Commenters call "Horse Hockey" on CBC Weapon Poll

[The Bread Guy]

Well, well, well - for once, the comments are making a bit of sense.....

Sept. 13th marks the 5th anniversary of the shooting at Montreal's Dawson College, a tragic event that left one student dead and 19 other people wounded.

Hayder Khadim, one of the victims who were injured on Sept. 13, 2006, is pushing for stronger gun laws that would ban military assault rifles for civilians.

Gunman Kimveer Gill used a Beretta Storm CX4, a military assault rifle he had purchased with a restricted firearms permit, during the Dawson College shootings.

According to the Canadian Firearms Program, 1,317 Canadians are registered owners of Beretta Storms today - an alarming statistic to Khadim, who cannot believe the rifle is still legal.

"It's a war weapon. I don't understand why it should be accessible to a normal civilian," he told CBC News.

Though the province of Quebec passed a law in the wake of the shooting that says people must take a course and be interrogated by the police before acquiring a restricted firearms permit, Khadim says he will fight until Canada bans military assault rifles altogether.

Should military assault rifles be banned in Canada? Why or why not? ....

CBC.ca, 13 Sept 11

If you list the comments in order of number of people who agree, here's the first few:

The type of firearm has NOTHING to do with HOW IT IS USED! There is very little that society can do to stop mentally unbalanced people from doing mentally unbalanced things; it isn't the firearm that needs to be controlled, it's the person holding the damn thing!

(....)

"Should military assault rifles be banned in Canada? Why or why not? What other steps could be taken to combat misuse of firearms in Canada? Share your comments below."

This is a false or misleading statement


The only military assault rifles in Canada are owned BY the military......

(....)

I don't understand the poll question. Military assault rifles are already banned in Canada.

The Beretta Storm is a pistol caliber, semi-auto target rifle used by not one military anywhere. It is not an assault rifle by definition. Assault rifles are fully auto and select-fire machine guns.

Why the misleading question? Banning assault rifles would not ban the Beretta Storm.

(....)

The Beretta Cx4 Storm is a pistol-caliber carbine aimed at the sporting, personal defense and law enforcement markets. It is NOT a military assualt rifle.

Military assual rifles are fully automatic, which are banned completely for civillian use/ownership in Canada. This weapon was semi-automatic, not fully automatic.

The poll and article are misleading, it asks should military assualt rifles be banned with an assumption that they aren't, when in reality they are.

(....)

MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLES ARE ALREADY ILLEGAL IN CANADA!!!

(....)

The CX4 is not a military assault weapon. Is this the typical bait & switch????

(....)

Military assault rifles are already prohibited in Canada, as a military 'assault' rifle is a selective fire auto/semi-auto firearm. Automatic weapons are prohibited.

(....)

So, will the CBC change its headline, or even its poll, given that it suggests "military assault rifles" are NOT already banned?  I've attached a screen capture of the story in case it changes, so you can have the before and after.

 

[lethalLemon]

Don't count on CBC doing anything, as usual.

 

[uptheglens]

I'm sure it has been posted on here before, but it's too apropos not to be posted again.

 

[Robert0288]

I've also seen them do multiple polls of the day so they can get the answer they are looking for.

 

[Scott]

These are the folks who gave us the 'Vote Compass'...

 

[Sigger]

These are the folks who gave us the 'Vote Compass'...

Say no more, say no more.. :rofl:

 

[The Bread Guy]

Fave new comment of the moment:

So is CBC just incapable of checking facts or do they intend to twist and distort the truth by these types of articles, it's reminds me of the North Korean news or Pravada of the 70's.

"Military Assault rifles" are already banned in Canada. The CX-Storm has never been bought by any military and is not even designed to be used in war combat situation.

I have one, it's a nice to shoot firearm that is easy on the wallet and the shoulder. It's nowhere near robust enough to survive use in the field. funny also that my lee Enfield .303 was considered one of the most dangerous military arms in it's day due to it's quick firing ability and it's magazine capacity. Yet now it's a common hunting rifle. In fact almost every hunting rifle in use today is descended from military rifles.

If CBC reporters fired guns the way they report, they would likely injure everyone around them.

 

[a_majoor]

Anyone else wonder why the CBC's share of the viewing public is only 7%?

Maybe a little research and accurate reporting might increase market share.

Just saying.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Even the National Post's headline writers are not immune....
"Should assault rifles be prohibited or banned for civilians?"
To be fair, this article, as a whole, seems to have a bit more nuance on what's allowed, what's not and what some don't want allowed.

Also, note the clearer, more specific headline in another of the Postmedia News chain's papers running of the same story:
"Part 1:  Tighten controls on civilianized military-assault weapons"