The Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN)is at it trying to convince readers/viewers/listeners that private sales of guns in Maine is a problem. I have to wonder if MPBN edited their original story. A portion of the report I have in my email box says, “Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund found that unlicensed sellers placed more than 8,000 gun ads in Uncle Henry’s and posted more than 500 to Armslist.com from 2012 to 2016.” This morning, MPBN shows the same article at the same link that reads, “Looking at nearly four years of ads starting in 2012, a team of researchers from the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund found that Uncle Henry’s printed about 8,400 ads for guns from more than 4,400 unlicensed sellers. Armslist.com posted more than 700 over the last two years.” So which lie is Everytown for Gun Safety (Everytown) and MPBN planning to use?
The same report also says, “Previous research done by the group [Everytown] in other states suggests that 1 in 10 interested, online gun buyers has a criminal history that bars them from purchasing or possessing guns under federal law.”
First, let me address the last statement. We are told that “previous research…suggests.” You need to understand this. Suggesting something is not fact. The truth is, they have no idea what the demographics are concerning prospective private sales of gun.
I’m inclined to think the Everytown and MPBN intended to print what I showed from my email box. Probably after considering that their blather is a useless piece of drivel, they decided to change it up so they wouldn’t look so stupid.
From “2012 to 2016” is five years by my calculations. In a five-year period of time, according to this report ads were placed – 8,500 of them – in two prominent selling platforms. Please note the ads were placed. We have no knowledge as to how many of the ads resulted in sales.
If you break down the numbers, each year, in the two venues, 1,700 ads to sell guns were placed. Big deal. It’s still an insignificant and useless number that the totalitarians for Bloomberg the Fascist are attempting to convince people that private sales of guns is done mostly by criminals.
I might SUGGEST, using the same data MPBN published that suggested 1 in 10 perspective gun buyers might have a criminal past prohibiting them to buy and/or possess firearms, that of the 1,700, possibly 170 (1 in 10) that looked at ads in Uncle Henry’s and Armslist.com were criminals. Again I ask, so what? Any of these graphics have no meaning at all.
I refer readers to my post yesterday about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (BATFE) Trace Reports. Of the million or more guns that exist in Maine, including every gun sale, private or otherwise, a mere 316 were traced by authorities. We are told by BATFE that traces mean nothing as far as a crime being committee. BATFE states that they can run a trace on any gun, at any time, for any reason they want, and, they don’t even have to report it to the Federal Government. Please go read the BATFE Disclaimer on the first page of the report.
With about .001 percent of all guns bought, sold, traded and owned in Maine, undergoing a trace by BATFE, of which we don’t know how many were actually used in a crime, if any at all, for Everytown to pretend that 1,700 ads for private gun sales in Maine is dangerous, is a laugh. What is dangerous is Michael Bloomberg insisting he is going to make it very difficult for innocent people to be able to protect themselves…especially protect themselves from fascist dictators like him. Please understand the real threat here.
But totalitarian groups like Everytown, and fascists like Michael Bloomberg, understand that most people will read what they write, missing key points, leaving readers buying into the emotional clap trap (lies).
I beg you to know the truth.