Lies, Damn Lies, and Gun Control.

The video below is an exercise in utter dishonesty. We already have background checks, and our government does not prosecute those who lie in connection with them. I have never been fingerprinted or investigated by the FBI and NYS police to buy a goldfish, but I had to be to get a pistol permit. It is even harder to legally buy a fully automatic weapon like an M16.

If they have to LIE to this extent to make their point, it just highlights the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of their failed policies. And BTW, where is the orange tip on that presumably toy gun? Oh, wait, this was filmed in NYC, where that isn't even good enough-- toy guns are supposed to be brightly colored plastic and not resemble real guns. Did they break the law in the making of this propaganda piece? Or did they actually obtain the proper film permits required to possess a prop gun, and follow all the regulations regarding use of same? If not, shame on them!

There are so many things wrong with this video, it's hard to even know where to begin.

First, if you walk into a gun shop in New York and try to buy a pistol, you are not going to get anywhere unless you present a valid NYS pistol permit. To buy that pistol, or a long arm, you will be required to fill out a federal Form 4473, in which you will need to assert that you are buying the firearm for yourself as the end user (i.e., you are not a straw purchaser), that you have not been arrested and/or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, and that you have not been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital or adjudicated incompetent as a danger to yourself or others. Lying on that form is a felony. (But our government does not have time to prosecute "paperwork violations" -- see how much expanded background checks are likely to be worth if existing laws are not even enforced?)

After you fill out the form, the gun shop will run a NICS check on you. If it comes up clean, you will be able to purchase a firearm. If it comes up further investigation required, or denied, you will be shown the door.

Fully automatic firearms such as the M16 mentioned in the video are subject to even more regulation under the National Firearms Act of 1934. A prospective purchaser must jump further federal hoops and obtain a tax stamp ($200 fee), and be wiling to pay the usually thousands of dollars such a firearm will cost. If the purchaser lives in a state that permits civilians to own fully automatic weapons, that is. New York State does not!

This video is complete fiction.

Here's an idea:

Stop attempting to further your agenda by indoctrinating children and misrepresenting the facts. Do some research. Educate yourselves and your pupils on the actual state of the gun laws nationally and in New York. Educate yourselves on the actual causes of violence in our society. Think hard about what might actually make a difference. Then advocate for your (hopefully reconsidered) position from a place of knowledge and strength, rather than blatant misinformation and stupidity. An honest and principled disagreement (based on actual common sense and reasonableness, rather than the mere invocation of same) I could respect, but this fear mongering and puppeteering based on raw emotion and prevarication is simply despicable.