Debunking Random Anti-Gun Myths

By Gerard Valentino

The anti-gun movement and establishment media have done such a great job disseminating their dangerous message on the gun issue that several of their myths have become accepted as common knowledge in America today. Some of the myths are ridiculous, and some are so pervasive that they are considered to be true.

In some cases they are perpetuated by well-meaning but misinformed entertainers, and in some cases they are the end result of years of anti-gun lies. Regardless, they are destructive to the gun movement and it is vital that they be exposed as myths.

This list isn't meant to be a ranking and it is far from all-inclusive. They are simply myths that have been in the news recently.

If I ever go anywhere I think is dangerous I will carry, but I won't carry a gun all the time

This little anti-gun pearl of non-wisdom is tossed around a lot by the hosts of ESPN’s morning radio show "Mike and Mike In the Morning" whenever an athlete is caught in a scandal involving a gun. When it happens they act like it is obvious that it is easy to tell where and when someone might need a gun for self-defense. Both Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic are clearly misinformed on the issue since they have gone to work, their children's school and have used parking garages - all places where violent crime is not only possible, but likely, and where someone needs a gun.

What is insidious about their anti-gun rhetoric is the fact that they make it seem like everyone knows when and where they might become the victim of a violent crime. Based on that logic, even concealed carry permit holders nationwide would avoid certain places since nobody goes looking for a gunfight.

You can bet the students at Virginia Tech, the diners at Luby’s in Killeen, TX, and the students at Northern Illinois University didn't think they needed a gun – but they did.

The hosts of "Mike and Mike" need to shut-up about the gun issue because they are either anti-gun or are misinformed about the role of guns in society. Either way, their self-proclaimed "common sense" thoughts on the gun issue are neither common nor sensible. After all, Americans, by a huge majority, support the right to carry a concealed gun, putting "Mike and Mike" in the minority on the issue. Plus, thinking anyone can predict a spree killing defies logic and such thinking isn't sensible.

The National Rifle Association is a Big-Money Special Interest Group

The anti-gun movement needs to hang onto this myth because they can't admit being beaten by the average apolitical American. When it's all said and done, however, the NRA is simply a group of over 4 million gun owners that paid its dues, created a group with a common goal, and worked together to make sure gun rights are protected.

Unlike the anti-gun groups that are funded by billionaire liberals, the pro-gun movement is largely self-funded. Even gun manufacturers lack the deep pockets of the liberal groups and biased establishment media conglomerates that are trying to destroy gun rights.

Anti-gun groups and people like leftist propagandist Michael Moore simply can't admit they are being beaten by a group of nobodies, so they conjure an image of an evil, money-laden special interest group.

The fact remains that it is the millions of members, not the money, that makes the NRA powerful - a fact that surely keeps the billionaire anti-gun liberals awake at night.

"The Gun Show Loophole" Exists

So far, the anti-gun movement has lost in the legislatures, at the ballot box, in the courts and in the public opinion polls. So they have created yet another nefarious-sounding "loophole" they claim is arming criminals. There is one huge flaw in their argument - studies show only 1 percent of guns used in crimes are traced back to sales at gun shows.

Once again, there are rich and powerful interests with a lot to lose if the "gun show loophole" is exposed as a fraud. Most notable is billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who has used the "gun show loophole" myth as an excuse for why his gun control schemes aren't working to keep New York's criminals from getting guns. By blaming the "gun show loophole" and gun dealers outside of New York, Bloomberg can lay the blame for his bad public policy decisions at the feet of the gun industry.

Like Don Quixote, Bloomberg is on a crusade to smite a mythical foe. The problem is he is well-funded and has the backing of a complicit establishment media - which makes him one of the most dangerous anti-gun leaders in the United States.

He has so much invested in keeping the "gun show loophole" at the forefront of his anti-gun crusade that he clearly believes his own lies. Regardless, his anti-gun rallying cry is nothing more than a figment of a vivid imagination and incredibly well-thought-out political spin.

Gun Owners are a Pack of Illogical, Illiterate Hillbillies

Few anti-gun myths are as ridiculous as the belief that all gun owners are nothing more than unenlightened swine. Groups that have pushed this myth include the establishment media, university administrations, anti-gun groups and Hollywood.

Estimates are wide-ranging when it comes to determining how many households in America have at least one gun. Some are as high as 50 percent, and others put the number as low as 35 percent. Regardless, we do know there are at least 200 million guns in America (if not 300 million) and gun owners come from all walks of life. If you live in a state that allows legal concealed carry, chances are you've stood in line at the bank, at the grocery store or at the local "stop and rob" next to a teacher, bank executive, stay-at-home mom or lawyer who is carrying a gun.

Gun owners don't look like they do in anti-gun propaganda. Most gun owners have all their teeth, don't always wear camouflage or guzzle cans of beer while driving a pick-up truck with mud tires and a Confederate flag on the antenna. Not that there is anything wrong with driving a pick-up truck with mud tires, it is just that the establishment media tries to paint all gun owners with the same brush.

What the establishment media will never admit is that somewhere, right now in America, there is an 85 year-old lady carrying a gun on her walk to the bus stop. There is also a mother of three toddlers who chooses to carry on her trip to the grocery store because she understands that the attention she pays to her kids makes her less aware of her surroundings, putting her and the kids at risk.

Plus, she knows her concealed gun is like her kids' car seats – a safety device that she hopes will never be needed.

It's all About the Children

Anti-gun groups have succeeded in convincing too many Americans that guns don't belong in a house with children. They trot out statistics conjured out of thin air in an attempt to prove that thousands of children are killed by gun accidents every year in America.

Exploiting tragedy is their bread and butter so if gun accidents involving kids are lessened, it takes away one of their most successful public relations ploys. The shrill anti-gun cry of "what about the children" takes on an entirely new meaning when anti-gun groups are questioned about their opposition to educating children about gun safety. A policy initiative they refuse to consider despite the fact that everyone knows it will save lives.

There are countless gun safety programs that can be taught in schools and nearly all are opposed by the anti-gun gang. Arguing that teaching gun accident avoidance is actually pushing a pro-gun culture is absurd, but that is their basis for opposition.

The sad truth is anti-gun groups want kids to become victims of gun accidents so they can exploit the tragedy for their anti-gun propaganda.

Gerard Valentino is a member of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation Board of Directors and his first book, "The Valentino Chronicles – Observations of a Middle Class Conservative," is available through the Buckeye Firearms Association store..