Chicago Tribune's Steve Chapman claims Obama is "anti-gun control," ignores proof to the contrary

By Chad D. Baus

In a recent opinion piece ("Obama Anti-gun? No, anti-gun control"), Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Champan referenced "Obama's overall refusal to do anything to advance gun control."

I contacted Mr. Chapman to advise him that Obama has, in fact, called for the advance of gun control by urging the U.S. Senate to ratify a United Nations treaty on small arms control. I provided a link which contained video of CNN's Bill Tucker on Lou Dobbs Tonight last April, noting that the treaty would "create a national registry for guns."

Chapman replied:

If you have anything that would document how the proposed treaty would violate gun owners' rights, I'd be interested in seeing it.

When I inquired if he had watched the CNN report, Chapman relied again:

It makes the claim that the treaty would require a national registry, but it doesn't provide any documentation. If that's the case, I assume it can be documented.

I inquired why Chapman wasn't willing to trust that CNN's Tucker had done the appropriate background, or to do his own digging. Chapman said:

Dobbs is an advocate, not a reporter, and I would need something more than opinions from him and others to convince me.

He later said the difference between he (also "an advocate, not a reporter") and Dobbs is:

...that I take care to document what I say.

He also challenged me again to provide documentation of the gun registry component of the small arms treaty.

So I did.

From the United Nations Security Council, Report of Secretary-General, 17 April 2008:

Marking and tracing
12. If national law enforcement officials were able to trace small arms back to their last legitimate owner, who might then be held accountable, this would constitute an effective measure against the illicit trade in small arms and the diverting of weapons to the illicit market. For that purpose, it is essential that the weapon be marked upon production and import and that appropriate records be kept. Also existing stocks should be marked. Although many weapons are marked when produced and some when imported, international cooperation in marking and tracing of small arms is in its infancy.

It seems Mr. Chapman's standards for appropriate sources then changed. Completely ignoring the quote I provided from (and link to) the United Nations website, he instead referenced another "advocate, not a reporter" who supposedly (he gave no documentation) has expressed his opinion that there can be no certainty that the treaty would require gun registration because the drafting is not complete.

He then refused to issue a correction, and terminated our discussion:

As it happens, I didn't mention the treaty in my column. So there is nothing to correct, except my willingness to read your emails, a mistake I promise not to repeat.

How very unprofessional.

It is painfully clear that Steve Chapman ([email protected]) has no interest in the truth, but rather is interested only in propping up the anti-gun president from Chicago.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.