WaPo Editorial Board Capitalizes on Park Ranger Shooting to Lament 'Easy Access to Guns'
Well, that didn't take long. It took the Washington Post just four days into the new year to exploit a murder to bewail "easy access to firearms."
In "Taking off the safety," the Post editorial board today admitted that while "[t]here is no way to know whether tougher gun restrictions would have prevented" Benjamin Colton Barnes from obtaining the gun with which he murdered U.S. National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson during a routine traffic stop on New Year's Day, that "it is beyond dispute that easy access to firearms can quickly turn a simple argument or difficult situation into a deadly confrontation."
That's just a more genteel way for the liberal broadsheet to express its cartoonish view of gun-owners as ill-tempered hotheads who cannot resolve verbal arguments without force of arms.
"It is unclear when and how Mr. Barnes obtained the weapons, but it probably was not difficult to do so. Washington [State] has among the most lax gun laws in the country," the Post complained.
So, without having all the facts at their disposal, and with the grief of Ms. Anderson's family and friends still raw, the Post decided to capitalize on a despicable crime for political purposes.
Shameful.
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Comments
Again the press tries desperately to rationalize insanity.
Submitted by drsamherman on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 4:51pm.
There is simply no way to rationalize the acts committed by someone who was likely mentally ill. As I have stated more than once, only an imbecile like a mainstream media journalist or editor would try to rationalize that which is by naturally irrational. Humans do rash things, and sometimes even when they are otherwise in complete possession of their faculties, they still commit heinous acts under acute stress. This is by no means a pass for them, but to say that the alleged shooter would have been unable to commit murder if he did not have the gun is sheer speculation and illogic that is fitting only for a foolish mountebank like a reporter or editorial writer for WaPo or NYT.
Interesting...
Submitted by Unsane on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 4:52pm.
I don't hear of a lot of cops getting murdered in Switzerland, where gun ownership amongst the male population is REQUIRED.
Not to mention the irony of DC being the murder capital of America to go along with its title of political capital of America. This in spite of the fact that it has the most restrictive gun laws in the land. (I wonder if the WaPo has considered that? Nah, probably not. That would require critical thinking, something "journalists" lack.)
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Murder capitol of the nation
Submitted by Huapakechi on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:22pm.
I know that D.C. is only second or third in the national murder rankings. Shouldn't these cities be the safest since even the "new" restrictive laws make it almost impossible for a citizen to legally own a gun? Maybe it's the number of lawyers and politicians that drives the population of Washington D.C. to murderous extremes?
It would be an experiment worthy of pursuit to remove all persons who have attended any law school from the city and forbid them entry for five years to see if the murder rate declines. The political atmosphere might improve also.
Filthydelphia has taken the trophy this year.
Submitted by wizardjr on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 7:51pm.
I just read a short piece the other day where Filthydelphia has once again snatched the title away from DC and Detroit.
Philly
Submitted by Unsane on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 8:53pm.
No wonder. Maybe if Philly's thugs and bullies worried a TEENSY bit more about perps and spent less time harassing its citizens, their crime rate might show improvement.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Beyond shameful...
Submitted by shooter on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 4:54pm.
This is similar to the Washington DC argument...
1) Guns are illegal in DC
2) The guns that *are* used in DC crimes *must* come from adjoining states.
3) If only those adjoining states had the same strict gun laws, then there would be no gun problem in DC
So, if the states adjoining DC imposed the draconian DC gun laws, do you really think DCs gun crime problem would be soved?
No...because states adjoining the states that adjoin DC would *also* need to have the same draconian laws enacted.
They would argue that this "logic" should be expanded nationwide until the entire US had the same DC gun laws.
Do you really think DCs gun crime problem would then end?
No - because then the "adjoining state" problem then becomes an "adjoining country" problem...
See where this is going?
_________________________________________
"An armed society is a polite society" -- Robert A. Heinlein
Illegal guns
Submitted by Schofield Kid on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 4:56pm.
"It is unclear when and how Mr. Barnes obtained the weapons, but it probably was not difficult to do so."
That may be one of the stupidest quotes I've ever seen. Without one shred of evidence they are assuming he just walked into a WalMart and came right out with guns and ammo. Funny thing is, most people who commit such crimes already have a criminal record and can't buy guns legally. But in any case, that's an incredible assertion to make.
Here's a line you won't see in WaPo
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:05pm.
"It is unclear when and how Mr. (Name of illegal immigrant) avoided deportation from the United States, but it probably was not difficult to do so."
⇒ Of course not, Galvanic
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 5:00am.
Because he bought the guns from Eric Holder.
So no Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, in WA?
Submitted by upcountrywater on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 4:58pm.
Morons
You Didn't Build That.
Sure it's doze guns. Yup we gotta get dem out.
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:11pm.
Oh right, the DOJ has been doing that by flooding Mexico with arms.
Right on !!! Where is the headline ...
Submitted by Bodini on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:27pm.
"Easy Access to Obama Administration Guns Provided to Mexican Drug Cartels Results in Death of US Border Patrol Agent"
The killer acquired his guns....
Submitted by bigdaddy on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:17pm.
...in Mexico...
Rocks in their heads
Submitted by Pilgrim1949 on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:39pm.
And if the killer had bashed her head in with a rock?....
Easy Access To Rocks Linked to Park Ranger Death
"Ye canne change the laws of physics....." but some politicians believe that with the right legislation you can pretend they don't really apply to your own pet projects...
Here's my answer to the Post:
Submitted by almostacowboy on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 5:56pm.
http://www.whas11.com/home/Okla-woman-Shoots-Kills-Intruder-911-Operator...
its a good thing nobody has ever been killed by a knife before
Submitted by dmacleo on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 6:03pm.
or a rock, or an arrow, or a hammer, or a car, or by BARE hands.
cause it would suck to drive to work and have to hammer that arrow into that rock with no hands after hands are outlawed for murdering.
maybe we could get hand permits ?
concealed carry hand permits?
Easy access to guns?
Submitted by CO2Maker on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 7:25pm.
The relevant information isn't ease of acquisition, which may not result in a crime, but in the crime rate itself, specifically the gun homicide rate.
According to DOJ statistics (for 2004--can't more recent numbers), Washington state was 33 in the nation in gun homicides with 1.71 deaths per 100,000. [source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States_by_state]
And then there's this: "According to FBI statistics, the highest per capita rates of gun-related homicides in 2005 were in D.C. (35.4/100,000), Puerto Rico (19.6/100,000), Louisiana (9.9/100,000), & Maryland (9.9/100,000)." [source: http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_05.html]
If those two numbers, the Washington state rate and the Washington, DC rate are comparable, the gun homicide rate in DC is almost 21 times the rate in Washington state. So, easy access clearly does not seem to be the critical factor.
What's that sound?
Submitted by CO2Maker on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 7:29pm.
Have you ever passed a big truck on the Interstate that just shredded a tire? After swerving to avoid the chunks of rubber, did you notice the sound it makes?
Wapo-wapo-wapo-wapo-wapo on down the road until the driver pulls over.
Wapo-wapo-wapo-wapo-wapo as cars cautiously pass by or slow down and dodge little rubber shrapnel.
Wapo-wapo-wapo-wapo-wapo
Easy access to guns is the "cause"....??
Submitted by wizardjr on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 7:58pm.
Millions of us own firearms of all sorts including actual assault rifles. I don't see millions of murders. In point of fact something that the LSM keeps hiding is the inconvenient fact that Americans use firearms over a million times a year to stop a crime.
So easy access to firearms causes death and mayhem while at the same time easy access to firearms stops or prevents murder, robbery, and mayhem at several orders of magnitude in relation to crimes with guns. Hmmmm.
Though I own an SKS and an AK,
Submitted by UpNorth on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 8:15pm.
I don't own a single "assault rifle". I do own 3 semi-automatic, magazine fed rifles, though. Along with a couple of bolt action rifles and several semi-automatic handguns.
This guy had already committed several violations of the law, including assault with intent to murder, and he was the subject of a restraining order filed by a girl friend or ex-girlfriend, so why didn't the court, after being apprised that he had weapons, order the weapons to be seized after it issued the restraining order?
Since when...
Submitted by CobraMan on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 10:45pm.
Since when do national Park Rangers perform "routine" traffic stops? I lived in Washington for a year and not once did I witness Park Rangers performing traffic control. What's to control in a National Park, the parking lots?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
It was a case of unenforced laws, not lax laws
Submitted by big.league.slider on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 12:09am.
Based on Mr. Barnes' recent history of mental illness, and having a criminal record including firearms violations, he should not have been in legal possession of any firearm in Washington State. Thus this was a failure of law enforcement, and not state laws.
⇒ Missed an easy double play
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:54am.
WAPO missed an opportunity to blame George Bush for turning this man into a monster.
Sheesh! When you're up against an elephant with three balls, you walk him and pitch to the Rhino.
⇒ Access to guns
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 7:07am.
Not likely WAPO carried this story.
A young widow defending her son in her own home doesn't quite fit their agenda.
Seems her attacker brought a knife to a gunfight.
The WaPo has gone completely mental.
Submitted by johnsonl on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 9:16am.
It might as well be a newsletter for the democratic party. The A section is a joke anymore, as they have thrown out any pretense of reporting the news.
They really
Submitted by misterbee241 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 12:46pm.
need to update their arguments. This is so 1970s. Thank God, guns are easy to access in Virginia.