Getting the Story Straight

As an editor, I’ve spent the last 25 years or so trying’s uccessfully most of the time’t o ensure that my writers have their facts and figures straight. But, when I read a magazine or newspaper article, I’m well aware of the fact that some editors have a better track record for accuracy than others. And nowhere, it seems, do the "others" become more evident than when big-city newspapers report on anything having to do with firearms.

To help make my point, some recent articles in The Miami Herald (brought to my attention by our friends at the NRA) take incompetent reporting to a whole new level. The Herald came out with both barrels blazing on the "assault-weapon" issue and the now-expired Clinton Gun Ban, advocating the ban’s restoration.

You’d think with more than 20 years of debate on so-called "assault weapons," and with all the information that’s available on the internet and elsewhere, even the laziest and least competent newspaper reporters and editors could get some of the basic facts right. Right? Wrong…. How about this? According to The Herald, the Glock 19 is an "assault weapon" (huh?) because it’s designed to use a detachable magazine.

In another article, The Herald says you can fire 600 rounds in 60 seconds with a semi-automatic AK-47. (Good trick, no?) But the best evidence of incompetence is the claim in a third article that President Bush let the assault-weapons ban "sunset" in 2004. I can almost forgive The Herald’ s editors for not understanding howa firearm works. But if you’re going to call for legislation, shouldn’t you have some idea how the United States Government works?

For the record, Miami Herald, the President of the United States doesn’t create legislation, and he can’t withdraw any legislation already in effect. Moreover, he can’t sign a bill unless it’s been passed by Congress. And as anyone knows who paid any attention to the Clinton Gun Ban, it "sunsetted""and rightfully so’because Congress didn’t vote to extend it. I take full responsibility for any errors that make it by me and into the pages of American Gunsmith.

Who takes responsibility for the errors in The Miami Herald? Apparently, no one.

Microstamping Update In the wake of the Governator’s signing of the ill-advised "Microstamping" bill (reported on here last month), STI International announced it has halted all shipments to California and will no longer sell firearms to civilians or law-enforcement agencies in the state. "This law is not going to stop criminals; it’s only going to hurt lawabiding citizens in the state," STI’s Pauletta Skinner said. "We felt like we had to take a stand against this law." This is the first of what I expect to be many similar announcements.

Editor Keith Lawrence Technical