So? FN Now Makes a 28mm Handgun Now ..... yeah right

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dc dalton

dc dalton

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I think it stupider to chastise a reporter for not being an expert on gun terminology, especially when writing about a relatively obscure caliber to non-firearms enthusiasts. Reporters have to write articles related to all matter of subjects and it is absurd to think errors will never happen.
 
I am not sure we can always hold these folks to as much knowledge as we have...frankly. I mean I know what an ICD-10 code or a HCSPCS code is and if you ever went to see a doctor or were in the hospital, they were important very to you...and your bill...but maybe you don't know what it is.

The handgun in questions does fire a 5.7mm x 28mm round. Not the worst journalism mistake I've seen by far.
 
Sources said the 28 mm handgun is one of the largest made, and that his wife took it from their home on West 63rd Street.
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If not for that sentence I'm kinda just ok whatever someone was writing a story about a athlete's issues and didn't know much about guns. That sentence makes it sound like he was running around with a cannon.
 
I typed "FN" into a popular internet search engine and the first result contained all the information necessary for the reported to have gotten this right. Knowing more about WHAT is being reported than the audience is THE JOB OF A REPORTER. Reporting incorrect information means they have failed at their job. If you want to chalk it up to "everybody makes mistakes," fine. But reporters botching gun-related information is a cliché for a reason, and that reason is not honest mistakes, IMHO.
 
You are missing the point. They called it "huge" and one of the largest handguns "ever made". They really do think it is a 28mm (and also think Felton had AP ammo which is very unlikely).

Mike
 
Good point. Researching the content of their articles is their job...
 
I bet is was actually a "28.5mm" ....you know, that gun that's only half the size of the FN "57" (5.7) LOL
 
Good heavens, they linked to the FN website for the thing and they couldn't even get it right!!! Pathetic, but then the Post is pandering to the bird cage liner crowd anyway.
 
While reporters aren't really that bright, you can obviously tell this was written for shock effect which is commonplace nowadays. Shock is what sells. Not the truth. Any article/statement can be recanted, but the impact of the fallacy is what they are really after.
 
Seriously, try running a Google search before writing a report that thousands of people are going to see. Idiotic liberal writers that think everything is an AK47, AR15, or the most powerful high capacity handgun ever invented are among the most annoying people I've ever seen.
 
You think that one's bad? Check out this gem!

Cops were stunned when they removed the magazine from the pistol and a bullet fell out, indicating the weapon was ready to fire, sources said.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/raymond-felton-knick-point-guard-charged-weapons-possession-article-1.1700808

I agree, just some basic research is in order. I don't expect them to accurately quote muzzle velocities and kinetic energy figures. But, either get it right or leave it out. There are hundreds of subject matter experts that would gladly give their time and skills, at no cost, to help.
 
Articles are reviewed and edited multiple times before a final draft is finalized for print. It seems highly likely that somewhere along the way somebody thought that "five-seven 5.7" was redundant and dropped the numerals. Not a hard mistake to make for one not familiar with guns and this specific model.
 
Saying 28mm, when most people know that 9mm is the "standard", implies to the layman that the gun is 3x as big as is "standard." It's just like saying you can mag dump a 30 round mag from a semi auto in half a second. It is incorrect information that makes the gun seem more powerful than it is, making it look scarier and even more unnecessary for your average citizen to own (from the perspective of the "LE/military only" crowd).

That's why we get upset when reporters are "wrong." In some cases it's sloppy reporting. In others, it's intentional sensationalism to demonize guns.
 
They seem to have fixed it now:

Ariane Raymondo-Felton – who recently filed for divorce - brought the Belgian-made pistol, an FNH 5.7 x 28mm handgun, to the 20th Precinct on the Upper West Side, and the starting point guard later turned himself in for questioning, sources said.
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Until I read:

Another source said Felton’s gun had an illegal, 20-shot clip that was fully loaded – and had a bullet in the chamber when she handed it over.
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:cuss:
 
I think it stupider to chastise a reporter for not being an expert on gun terminology, especially when writing about a relatively obscure caliber to non-firearms enthusiasts. Reporters have to write articles related to all matter of subjects and it is absurd to think errors will never happen.
Click to expand...

The problem is that reporters screw up even basic concepts and terms related to guns on such a consistent and regular basis that it really demonstrates a cultural and endemic lack of willingness to engage with the subject matter in any sort of meaningful or informative fashion.

If they can't get the basics right, why should I trust them?
 
How can a reporter claim to represent the truth or reality in any way when they demonstrate ZERO effort to determine what it is?
 
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