Is New York Times seeing new light on guns?

If you look closely enough, squint hard to focus, and read under perfect lighting, you might be surprised to find that the New York Times appears to possibly be showing some positive signs on its coverage of firearms and gun policy.

It’s nothing earth shattering. They aren’t calling for Americans to all rise up and freely exercise their Second Amendment rights. They aren’t endorsing universal constitutional carry or national reciprocity. But there could actually be some room for positive reinforcement and praise for the news behemoth on some recent reporting, albeit given cautiously.

The paper of record’s full history of reporting on guns is not at all surprising as it has consistently supported strict gun control and given effusive praise to gun control activists in their never-ending crusade. The Times has also demonstrated an embarrassing lack of basic firearm knowledge and blatant disregard for the truth before when covering topics related to the firearm industry and gun rights. That being said, credit where credit is due to The New York Times for actually publishing a few articles recently related to firearms, who’s buying them, and why and even noting as “skeptical” Mexico’s lawsuit to hold lawful firearm businesses liable for the criminal gun violence committed within its own borders by Mexican narco-terrorists.

Any signs of progress at that outlet can at least be given some positive reinforcement.

Firearms education

Education is a foundational principle of firearm ownership and a critical aspect of passing down hunting and shooting traditions through family and friends over generations. Learning how to properly handle, clean, store, and use firearms in a responsible way is critical to safe gun ownership and, among the gun owning community, is almost always started as soon as possible. The earlier young Americans learn about firearms and safe handling, the more responsible and safer they are with them.

It’s a principle that was echoed by former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) in a Congressional hearing just two years ago.

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“I just appreciate the opportunity to put a plug in for the many, many, many Americans who are responsible gun owners,” Peltola said. “You look at some of the tragedies that are occurring, and those aren’t hunters, those aren’t kids that have grown up with hunting and the good values that, I think, hunting and hunting families provide. So I just … like the opportunity to give a plug for Second Amendment rights and good values.”

Fast-forward a few years and the New York Times reported on early firearm education as if it were a new and uncharted approach to firearm safety, which it might be for many of their readers.

“To Make Guns Less Dangerous, One Group Teaches Young People How to Use Them,” the Times published. It goes on to describe the efforts of a group in gang-ridden Chicago to teach young people safe handling and storage. Some of the attendees come voluntarily, while others may be court-ordered to go to a certain number of meetings, the Times reported.

While noting that owning a gun in Chicago is illegal for anyone under 21 years of age, the Times reported about the group Stick Talk, which teaches participants “how to carry, clean and store a gun and how to comport oneself during a police stop,” and “how to avoid accidental discharges.”

“We understand that they’re going to carry guns,” Audrey Dunford told the Times. “But we want to impress upon them to be thinking all the time. Just because you got a gun doesn’t mean you can just shoot people.”

Early firearm education is critical for a safe gun owning community. It’s why NSSF supports all avenues of providing gun education to all young Americans. That includes through hunter safety and education courses, including in schools, as in Arkansas where Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently signed into law mandatory age-appropriate firearm education in public schools. Other firearm safety educational opportunities include through Scouting, where an adult-supervised young scout can earn a merit badge for shooting, or 4-H clubs with shooting sports programs.

The Times’ recognition of the impact and positive outcomes that early firearm education has on young Americans is worthy of praise.

Eye-opening discoveries

In February, the Times published an exposé on the dramatic changes taking place among the gun-owning community. NSSF has recognized for years the welcomed diversification of American gun ownership away from the old, white male caricature so often repeated in the media. After all, the Second Amendment is for all law-abiding Americans and is colorblind.

To investigate this development, a Times reporter took a trip to the rural northeast to look at gun ownership and described what she saw.

“Many rural New Englanders, even in western Massachusetts and northern Vermont, treasure their long traditions of hunting and recreational shooting, and resent what they see as the encroachment from the left on their right to bear arms,” Jenna Russell wrote.

“Until recently, I had imagined people’s views on gun ownership to be largely fixed, a kind of permanent feature, like their height or eye color. I had not seen my friends or family dramatically change their opinions on guns; if anything, their attitudes seemed to become more entrenched over time… I came to see something I might not have considered previously: A whole universe of people had once believed, firmly, that they would never buy a gun. Until they did,” Russell stated.

The entire article is truly worth the read — it’s not long. But Russell, who published a long-form companion article on the individuals with whom she spoke, does a commendable job relaying why these Americans chose to jump off the fence and become gun owners, they’re evolving stances on gun control and how firearm ownership and practice allows them to feel empowered.

The NSSF launched Faces of Firearms earlier this year to put a spotlight on and celebrate the diversity of gun owners and their unity in advancing safe, responsible firearm ownership. Some of the featured gun owners in the campaign are domestic violence survivors, Olympians and Purple Heart recipients.

A door opening

The Times editorial board is as liberal and pro-gun control as any in the country, so don’t be fooled. It would be a miracle to read on the opinion pages anything remotely pro-Second Amendment anytime soon. But a few major articles recognizing that Americans have widely and dramatically changed their attitudes towards firearms and gun ownership in the Old Gray Lady is noteworthy. It means the paper’s readership — typically an elite, progressive, pro-gun control crowd – is reading about these dynamics, hopefully with an open mind and recognizing more and more that a pro-Second Amendment position is one of community and personal safety, empowerment, responsibility and against criminal violence.

These openings are where political gains are realized, when voting constituencies recognize the old gun control beliefs they previously held might be dated and wrong and that there is a place for them within the Second Amendment gun-owning community. After all, it’s a big tent. Perhaps that leads to more voter support for gun rights and opposition to flawed gun control proposals that do not make communities safer, do nothing to hold criminals accountable for their crimes and only penalize law-abiding Americans.

NSSF continues to believe whole-heartedly in early firearm education, responsible training and practice and passing on these traditions to all gun owners — young and old. We will continue our strong advocacy for the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. This includes noting — and praising — those who typically support gun control who may be opening their eyes to the Second Amendment and presenting those stories to new audiences.

Republished with permission from NSSF.

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