This American Life: Guns

[atxgun]

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_E ... episode=81

This is an hour long radio show out of Chicago. It's certainly not 100% pro gun and does voice many anti sentiments but I really enjoyed listening to this. Of the 5 narratives there is at least one that is a proponent of gun rights, someone I'm sure many of you have heard of before. The others are just worth listening to.

While slanted toward the other side it does seem to give a somewhat balanced insight into the discussion.

I submit this for your consideration to listen to in it's entirety before posing a reply to this post.

[chabouk]

I'll give it a listen. This American Life is a great show, although on anything that touches politics, the host does betray his leanings.

[chabouk]

A-ha! I started listening, and I recognized the first chapter (the gunsmith's daughter) immediately. I was running an errand a couple of weeks ago just as it came on, and I had to sit there in the parking lot until I heard the end of the story. Very good story!

I look forward to hearing the rest of the show....

[surprise_i'm_armed]

atxgun:

Thanks so much for posting this. I am a fan of "This American Life" and
its host Ira Glass.

I had heard this entire show and wanted to post it for the rest of the forum
members, but did not follow through.

Sarah Vowel's (sp?) piece about her father building the cannon was a hoot.
Her father was a gunsmith with tons of guns around the house, and I believe
she said that in her house you had to clear the revolvers off the table in order
to have a place for your cereal bowl!!

Sarah has also done audio pieces on the Trail of Tears, which was the forced
migration of the NC/SC/GA indians to the Oklahoma Territory, circa 1818-1819.

She is also a history buff and has covered Lincoln and other US presidents.

If you look at guns as something requiring a certain level of physicality,
you may understand Sarah a little more by realizing that she does not possess
a driver's license, has never owned a car, and prefers to live in large cities that
have public transit.

SIA

[seamusTX]

I also have been listening to "This American Life" and NPR in general for years.

A couple of points to keep in mind:

• The show's creator, Ira Glass, has spent practically his entire life in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Those environments color his outlook to a great extent.
• This show emphasizes personal experiences and emotions. That is what it is, and the show is popular and has won many awards. However, emotions are not a sound basis for forming policy or even practical opinions.

With regard to this particular episode:

• Most of the segments discussed criminal or irresponsible use of firearms. If the show were trying to be "fair and balanced," it should have had 100 people who lawfully used weapons for self defense and recreation, versus 1 criminal.
• The segment with the guy who grew up in New York City (starting at 16:00) was problematic. The guy talks about the good old days when kids had only fistfights. Fine, I also grew up in that era. But he fails to mention how the increase in violence was caused in large part by the breakup of families, irresponsible parents, exploding drug abuse, and the consequences of the "war on drugs."
  
  Instead, he attributes present-day violence entirely to guns. At marker 20:00, he talks about gun manufacturers marketing guns to women and kids. We will mention in passing the fact that adult women have just as much RKBA as adult men. What marketing to kids? Pink Crickets? Firearms are advertised only in firearms publications. They are not advertised on billboards or with the Saturday-morning cartoons.
  
  It is totally illegal for almost anyone to possess a handgun in New York City. It is impossible for minors to buy firearms or ammunition legally. Firearms in the hands of urban minors can only come from criminal sources. The firearms that they have, when they are caught, tend to be cheap pistols, sawed-off rifles or shotguns, junk from pawn shops, or whatever someone happened to steal.
• I did not care for the way that the producer (I assume Mr. Glass) interleaved Suzanna Hupp's comments with the cop who was shot. I think each should have had time to speak interrupted, as the other interviewees did.

The most positive thing that I can say about this episode is that it might bring provoke some thought and discussion among an audience that would otherwise hear only negative information about firearms and self defense.

- Jim

[chabouk]

I thought the segment with Suzanna Gratia Hupp was excellent. She perfectly countered the former Chicago cop, and I think she won the debate.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

seamustx:

IMHO, the interleaving of the cop who got shot but wants handguns banned
and Ms. Hupp (our CHL friend) is somewhat akin to a conversation with opposing
viewpoints, but without the over-emotional yelling and interrupting seen on some
discussion shows. It was kind of a point/counterpoint presentation where each side
had the freedom to speak on the issue.

SIA