ABC Nailed it!

[PT1911]

Is there a reason our side cannot have something like a special or infomercials? If we all put in some money I'd think we could get at least a few of these done.

I know I will get some flack from this but the NRA is gutless and continues to givfe and give and give without standing up for anything... The NRA is the only pro-gun group that really has any hope of making a difference if they would just throw their weight around to make an attempt to hold onto our rights. the days of fliers, memos, and pamphlets are over, I am not a member of the NRA (for all these reasons), but I hope those of you who are will encourage some sort of action... this is getting rediculous.

simply plastering advertisements of lives saved by CCW would be better than nothing... Come on!!!!

Hell, just making some of the posts shown here would make a difference...seems as though we are sitting quietly as our rights are taken out from under us.

You want to re-instate an assault weapons ban.... ok, we will let you

you want to restrict the distribution of military brass? we will let you

you want to give powder a shelf life? ok, we will let you.

you want to ban mags greater than 10 rounds? ok, we will let you.

cant carry in parks anymore? Ok I wont

you want to come get my guns? If this comes around, it is going to be too late to stop.....

Something needs to be done now. these rights are our rights to lose and we are letting it happen, no one is forcing anything!!!!

 

[runrabbitrun]

I guess we could come away from this
concluding the best solution is to train and arm more citizens...
therefore reducing the success of any would be armed assailant/s.

Imagine the outcome if the students were able to lawfully carry on campus
and half the class had decided to do just that.

 

[Matt Dillon]

Here is the contents of my note to the FCC:
KTRK aired ABC's 20/20 program, which consisted of complaints and criticism of gun ownership and usage in the United States. There was not even a hint of fairness about this "journalism", and ABC attempted to paint gun ownership and acquisition as a dangerous practice. No mention was made of the thousands of times a year that guns are used in sport, in self defense from wicked perpetrators, and was a completely biased report. No balance, no opposing viewpoint, no acknowledgment of the place that firearms have had in the protection and preservation of our republic from enemies without and within. No recognition that the right to own firearms is second only to the right of free speech as listed in the Bill of Rights. I am registering this complaint with you in the hopes that the local affiliate, KTRK, as well as the ABC network will present this subject fairly and objectively, not deceiving the public with biased reporting.

 

[PT1911]

no one will ever be able to convince me that if everyone was able to carry and the majority did so responsibly (as most of us do!!!), these mass shootings would continue to take place. These little cowards who walk into schools and start shooting do not have the intestinal fortitude to try it knowing there are people in the class with the ability to take care of themselves.

 

[SCKimberFan]

In case you missed it:

20/20 or Good Morning America Link:

http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3271346&cat=20/20

http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/news/ame...#comment-51739


The top link is to send an email to Diane sawyer the bottom link is to the comments page for the story. There seems to be a whole bunch of people out there that agree with us.

 

[largecaliber]

Anything ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN puts on the air to do with guns is going to be of the anti nature 99 percent of the time, so why waste the time even turning them on? Hollywood and the media is mostly full of nothing but phony's and hypocrite's who preach, do as I say and not as I do. I have no use for them and I rarely pay any attention to them because I refuse to give them what they want, RATINGS. In my opinion, if this were back in the time of our forefathers not only would most of the media but also most of our politicians would be hung for treason.

 

[gretske]

I hate to rain on this parade, but FCC complaints are worse than useless. Let me explain. First, as was mentioned, the FCC has no authority over the major networks. Secondly, even though they have authority over locally owned affiliates, this program falls within the rules as far as content goes. They have the right to express any opinion they like, whether it is news, entertainment or whatever. This comes from the First Amendment, the one just before the Second Amendment.

And, they have no obligation to present a fair and balanced point of view, no need to offer opposing points. Now, do you really want a Fairness Doctrine? Do you want the Federal Government making programming decisions for us? I don't.

Complaining to, or boycotting, advertisers is equally useless. Most of them had no idea their ad was going to run in that show, and even if they did, they have no say over the content. Even if they knew 20/20 was going to run that show, they were not consulted on it, or shown advance copies.

So, what can we do? Well, the pressure point is the local station. Those advertisers have a bit more leverage over the local TV station. They can, and have, in the past, pulled ads, and even forced local stations to not show programs that they did not like. So, contact the local advertisers and let them know about your concerns. Write, and call, the local TV station general manager and raise Caine with them. Send letters to the editor, complaining about the program, point out the fallacies and offer counter arguments.

These things may have an impact, but writing the FCC will not, and worse, may support the move for a Fairness Doctrine, which, I guarantee, we would NOT like.

 

[dpeticca]

Complain to the FCC. Complain complain complain. Annoy them until they are tired of hearing complaints, and then complain some more.

My complaint;

This "news" program poorly represented those of us who believe that the 2nd amendment is an important right, and that we can't simply overlook this right in an effort to fight crime. The show chose to create a hypothetical situation, a simulation of a shooter entering a school room, and a woman with a carry permit who failed to prevail in the situation. As a news program, there are unfortunately real stories of successful gun defenses on a daily basis, but the program overlooked those real life scenarios, in favor a hypothetical and emotional argument.

I understand this is a controversial issue. I don't expect everyone to share my opinion. I do however, expect the news to be fair. By choosing to show this hypothetical scenario instead of real situations involving successful defenses with firearms in their "news" program, their bias is demonstrated.

 

[gretske]

Depeticca, go ahead and waste your time, if you wish. But, complaining to the FCC, who have no authority over TV network programming, is a waste of your time. The networks have no legal responsibility to be fair, and the FCC has NO power to force them to be fair. If it did, do you think the press coverage of George Bush would have been different? Wake up and smell the remote control.

Why don't you use your energy and complain to the local TV station manager instead? You will be doing something that may have a positive impact. Keep complaining to the FCC, and, in addition to wasting your time, you will only be reinforcing the drive for a fairness doctrine.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I think I had better take the points off my kitchen knives too.

Over in Britain, they're way ahead of you:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm

 

[The Deer Hunter]

All private citizens are just too stupid and clumsy to protect themselves against an evil maniac murderer, and if we use a gun to stop a mass murder, we become more dangerous than the mass murderer him or herself. I'm SO glad they set it straight for me. I was under the illusion that good guys with guns were better than bad guys with guns. They also layed out the best plan for a mass slaughter....play dead or do nothing. I wonder if bleeding counts as doing nothing? Anyway, it is also acceptable to ABC if you run away screaming like a school girl and hope said maniac is a poor shot. I also found out that if I use a gun to defend myself in my house the bullets will magically wind up hitting my wife or other family member every time, so once again, I would be even more dangerous than the "Bad Guy". That would make me the real bad guy and I wouldn't want that, so I'm going to hire men in hazmat suits to open my safe and dispose of any "weapon like" device that could in any way be used in self defense to protect my family and the world against ME. I'm going to have the metal melted down and mould it into a 6' peace sign for my front lawn. I think I had better take the points off my kitchen knives too.

I found that terrific =D

 

[Harpo]

Segments of the program can be downloaded here:

http://abcnews.go.com/2020

Maybe it's time to arrange a more realistic test scenario, where the subjects aren't handicapped by mispositioned holsters, heavy gloves, long sweatshirts, and restrictive helmets, and the shooters aren't notified who has a gun.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Complain to the FCC. Complain complain complain. Annoy them until they are tired of hearing complaints, and then complain some more.

FCC doesn't care at all. Their job as far as television goes is only to regulate objectionable content. Other than that networks are free to show whatever they wish.

Unless you saw Diane Sawyer have a wardrobe malfunction the FCC won't do any good.

The advertisers are where attention needs to be. The way to hurt ABC is with their cash flow.

 

[Old Fuff]

When CBS broadcast Guns of Autumn some years ago a gun club I belonged to went to the trouble of collecting about 2000 names on a petition, protesting specific complaints about some of the content. When a copy was sent to the station manager I'm told he went ballistic! He knew that when license renewal time came up all of the complaints that had been made against the station would be put on public display, and comments would be solicited from both viewers and others seeking to get that license.

The FCC is obligated to award that license to whoever can convince them that they will best use it in the public interest. While it was unlikely that the station would lose the license neither the manager nor owner wanted to open up any potential opportunities for someone else to stick their foot in the door.

We had a "mole" of sorts that worked at the station and also belonged to our club. He was in a position to know, and said some warm words passed between they're top honchos and the network brass in New York.

Thereafter CBS didn't become pro-gun by any means, but they were more careful to give the appearance of balance. The station offered the club equal time for a rebuttal, and we accepted. It was nowhere near as well done as the one professionally produced by CBS, but our acceptance cost both the station and network some advertising money. All and all it was well worth the effort.

If you check the FCC complaint form you may notice there is a place to comment on bias. We should all use it. But you are correct in saying that the FCC won't do anything about the networks, just the individual stations that broadcast the program. I have tried to make this quite clear in my posts.