NRA Spokeswoman Dana Loesch called out the American media in her appearance for CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. She claimed the media hasn’t sufficiently covered problems with America’s criminal background check system. Now the media is responding, and they have the receipts to prove they have covered those issues.
Loesch said:
“If you take anything from my remarks to you today, and I say this to the reporters in the media: I say this to the people at Slate, and Salon, and ThinkProgress, and MediaMatters. The people who we keep clothed and fed because their beats are us, right? That’s some job creation.
I want you to all ask yourselves, where are the stories about how only 38 states submit less than 80 percent of criminal convictions to the background check system? It’s only as good as what is submitted to it… I have to question whether they want this system to fail. Where are those headlines?” she continued.
See her make the comments below:
ThinkProgress responded in minutes, with a list of a “handful of dozens” of times they shared headlines about the subject of criminal background checks. Their most recent story was days ago on February 16, entitled, Oregon House passes bill to close ‘boyfriend loophole’ in background checks for guns.
Another article calls the background check system in Texas “a disaster,” from November 2017.
In 2015, ThinkProgress shared a piece that outlined how Dylann Roof was able to obtain a weapon thanks to:
“…Reported lapses in the FBI’s background check system.”
In 2014, they explored why domestic abusers could still buy guns.
In 2013, they discussed Nevada’s Republican Governor, who vetoed a universal background check bill on the eve of the Newtown massacre’s anniversary.
They also shared a comprehensive “essential guide to the background check debate.”
Slate wasted no time responding to Loesch’s appearance in a CNN town hall with students who survived a shooting in Parkland, Florida, calling her claim that the NRA supports background checks in the first place, “very disingenuous” and “a ludicrous claim.”
The news outlet shared the evidence that:
“…The NRA has long opposed and sought to limit the passage and administration of background check rules.”
One of their sources is the NRA’s own website, which still shows the following statement, totally at odds with Loesch’s stance:
“NRA opposes expanding firearm background check systems, because background checks don’t stop criminals from getting firearms, because some proposals to do so would deprive individuals of due process of law, and because NRA opposes firearm registration.
Background checks don’t necessarily stop criminals from getting firearms. Federal studies have repeatedly found that persons imprisoned for firearm crimes get their firearms mostly through theft, the black market, or family members or friends. Less than one percent get guns at gun shows.”
Salon responded to Loesch, saying:
“The NRA has decided that, in order to distract people from calls for stricter gun control laws, they will instead vilify one of the right-wing’s favorite targets — the mainstream media.”
The shared a disturbing video from the NRATV show that will launch in March to “further attack the mainstream media.”
See the disturbing video below, that accuses the media of creating and benefitting from mass shootings:
"The mainstream media love mass shootings. I'm going to say it again; the mainstream media love mass shootings…and you, the #MSM, just put out the casting call for the next mass shooter." @MrColionNoir #NRA pic.twitter.com/1XtqVoA23l
— NRATV (@NRATV) February 22, 2018
Finally, MediaMatters also commented on Loesch’s statements at the town hall, saying:
“Loesch lied to Stoneman Douglas student Emma Gonzales.”
The article notes the NRA’s website comments, as well as that that the NRA opposes a “Red Flag” law, although Loesch indicated otherwise to the student.
They review comments from Loesch and NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre at CPAC about the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Loesch said, “It is not federal law for states to report convictions to the NICS system. It’s not federally mandated.”
From Media Matters:
“What Loesch failed to mention is that states can’t be required to report disqualifying records because of the outcome of a 1997 NRA-backed lawsuit Printz v. United States.
The lawsuit was the NRA’s attempt to invalidate the entire national background check system in court before it could be implemented. While the system eventually went into effect, the outcome of Printz damaged its effectiveness, as a the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision in favor of the NRA’s argument that requiring states to perform background checks for a federal system violated the 10th Amendment.”
If Dana Loesch and the NRA intend to take on the media, it looks like the media is ready and willing to fire back at whatever the NRA throws at it. Turns out, the NRA has nothing when confronted with journalists armed with the facts instead of spin and lies.
The students from Stoneman Douglas and the rest of Americans living with the threat of ongoing gun violence in schools and universities deserve much better.
Featured image: Screenshot via YouTube.
