This week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered remarks to the National Press Club on ways it should change its reporting to hold the gun industry “accountable.”
“Every story you cover about gun violence can help us move closer to accountability for those who profit from it,” he said. “And when we cover gun violence and the firearms industry, we need to make sure we do three important things.”
Mayor Adams’ three imperatives for the media are:
- One: Name the gun.
- Two: Follow the money.
- Three: Debunk the myths.
“Let’s start with naming the gun. By now, we’re all familiar with the stories of gun violence. The shooter’s name, his age, his grievances, his background, his victims. Maybe we learn about the victims’ families, their communities, their classmates. What is often left out is the kind of weapon the shooter used and how he got it,” said Adams.
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Adams must not read the newspaper very often because the mainstream media always names the gun, especially in high-profile mass killings.
It’s how we know the Parkland killer used a Smith & Wesson M&P Sport II, the Sandy hook shooter used Bushmaster XM15-E2S, the Uvalde attacker a Daniel Defense DDM4 V7.
The gun used is never a secret. It’s widely publicized.
But we have to ask ourselves in a country of over 400 million guns what real value does this information provide? The answer is none.
To draw an analogy, does it really matter what vehicle a drunk driver was in at the time of the crash?
Will knowing the inebriated individual drove a Ford Bronco instead of a GMC Canyon help us stop future drunks from getting behind the wheel?
No, of course not.
Violence is a human problem. Therefore the focus should be placed on broken people, not on gun makers or car manufacturers.
Generally speaking, we need to do a better job of putting (and keeping) bad people behind bars, getting addicts the treatment that they need, and committing the dangerously mentally ill.
This raises the question, are the leaders of New York City implementing policies to do all of that?
Mark Oliva, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s managing director of public affairs, does not believe they are and he sees this latest “accountability” campaign as just another way to scapegoat the firearms industry for the failed policies of those in power.
SEE ALSO: How the FBI Undercounts Good Guys with Guns Stopping Active Shooters
“Mayor Adams is deflecting the failures of progressive politics that has allowed criminals to be turned out on the streets and continue to victimize innocent lives. As a former police officer, he should know that only those who can pass a background check can legally purchase a gun. Criminals preying on New Yorkers and others aren’t buying guns legally. They are stealing them and obtaining them in the black market,” explained Oliva in an email to GunsAmerica.
“Mayor Adams should be asking media to name the prosecutors that turn them back onto the street without accountability. He should demand the media name the politicians that write and sign laws to eliminate bail and push soft-on-crime policies that protect criminals and not victims. He should demand news outlets name the donors that fund the elections of district attorneys and attorneys general that put these prosecutors in office,” he continued.
“He won’t do that. Instead, he will continue to falsely accuse a lawful industry for his own failures while he collects campaign contributions from gun control groups for whom he is doing their bidding,” Oliva concluded.
Oliva’s correct. Mayor Adams is just another cog in Bloomberg’s gun banning machine which is wholly committed to bankrupting the gun industry and destroying the 2A rights of law-abiding Americans.
“The gun companies have done untold damage and destroyed thousands of lives. But their unquestioned reign of terror is coming to an end,” said Adams. “Just as we did with the cigarette companies and opioid manufacturers, America is fighting back against those who profit from harm and exploitation.”
I hear so many stories about gun violence,who shot who,why they shot who,when did this happen,my comment is,what about knives,someone is stabbed to death everyday,you don’t hear those stories,and what about sticks,next thing you’ll hear is let’s cut down every tree. I’m all for putting a restriction on age limits, because after all it’s not the guns fault,or a knives fault or for a stick,fact is people kill people,there’s no way you can convince me that it’s the fault of any of those 3 things I mentioned in any shape or format. Thanks for reading
I think they should then also include the person’s race and prior criminal history and if the gun was stolen or purchased legally!
well I just had a long talk with mr glocky mcglockface and he has promised me he will never do something like that. He is a good gun turning his life around so he should be excused from such accusations!
I dont know S.H. your article made to much sense, and the left don’t deal in reality. They just want those evil guns gone from society even though we know that will never happen.
(speculative) “and the sharpened concealable folding shovel was apparently issued to a marine in 1942, no traceable history until this incident; how did this thug get hold of such a vicious battle weapon???”
Well said Barry. Not about safety and statistics and defending yours and family wellbeing. All about being totally dependent on the government and they will do all for you. And control you while doing it.
How this will backfire. Once a certain type of gun is associated with a particular type of violent crime, gang-bangers will want that gun for the “prestige.”
Don’t forget to sue an airline when the plane goes down and kills people, just like on 9/11, the survivors should be able to sue those airlines for being culpable.
You have to wonder if they realized what they are asking for. This will kill most of there other gun control efforts. If they track the gun in every crime they will start to see that the guns they are currently after are never used. They will be providing the data to prove their own stupidity in other anit 2nd amendment efforts. .
So, does that mean they’ll name “Glock” every time an NYPD Officer discharges his firearm in the line of duty?
Does that mean they’ll “name the gun” the hero is carrying whoever a lawful concealed firearm holder stops a mass killing and saves countless lives?
No, of course not, because none of this is about public safety or dissemination truthful information; it is only about their political agendas.
I’ve been a Police Officer for 31 years, and a proud supporter of the 2nd amendment since day ONE (actually even long before that). The Left has FORGOTTEN the reasons the 2nd amendment was added in the first place! They don’t care about our safety, they care about their CONTROL. The last 2 years should’ve proven that to ALL of us!