An article by Ryan Lenz of the Associated Press reported on the shooting of two sheriff’s deputies in Georgetown, Indiana by a teenager, who subsequently killed himself. The article, entitled "Officials: Teen used WWII-era rifle," identified the weapon used in the shooting as a "sniper rifle" in its lead sentence. Two paragraphs later, the weapon was specifically-identified as M-1 Garand. [pictured at right, photo via MemorablePlaces.com]
Anyone who has seen "Saving Private Ryan" or the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" has seen the M-1 Garand, the standard service weapon in World War II for the American military. It was the first semi-automatic rifle to be issued in mass quantities to infantry forces. It was used with great effect during the war, and General George Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised." Since it was a standard weapon, it was generally not used in the sniper role for most of the war. Two versions of the rifle for snipers, the M-1C and M-1D were issued in small quantities in the last year of the war, which had the telescopic sight needed for snipers.
It would then be inaccurate to describe the M-1 Garand as a "sniper rifle." It is irresponsible to use such terminology in a report, to say the least, particularly since it involves a teenager. It certainly gives the impression that the mainstream media has an agenda to demonize gun ownership.
On the other hand, it is curious that Lenz included the following quotation in his article from a prosecutor in Indiana named Keith Henderson. "The cause of yesterday's tragedy isn't the weapon. It's the person who fired it."
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
















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I don't see the left wing bia
June 20, 2007 - 17:14 ET by SQL_SamI don't see the left wing bias here, just a reporter who doesnt no guns. I'm usually on NB side when it comes to most of these stories but there is no need to sensationalize something that really isnt there.
Then they shouldn't report on
June 20, 2007 - 17:19 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveThen they shouldn't report on things unless the have their facts straight. A huge problem is this type of thing comes up anytime a gun crime gets national attention (even local attention) which seems to be inseparably tied to the liberal leanings of most reporters and news outlets. How hard is it to understand the difference between a "clip" and a "magazine" or a standard issue M1 Garand and a Dragunov Sniper Rifle? How come it seems none of the reporters make an honest effort to report accurately in regards to firearms?
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
out here in los angeles the l
June 20, 2007 - 17:47 ET by PKout here in los angeles the local tv bunches used to show an ATSF locomotive picture whenever there was a railroad happening, you know crossing accident, train wreck etc. etc. etc. no matter what railroad company was involved.
ATSF asked please don't do that.
they finally got the hint when they got the s*&t sued out of them.
C
MSSM = Pink panty wearing gun fairies
June 20, 2007 - 19:26 ET by Six String Spiff(Stupid college girl voice) Umm helloo Mean Gene..? Cause it's like a guuun. Guns are like so totally bad! I they're all greasy and dirty.. and they like killl animals and stuff.. ewww.
Ok seriously.. I have fired one of these bad larries and they are a mini cannon. It was the best gun I have ever fired. Accuracy was dead on with the peep. The only thing I didn't understand about it was when you were out of ammo, you might as well shout "ITS A GOOD THING IM OUT OF AMMO!!" What with the ejection of the mag and the loud clang. Other than that, sweet weapon.
Islam should have it's religious status revoked until it can prove it's not a hate group.
With sundry combat noises (
June 20, 2007 - 19:33 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveWith sundry combat noises (other gun-fire, yelling, explosions, etc) the loud 'clang' would be negated for the most part. I would imagine that if anyone was betrayed by the ejection of the clip it was very few and far between.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
I love my Garand!
June 20, 2007 - 20:58 ET by JRYou make the Garand sound like a 50 caliber rifle. A mini cannon? Not quite.
Seriously, I love my Garand and shoot it every chance I get. I've gotten pretty quick at reloading and never really notice a loud clang when I'm out of ammo. Of course, that could be because of the ear plugs and muffs I wear to protect my ears. It's a great rifle and I recommend purchasing one if you ever get a chance.
Spiff,A wifes uncle was a WWI
June 20, 2007 - 21:10 ET by SemperrightSpiff,
My wife's uncle was a WWII vet. He said a great way to get a "Jap bastard" to stick his head up was to toss an emty mag hard on the ground. The guy would think you're out on rounds and pop up to shoot while you're reloading. The next think to go through his mind was a 30.06 reminder to stay down.
Not biased per se, but it s
June 20, 2007 - 17:19 ET by Ken ShepherdNot biased per se, but it shows the media ignorance when reporting on firearms, and hence worthy of critique.
We would also critique say a religion reporter describing a Sunday meeting at a Baptist church as a Mass or a sports reporter describing a homerun as a touchdown.
This criminal was no Carlos H
June 20, 2007 - 19:15 ET by stratmanThis criminal was no Carlos Hathcock and the (fine) rifle used was no sniper weapon, although my friend can dot your eye out to 1000 yards no problem. (Anyone been to or going to Camp Perry for National's?)
To say "sniper" rifle is to paint a picture as pejorative as, if not more than, an "assault" rifle, and equally as wrong in the vast majority of cases. It is like describing a vehicle involved in a highway mortality as a tanker carrying sarin gas instead of the actual one, a Lexus SUV.
The choice of desriptor is what is wrong and any journalist knows that flashy and trashy gets attention and helps the agenda, especially when it comes to firearms.
This was no mistake since it was repeated without correction. The sheer ignorance or prejudice is mind-boggling.
I agree, but IMO it's also
June 21, 2007 - 04:18 ET by sarcasmoI agree, but IMO it's also a reaction by the media to getting continually busted by the likes of us when they show blatant bias and antigun bigotry. The media know that they can't use their old favorite word, "assault," credibly on any rifle where their readers can't even see the magazine. Still, they can't bring themselves to (horrors!) simply be accurate & unbiased, and use the obvious word, "rifle," without an adjective. They "need" a term like "sniper" in order to fit their gun-grabbing political agenda, which has 0 to do with news or the facts.
JMR
Hey it is a grand weapon, ver
June 20, 2007 - 17:14 ET by Dan The Man 2Hey it is a grand weapon, very accurate and is good for sniping or even snipe hunting. I used quite a few in my high school days and went on one snipe hunt. Now the article leads me through another snipe hunt, one that is laughable at my expense again.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark. -- save my gun, shoot a liberal.
I have a few stuffed snipe ha
June 20, 2007 - 17:55 ET by Clear thinkerI have a few stuffed snipe hanging in my den. Tough critters, those snipe are ;-)
Prove you can secure our borders first. The only legislation that counts!
Hunters and hunting
June 21, 2007 - 09:54 ET by heldmywNever got a snipe...
Shot some craps once, tho...
I got bit by a snipe once, ri
June 21, 2007 - 14:21 ET by BeowulfI got bit by a snipe once, right in the butt. Luckily, snipe aren't very large, and it only took one sheet of toilet paper to control the bleeding...
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
as anyone who was in land gra
June 20, 2007 - 17:41 ET by PKas anyone who was in land grant college ROTC would know:
the damn things were heavy (nearly ten pounds with a full clip).
you could really smash up a thumb putting a loaded clip in them ( you had to push the clip down with your thumb while holding the bolt open with the side of your hand. an activity somewhat like walking and chewing gum at the same time but which a suprising number of fellows could not get the hang of.
they were very loud.
they were heavy.
they did not have to be cleaned every five minutes but good soldiers do that anyway just to keep busy.
there was a rumor that when the next to last round in the clip was fired and the clip was ejected the bad guy would hear the plink noise when the clip hit the ground and attack. no way, they were so loud that if you were close enought to hear the clip go "plink" when it hit the ground you were temporarily deafened and couldn't hear it anyway. (those guys didn't wear much in the way of hearing protection those days.)
they saved a lot of lives because:
you could "reach out and touch someone" a good half mile away with a big bullet going fast. they were, in their common military configuration a very accurate rifle and maintained that accuracy over months in the field.
they were damned good military rifles.
they shot every time you pulled the trigger if they had bullets in them.
there was this big a** knife that you could put on the muzzle that converted the thing into a very effective spear.
they were heavy. if things got really bad you could use them as a very efficient club and literally beat the opponent to death with the butt.
between the early forties and the late fifties the army had literally millions of the things made. third world countries are still using them.
no wonder some kid in indiana got ahold of one.
C
You forgot to mention they ar
June 20, 2007 - 17:46 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveYou forgot to mention they are heavy ;-)
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
well at least they don't brea
June 20, 2007 - 17:51 ET by PKwell at least they don't break off at the trigger guard like the lever action rifles do.
and they are heavy
C
But are they heavy? :-)
June 20, 2007 - 19:31 ET by GalvanicBut are they heavy? :-)
C'mon! The proper terminolo
June 20, 2007 - 19:36 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveC'mon! The proper terminology is "higher than average density". We don't want to hurt the gun's feelings you know, cause they have a tendency to shoot people when they get mad.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
'bout like carrying a piece o
June 21, 2007 - 01:54 ET by PK'bout like carrying a piece of a telephone pole around with you.
biggest reason i went in the NAVY, so i wouldn't have to carry one of those things.
C
I was very close to an M-1 Ga
June 21, 2007 - 11:53 ET by GalvanicI was very close to an M-1 Garand for about 11 weeks back in 1979, and nothing I ever said or did seemed to embarass or offend it ---- not even when I stripped it. :-)
Did you give it a girls nam
June 21, 2007 - 11:55 ET by MightyMouthDid you give it a girls name?
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Nah. Once I saw it naked, I
June 21, 2007 - 13:51 ET by GalvanicNah. Once I saw it naked, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
I knew mine's number real wel
June 21, 2007 - 21:09 ET by danboI knew mine's number real well.
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken
Doc, I believe the acceptable
June 21, 2007 - 23:56 ET by MikeBDoc, I believe the acceptable term is "gravitationally enhanced".
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
I'm shocked that the fools at
June 20, 2007 - 18:42 ET by TEI'm shocked that the fools at the Associated (with terrorists) Press didn't call the rifle an "assault" weapon. Evidently, the Brady kooks didn't get their press release to the Associated (with terrorists) Press quickly enough.
Ryan Lenz is obviously not a
June 20, 2007 - 19:15 ET by Roger the ShrubberRyan Lenz is obviously not a fan of "Call of Duty", either.... :p
THAT's where I've seen M-1 Ga
June 20, 2007 - 22:33 ET by balboaTHAT's where I've seen M-1 Garand before! Call of Duty!
Right Amigo, so which key
June 21, 2007 - 09:52 ET by MightyMouthRight Amigo, so tell us, which key in Call of Duty do you press to reload the M-1 Garand?
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Are you saying you don't be
June 21, 2007 - 10:12 ET by balboaAre you saying you don't believe I play Call of Duty?
LOL, yeah I guess I am! *ba
June 21, 2007 - 10:29 ET by MightyMouthLOL, yeah I guess I am! *bal be busted!*
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Hate to disappoint you, but
June 21, 2007 - 10:39 ET by balboaHate to disappoint you, but I own Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and Ghost Recon: Desert Siege. I can't remember if reload is "R" or "X" on Call of Duty. Sorry!
HA! I got ya balboa! The M1
June 21, 2007 - 10:42 ET by MightyMouthHA! I got ya balboa! The M1-Garand cannot be reloaded until the last round is fired in the clip! At that point the empty clip is ejected, and the game automatically reloads the weapon! HAHA!! Pressing the reload key is futile (unless you are on a moded server that supports it of course). Ha! Trick question, gotcha gotcha!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
I always hated it when you ta
June 21, 2007 - 10:55 ET by Roger the ShrubberI always hated it when you take down a Kraut with 4-5 shots, and then have to waste the other 3-4 bullets to get that wonderful "ching!" sound and reload. Meanwhile, another Kraut's MP40 is mowing you down!!!
Me too Rog, that's why I ru
June 21, 2007 - 11:00 ET by MightyMouthMe too Rog, that's why I run a moded server with 30 round clips and anytime reload for the M1. :-) Not very realistic, but loads of fun!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Gosh. You. Got. Me. I feel
June 21, 2007 - 10:56 ET by balboaGosh. You. Got. Me. I feel so foolish.
All in fun Amigo...All in f
June 21, 2007 - 11:02 ET by MightyMouthAll in fun Amigo...All in fun :-)
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
MM wins
June 21, 2007 - 10:45 ET by florida_chadB - you should stick to movies, and avoid gun debates with people who actually have guns...............
Well, this is actually a vi
June 21, 2007 - 10:54 ET by balboaWell, this is actually a video game debate, isn't it?
guess I should stick to thing
June 21, 2007 - 11:08 ET by florida_chadguess I should stick to things I know........................:)
Ha. How 'bout if I just tal
June 21, 2007 - 11:10 ET by balboaHa. How 'bout if I just talk about movies _about_ video games? Like TRON? ;-)
tron
June 21, 2007 - 11:13 ET by florida_chador War Games - wasn't that the one where the kids plays a war game with the pentagon computer? Then plays tic tac toe to teach it about games??
Great early Matthew Broderi
June 21, 2007 - 11:16 ET by balboaGreat early Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. "greetings professor falken..."
Featuring the W.O.P.R. supercomputer, and great performances by Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin.
Broderick - I couldn't rememb
June 21, 2007 - 11:19 ET by florida_chadBroderick - I couldn't remember his name, but I knew you would.
:)
I think it just case of a rep
June 20, 2007 - 19:16 ET by well99I think it just case of a reporter being stupid.Most reporters dont know jack.I seen where one reported the main gun of a M1a1 tank as a 15 mm.Just a little off.Since it is 120mm.
Kind of reminds me of books I
June 20, 2007 - 23:23 ET by ahusserKind of reminds me of books I have read where the hero clicks the safety off on his revolver (really old books). The author was too lazy to get his facts straight.
My new background
June 20, 2007 - 19:32 ET by Six String SpiffThe picture on this thread is awesome. It will be my new wallpaper.
Islam should have it's religious status revoked until it can prove it's not a hate group.
don't let AP find out how easy it is to by an M1 Garand
June 20, 2007 - 22:19 ET by SqueezerYou can buy them direct to your doorstep (no federal firearms license) from civilian marksmanship program (currently sold out, but they'll have more in october) or for $30 you can get a Curio and Relic federal firearms license from ATF and then by an M1 Garand from someone on gunbroker or for sale section on most gun web boards when someone has one up for sale..
I have yet to shoot an actu
June 21, 2007 - 03:23 ET by wiwfI have yet to shoot an actual gun, and it's driving me crazy! Here I am a proud gun supporter and I haven't even shot a single bullet in my life. I feel weird. Almost... virgin-like when it comes to guns. :P Luckily this changes this August.
But yes, Call Of Duty and it's sequels are very accurate with their depictions of wwii and the weapons. Except for the... well... medpacks and "I'll be healthy in 5 seconds" health systems, lol
Once again, the media only listens to headlines and distorts headlines into news with bias as filler (99% filler, btw). wwii rifle = instakill rifle = sniper rifle.
wiwf,I am probably what some
June 21, 2007 - 04:03 ET by alamojbwiwf,
I am probably what some would describe as a gun supporter, but not a gun nut. I only own one firearm. (A pump shotgun, although I am beginning to look around for a good rifle) In some circles, that would still make me a gun nut.
The important thing is SAFETY! My father taught me more about gun safety than did the military, but I put a lot more rounds "downrange" in the military than as a civilian. (None in combat.) This link is to the NRA gun Safety page. It only takes a split second of carelessness to really screw up with a gun!
I found a British Sten a mont
June 21, 2007 - 20:49 ET by danboI found a British Sten a month or two ago. And considered buying it as a military collectable. I figure the price will go up
Guess that makes me a gun nut and criminal also. Even though I understand Stens were hunks of junk. Definately looking for a WWII airborne silk bandana. Would love to get an M1. The weapon that saved the world.
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken
I like these safety rules b
June 21, 2007 - 05:03 ET by sarcasmoI like these safety rules better than the NRA's, but definitely think safety first to have fun. If you get a chance, ever, you should try to shoot something full-auto. Preferably belt-fed (happiness really is a belt fed weapon). Legal examples, but fewer and fewer of 'em, do exist in the USA, and the owners are usually nice people if you buy/bring enough ammo for their expensive toys. For the most fun, try suppressed shooting. Like full-auto, people will say "it's illegal," but just let them be ignorant. There are legal rules to follow, which aren't too bright like most rules made by politicians, and there's a tax to pay if you buy one, but shooting a suppressed ("silenced") gun will not magically transform you into a mafia hitman, and it will give you an appreciation of why European ranges sometimes require suppressors. Think about it, a muffler on a gun reduces the possibility of hearing damage (which is both permanent and cumulative) and makes nearby shooting ranges less-annoying, but the supposedly "powerful gun lobby" (ask the media!) in the USA does not even propose changes to the laws against safety equipment like suppressors, presumably for flimsy "we don't want bad publicity" reasons. That does not work as a political strategy, only honesty works in the end, IMO, but it does explain why people like me tend to support JPFO instead of the NRA.
JMR
Most MSM people don't even kn
June 21, 2007 - 14:05 ET by Dave RMost MSM people don't even know which end of the gun the bullet comes out of. Let's face it, most of them would consider a .22 rifle equipped with a scope to be an assault rifle.
Idiots.