New York Times gets it wrong, media obsessed with linking AR-15 with Navy Yard shooter By Emily Miller The liberal media is so obsessed with linking the Navy Yard shooter with the AR-15 rifle that it is making up false tales of Aaron Alexis trying to obtain one. The New York Times attempts to give the impression that a so-called assault-weapon law stopped Alexis from buying a rifle in Virginia, but that is not true. The Times has a story Tuesday on its homepage with the headline âState Law Stopped Gunman From Buying Rifle, Officials Say.â The first line says: âThe gunman who killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday test fired an AR-15 assault rifle at a Virginia gun store last week but was stopped from buying one because state law there prohibits the sale of such weapons to out-of-state buyers, according to two senior law enforcement officials.â Apparently neither the reporter nor his editors took the time to fact check their vague âlaw enforcement officialsâ sources. âVirginia law does not prohibit the sale of assault rifles to out-of-state citizens who have proper identification,â Dan Peterson, a Virginia firearms attorney, told me Tuesday night. The required identification is proof of residency in another state and of U.S. citizenship, which can be items like a passport, birth certificate or voter identification card. The Commonwealth defines âassault firearmâ as any semiautomatic centerfire rifle or pistol with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds or can accommodate a silencer or is equipped with a folding stock. John Frazer, also a firearms attorney in the Commonwealth, told me that, âState law in Virginia â like most states â allows purchase of rifles or shotguns by residents of other states. Virginia simply requires some additional forms of identification.â Spokesmen for the Times did not respond to requests for comment. Federal law is clear on this residency issue. A quick glance at the ATF website would have informed the New York Times journalists that a person may buy a rifle or shotgun, in person, at a federal firearms licenseeâs premises in any state, provided the sale complies with state laws, which it would in this case. Perhaps they were confused with the federal law on handguns, which can only be sold or transferred through dealers in the same state as the buyer. While it is true that Alexis rented and shot an AR-type rifle at Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in Lorton, sources close to the investigation tell me that he did not attempt to buy the rifle. Instead, he passed both the federal and state background checks and bought a Remington 870 shotgun and 30 shotgun shells (00 buckshot), which he used, tragically, to kill 12 innocent people. The Timesâ mistakes indicate the paper is trying to give the impression only some unexplained âassault weaponâ ban in Virginia stopped Alexis from killing more people. The truth is that we have thousands of gun laws on the books, but none of them stopped a homicidal maniac intent on mass murder. Despite all the stories over the last 48 hours about the AR-15, it was never used by anyone but law enforcement at the shooting on Monday. The New York Times should issue a correction immediately. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...s-gets-it-wrong-about-navy-yar/#ixzz2fGd54AwU Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
Thats funny cause now Piers Morgan has also been busted lying while trying to cover his own ass for his original lie that the perp bought an AR-15 in virginia. The MSM is a joke I wonder if its even true that this guy TRIED to purchase an AR-15 or if thats just another lie they made to cover for their own bullshit. How the fuck would they even know if he TRIED to buy an AR-15 in Virginia? Just another bald faced lie.
In the midst of this tragedy and its emotional aftermath let's not lose sight of what's truly important, the good reputation of the AR-15 assault rifle.
Whats important has nothing to do with the AR-15, they could be attacking the bazooka 69 for all I care. Whats important is the attempt by the media to shamefully lie about the facts of the death in order to push their own agenda. How did these people even come up with these false assumptions??? Its one thing to misreport based on sources, and a totally different scenario to misreport based on an agenda. These ass holes have some explaining to do. If no one told them an AR-15 was involved, or that it was bought, or attempted to be bought in Virginia, then they are guilty of completely fabricating a story in order to push an agenda, this is PROPAGANDA, not just shoddy reporting.
According to the article, "Despite statements on Monday from senior law enforcement officials â which were widely reported in the news media, including in The New York Times â that an AR-15 had been found at the scene, no such gun has been found. The authorities say they do not believe the gunman used one," it would seem law enforcement gave them the idea.
I still have a hard time believing that cops would have somehow mistaken a shotgun for an AR-15, but i will concede that point to you for a second. Where could they possibly have come up with the idea that he was rejected in an attempt to buy an AR-15 in virginia? Is that even a traceable stat from the government? Number of rejections? How could they have come up with that within hours? You really going to tell me they came up with a government issued document rejecting him from AR-15's within hours?
They made an assumption, and you know what they say about assuming. : ) I'll grant that their values did cause that (see the thread about values affecting math). By the way, can an out of stater buy a bazooka in Virginia? If not, why not? : )
Thats not an assumption, its a dedicated piece of propaganda, why would they assume he bought it in the next state over? For all they knew he could have bought it while visiting disney world, but that doesnt serve the idea that people in gun free states are always moving just 1 state over to purchase weapons. I bought a whole case of bazookas a couple weeks back.....
NYTimes was so intent on pushing its liberal bias that they failed to fact-check the particulars, whether the "authorities gave them the idea" or not. Opinions are to be left for the OP-ED section of newspapers, not front-page above the fold.