background checks, of course, represent far more than 2 million additional guns, though we don’t know exactly how many.
Any coverage of gun control on Fox leads to additional sales, but when Obama is popular— and perceived to be able to actually do something about gun control—the effects go through the roof. Fox News is telling people that Obama is about to take their guns away, and America has millions more guns on the streets because of it.
Note to Mr. Cassino: it’s not paranoia when people are actually out to get you.
Nope, it was Obama himself calling for additional national level gun control items that got the attention of the general public and made them aware of the precarious state of being able to buy the gun of their choice in this country, at that point even the “low information voter” became aware of the possibility they might have just one last chance to purchase that gun they always wanted.
Not only that but some of these same people might have discovered they were on a no fly list and decided to buy since they couldn’t fly, and everyone knows once you are on that list you are there forever.
agreed, definitely some “oshi” moments after. When you dial the rhetoric up to 11 and have the legislators trying to strip people’s rights what do you expect?
Absolutely. How many times have Democrats said, “we have to get these weapons of war off our streets”? The answer is many. The very clear implication is bans and confiscations.
But, some members of the left say no one is going to take your firearms. Other members say let’s take those firearms. Sometimes the same people say both in different speeches or at different venues.
I have heard of someone who discovered themselves on the ‘no-fly’ list, and did something about it.
They bought a Cirrus, and did their CONUS US transport that way…
They must fly a lot and far to buy a Cirrus.
The plus side of that is more places to land closer to the destination and no TSA.
I stopped watching FNC 5 years ago… actually could be longer I can’t honestly remember.
Anyway the only reason I was watching them anyway was they had decent newsbabes.
O’Reiley? Never watched him. Hannity drives me absolutely nuts. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but he is really annoying, and not very smart. Cannot watch.
Oh, and they aren’t even a little conservative.
Truth be told, there is nothing at all on TV that is. We watch TV for entertainment, that’s all.
I think this idiot thinks FNC is so effective because they assume CNN, and CBS and all the rest are effective. It isn’t. His assumptions are wrong, This is a prime example of correlation != causation.
These people really are dumb.
You’re not missing anything. All Fox News has been for the last 8 months is a 24 hour Trump infomercial station.
I couldn’t agree more regarding the total lack of journalistic integrity on the part of the pathetic talking heads on Fox. (But then I could say the same for all of the so-called “news” networks.) When I hear the inane ramblings of jackasses like O’Reilly, Hannity, Guilfoyle et al my blood pressure rises and I begin to see red.
I keep trying (in vain) to find a network or source of online news that I can respect and that doesn’t color each story covered with their own agenda. Just give me the facts, dammit. (Good looking newsbabes a plus but hardly a requirement for this viewer / reader.)
I feel a little better now.
Those in the business of reporting news have always reported with some viewpoint, some agenda – if only to sell more papers.
While today’s nonsense is over the top compared to say 50 years ago, it’s really nothing compared to say 150 years ago. Want to talk mongoose-ate-my-baby! kinda stuff, and the politics? Shrillary and Tang the Candidate would have been eaten alive in our early elections.
Well, having grown up watching those news broadcasts 50 (plus) years ago, I’d gladly opt for them over today’s offerings.
Technology and the ability to offer up to the minute information is a tremendous resource…unfortunately the way it is utilized on these networks is a disservice to the most basic concept of “fair and balanced” journalism.
I also watched Apollo 13 live on tv, just don’t get too misty-eyed.
There was a lot of filtering, a lot of deliberate non-reporting, a lot of censorship – self and otherwise. It may have been more “journalism”, but that was more appearance than fact.
Nowhere near the insane corruption of the DC Party Circuit these days, but every source of information has some bias. When I was a kid, my grandfather taught me to read at least 3 newspapers to be able to piece together a picture of what really happened were it an important story.
You’re preaching to the choir. I survived 27 years working for the federal government, most all of it in law enforcement.
I maintained a strict code of conduct regarding the truth…in my reports, on the stand and in my dealings with the public I served. It didn’t always make me the most popular person employed by the agencies I worked for during that span but on the flip side I never had much trouble falling asleep at night or looking at myself in the mirror the following morning.
There may be no such thing, perhaps, as unfiltered journalistic objectivity but there should, at least in my opinion, be something akin to journalistic integrity. I know it can be done because I’ve done it myself in reporting the facts as I understood and knew them to be in my written reports and testimony for over 20 some odd years.
You might try One America News (http://oann.com) if your TV provider carries it. Their news segments are pretty straightforward and seem minimally biased (which is probably the best you can hope for). They have a couple hours a day of talking-head “opinion” programming that’s mostly garbage, as all such shows are. But they seem to be the closest thing to “just the facts” news programming on TV today, and most of their schedule is just news reporting, not endless hours of shitheads belching their ignorant opinions.
Thanks, I’ll have a look. I don’t think DirecTV has them but the website says they’re available on Apple TV.
EDIT TO ADD
Looks like you need the 4th generation Apple TV. I’ll check out their website.
Thanks again.
Whoa… I agree with Mr. 308 on something.
Hang on: “Dan Cassino is an associate professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, who studies political psychology and polling.”
Huh, this guy should know a little better what the truth is.
“His most recent book, Fox News and American Politics, was published in April.”
Oh, I get it. He’s selling a book. Now it makes more sense.
WHAT faux noonehaseverheard University in the Peoples Republic of NJ?
Pretty sure actual motivation largely is:
it’s necessary to buy guns now, because you likely are going to need them in defense of the Republic.
LOL. I’m sure FOXNews appreciates the free Newsweek ad, but …
The assertion that their contribution to gun sales is meaningful would not be “the tail wagging the dog” but rather it would be a boil on a tick’s ass on the dog’s tail wagging the dog.
I’m confused…. is he trying to say Fox News has that much sway over people? One news channel can get how many people to do something?
Wouldn’t that mean his whole article is based on jealousy because his news channel isn’t as ‘powerful’ as Fox?
“…that’s how we roll in a Constitutional democracy.”
Constitutional Republic. We are not a democracy, we do not have a President elected by the votes of the people alone. The President is elected by the Electoral College. There are checks and balances on the peoples’ direct action, some of which may come to the fore in our next election.
just sayin’…
Oops!Text amended.
It’s before noon on a Sunday, anything can be excused…
I only pointed it out at all, to use it as a springboard reminding folks that the popular vote isn’t what puts Presidents in office – The Founders knew better.
Fox News derangement syndrome. Common in liberals.
Newsweek has never been more than a second-place left-wing Democrat sht rag. “Me, too” liberal fake journalism.
NEWSWEEK is AFU as always. I don’t see why they have a problem with legal commerce, oh, it does not help the gun grabber agenda. Media (including Fox) report on the entire spectrum of the financial market and can influnce individuals decisions too. The real question is why NEWSWEEK has such a problem with legal gun sales, addresses it like its a problem for people to exercises their Constitutional Rights and affix “blame” on Fox News as a cause/effect issue. NEWSWEEK should cover the criminals if they wish to assign blame. Like I said their AFU!
Damn, we the people of the 2A must be making significant progress because the ‘Evil’ NRA wasn’t even mentioned and it’s great seeing the big 6 media cannibalize one another.
Took my son to a ccw class at a great local range….28 people in the class….good numbers.
Now he ready to get his ccw.
Good times.
For someone who doesn’t watch news on TV. I cant say anything has motivated me to buy or not to buy. Based on whats said on TV. Because I don’t see it. I cant stand Hildabeast screaming all the time or Trump fumbling for words he thinks people want to hear. While what he does say has no resemblance to reality or any substance.
What does motivate me is my wallet.
I buy when I can afford to.
If something new is out there and I want it. The news doesn’t affect my decision. I already own according to the media an arsenal times 20. Who knows what they think of a person who has 2K rounds plus per caliber of what I do own.
Id have more on hand if prices hadn’t doubled in the past 2 years.
TV affecting my decisions??
Nah I don’t think so.
Fox News is responsible? I thought that Global Warming was responsible. Or the NRA. Or White Privilege. Or Donald Trump.
I wish the libiots would make up their little malfunctioning minds about who’s to blame for everything. I’m starting to lose track.
Hmm, O’Reilly is paid to do an “opinion” based television show. IF I bother to watch, I can either agree or disagree with that opinion. But, my eyes are wide open. I don’t call “opinion” …,”news”.
I bought my first handgun with a specific reason. To learn how to use one. I now enjoy going to the Range, try to go once a week, if possible. There is a reason to buy a gun I particularly like, at the gun store. It has more to do with the fact that if I wait and think about it, (if I can afford it) someone else usually comes along and buys it. Has nothing to do with Fox News, O’Reilly, Obama, or Hillary.
I like guns, always have.
To the extent that Fox News and other news outlets show us video of politicians stating their intention and efforts to take away lots of guns, I can see where Dan Cassino would think that news outlets drive gun sales. Of course the real driver of gun sales are the actual politicians who announce their intention and efforts to take away firearms.
Every time the left makes another push for gun control, the lies, whether explicit or implicit, follow fast and hard. People aren’t stupid (or at least, they’re not all stupid) and they notice this. Can you blame them, when people engage in wholesale lying in the name of disarming them, for not trusting those people have their best interests in mind?
I agree with the first post here. Obama and a host of other Democrats beating the drum for gun control is what is to blame, Fox and other outlets just reported what they said. This is not helped by the not-Fox outlets that are championing the proposals and even adding their own.
Either way, it’s not just gun nuts adding to their arsenal. Every time I’very been to a gun store recently it’s full of people who clearly know nothing about firearms and are getting their first.
I observe this at the range too. I live in a small town and in the past few years our range has gone from never having a wait to wait times in the hours. It’s mostly people from the city driving out because the city ranges are totally overrun. The vast majority of these people are new owners. You can tell by the way they talk about things and the questions they ask.
Lots of people have woken up to the fact that some of the things proposed would negatively impact their ability to buy the best tool they can for self defense.
Fox News had nothing to do with gun sales.
It was all on the president.
Doesn’t he keep up on current events?
Every time the president opened his yap about guns
and “guns safety” and “gun violence”, I couldn’t buy any bullets.
The gun manufacturers really should give him the biggest sales commission.
After Newtown, the gun stores were empty of guns and ammunition for months.
That had nothing to do with Fox News.
Hahahahahaha. The headline alone almost made me piss myself from laughing so hard.
The whole political electorate are corrupt, treasonous, seditious, traitors who violate their oath of office and country in the name of Money and Power,
The only reason Gun Control Is on the agenda is its use as a smoke screen because they do not have valid talking points like the curbing the power of the asinine school system, the VA, Social Security, Obama care, BLM containment, IRS over haul and punishment for that Lerner C**t, Hillary should be forced to drop out and do real prison time then Billy Bob can ride all the skirts he wants! or getting the balls to close the border! no wonder the people are arming, no work no job, no food, all the wealth of this country is going to people who haven’t done a damn thing except suck off the Governments tit! while the workers lose more and more money
sound like perfect grounds for changing Government
Fox news ISN’T Fox news anymore…they went full retard for Donnie-who is hardly a conservative. And his 2A creds are spurious at best(oh but donnie Jr. and Eric will set him straight). Buy some guns & ammo while you still can-no matter what gets erected…
“……. Obama is popular…..”?
Yeah, in golf course steamrooms.
> I am equally curious why the left-leaning mainstream media — led by their imperious leader in the White House — suddenly decided to tell voters that “no one’s coming for your guns.”
Scott Adams noted this sort of “reassurance” two decades ago in Dilbert:
http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-04-05
This man is an idiot. Gun control IS passing. In places that contain a staggering percentage of Americans.
So please feel free to make fun of this attitude all you want, but people ARE trying as hard as they can to prevent me from buying more guns in the future and I do NOT take kindly to that.
Comments are closed.