CNN RETRACTS ATTACK ON ASSAULT WEAPONS

Unnamed | therut

[therut]

O:K Guys and Gals I just read on the dreaded other web site tha Cnn ran a retraction of their false report on assault weapons. I did not see it does anyone else know any details.

[coloradan]

Confirmation, anyone?

[therut]

I just know that the "other site" and yes there is some real pro-2nd amendment people there. Posted and 5:57EST that they had a different Florida policeman on who practically said ther other guy lied.

[keithtoo]

If they really cared about people they would ban these assault weapons. There is just no legitimate reason for ANYONE to own a brick.

[Normal4me]

Interesting. I didn't see the original CNN airing of the story but watched it here: Click and I did see Wayne Lapierre rip into them the other day. I emailed Fox Newswatch this morning hoping they would run something this weekend.

[RJayneJ]

I remember commenting at the time so I went back and found the two comments that I made on a thread. Here they are:

Hey, I was surfing through my remote and was interrupted and stayed on CNN and lo and behold there is LaPierre(sp?) and after the infobab Kyra Phillips asked a ridicules question he said that CNN had faked a story yesterday and tore her up one side and down the other. It was beautiful.

I know there is no chance that they will repeat that segment, but instead of answering her question he went for the jugular. He said that CNN faked a story that ran all day yesterday. She didn't know whether to sh!t or go blind and said she was going to end the interview because CNN does not fabricate stories, but turned right around and asked him another goofy question and giving him another chance to rant some more. It was priceless.

[Howlin]

Now how many stories does this make that CNN has had to retract?

[RJayneJ]

I don't know, but you have to figure the climate is receptive to this type of story at CNN. It was just an accident that I saw the interview. LaPierra said something like, Your question is based on a fabrication and CNN should be ashamed. I would love to see the retraction. There is probably a transcript of that interview by now. He used the words "faked the story."

[Wisconsin]

i remain in total ignorance. What did the CNN story say? What did the retraction say? Any links to either?

[caisson71]

Don't know, don't watch CNN. My TV is "shoe shy" when CNN appears on the screen.

[TomB]

Bump for an explanation.

[Bogey78O]

Here is the retraction.

Taken from GonzoSKS at sksboards.com:

O'BRIEN: Welcome back. The White House recently restated President Bush's support for renewing a ban on certain semiautomatic weapons. The ban has been in place since '94, but is set to expire next year, unless Congress renews it.

Recent signals that the GOP leadership might not bring the renewal up for consideration and will let the ban expire have rekindled the fires of that debate. On this program on Thursday of last week, we aired a live demonstration CNN set up with law enforcement officials of a banned semiautomatic rifle and its legal counterpart. We reviewed that demonstration, and one on another CNN program, and decided that a more detailed report could better explain this complex issue.

Here is CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a semiautomatic firearm. It instantly self-loads and fires one bullet for each trigger pull. The 1994 Crime Control Act says it is unlawful for a person to manufacture, transfer or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon. The law defines a semiautomatic assault weapon by name and description, listing 19 specific firearms by name that are illegal.

The law also bans certain rifles, pistols and shotguns by description, as well as large capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The law is very specific. For a semiautomatic rifle to be banned, it must be able to use a detachable magazine and have at least two of the following features: A flash suppressor, a bayonet mount, a pistol grip, a folding or telescoping stock, or a grenade launcher.

Gary Reno (ph), a retired 30-year police officer and assistant chief in Oakland Park, Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's examine the banned weapon.

ZARRELLA: ... explained the difference between a banned AR-15 and its legal clone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flash suppressor, bayonet log, high capacity magazine, over 10 rounds, pistol grip and a telescoping rear stock.

ZARRELLA (on camera): And the legal weapon doesn't have those features, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't have any of those features. Does not have a flash suppressor, does not have a bayonet log, has a legal 10- round magazine. Does have the pistol grip, but it has no other features so it makes it a legal firearm, and has a solid rear stock.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Pro-ban advocates say each of these features would make the weapons more deadly, but anti-ban supporters say those features are only cosmetic and don't contribute to and increase in crime. With only one of the listed features, the gun is legal. And without those features, experts say the guns are identical.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's exactly the same gun.

ZARRELLA (on camera): And the same firepower.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Same firepower, same bullet, you have to squeeze the trigger once to make a bullet go down the barrel.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): In fact, if you fire the same caliber and type bullets from the two guns, you get the same impact.

Here is a .223 caliber bullet fired from a banned AR-15 rifle. Now, the legal version of that rifle.

The smaller hole made by the second gun has nothing to do with the gun or ammunition. The shooter just hit the second target more times in the same place.

Both sides cited Justice Department study about the impact of the law as proof of their argument. Those who oppose the ban say the study shows the ban has had no impact on the reduction of crime and that the answer is to enforce the laws already on the books.

WAYNE LAPIERRE, EXEC. VICE PRESIDENT, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: What stops crime is every time a violent felon touches a gun, a violent drug dealer, a violent criminal, use the existing federal law, prosecute him 100 percent, confront the criminal directly, and take him off the street and put him in jail.

ZARRELLA: Supporters of the ban instead say the study shows a decline in the amount of crime committed with these weapons.

REP. CAROLYN MCCARTHY (D), NEW YORK: I'm sure the American people do not want to go back to the day of allowing AK-47s back on the streets, or even the newer models that are the Buschmeister (ph) that were used in the D.C. sniping killings last year.

ZARRELLA: Gun control advocates are working with some members of Congress on not only extending the assault weapon ban in 2004, but introducing new legislation to vastly expand the number of weapons banned. Gun advocates and their supporters in Congress argue this and any future bans are an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

[Bogey78O]

They just6 basically redid the story. I don't think they said how they made up the last one.

[Bogey78O]

As to the original story it had a Texas cop fire a preban 30 rd AK-47 at a cinder block and at a "bullet proof" vest.

It easily penetrated both of them.

Then he pulls out a legal 10 rd AK-47 and misses the cinder blocks BY A MILE!

Then goes onto lecture us about how the 30 rd AK was more powerful and the 10rd AK is too weak to break cinder blocks.

Then to stress the need to keep the SEMI-AUTOMATIC weapons ban in place he switches it to full auto and decimates the bricks.

Meanwhile anyone who has a modicum of knowledge of the AK-47 and rifle technology is sitting home aghast at this JBT lying through his teeth.

[Joe Brower]

Check out the video link in post #5.

CNN has certainly proven itself to be more than a shameless propaganda outlet for the civilian disarment crowd. A TV version of the lying New York Times.

[punster]

"As to the original story it had a Texas cop fire a preban 30 rd AK-47 at a cinder block and at a "bullet proof" vest.

It easily penetrated both of them.

Then he pulls out a legal 10 rd AK-47 and misses the cinder blocks BY A MILE!"

What this shows is the intellectual dishonesty of the gun control advocates. They are even worse than pathological liars.

[Sender]

Here's a link to my original post the night CNN first aired the segment. The key is that their "demonstration" was of a select-fire, fully automatic weapon, claiming that was what was up for grabs with the assault weapon law. I don't believe that CNN has retracted their obvious disinformation from that broadcast.

[shootist]

God, what bull s**t

[Lancey Howard]

CNN is the New York Times of cable news.