In the latest malicious “news” report intend to shock, panic, and scare people, CNN shows images of a Los Angeles gun buyback program. The headline reads gun buyback “gets rocket launchers” off the street. In the report, the camera zooms in on images of what the reporter claims are rocket launchers. http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/us/2012/12/28/tsr-dnt-l-a-gun-buyback-gets-rocket-launchers.cnn The problem with this entire story is that CNN gets the story and facts completely wrong and is extremely misleading.
To break down the misleading reporting and blatant factual errors, first focus on what are being called rocket launchers. Shown in the report are the “disposed” casings of two types of “disposable” anti-tank rockets. The larger is an AT-4, which is a lightweight, disposable, antitank weapon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT4. The smaller is the disposed casing of an M-72 LAW rocket of the Vietnam era. NEITHER of the launchers is functional, contain a rocket, or pose any threat whatsoever to anyone outside of the fear and panic over “rocket launchers” on the streets of Los Angeles that CNN misleadingly is trying to generate to push a gun control agenda. In fact, these are designed to be disposed of after use on the battle field and are not be reusable. In training, they are collected with the trash items after a range is fired and the serial numbers are checked off confirming that they have been fired. At that point, they are either thrown out as “dunnage” or sometimes soldiers and Marines will be allowed to take home the inert empty shell of the rocket as a novelty. Thus, they are commonly available as relics, paperweights, and surplus novelty items. Again, these are totally harmless and
CNN either failed to fact check its report or intentionally mislead viewers. Specifically, the CNN reporters go on to add drama by noting that these weapons can’t be bought in gun stores insinuating that these are illegal and dangerous weapons. They only quietly mention in the report once that these rockets actually had no rockets. In fact, it was only after watching the report again that the passing note was caught. The reality is that as explained above, these disposed shells are widely available as unique novelties. A ten second search on eBay found an exact copy of the same “rocket launcher” haunting the streets of Los Angeles. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-6-Scale-US-NATO-Iraq-Army-M136-AT-4-Anti-Tank-Armor-Rocket-Launcher-Ba-4a-/230903076432?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item35c2e55650 Scrolling down on the same eBay page, I also found the purported case for a Stinger surface-air-missile, but that doesn’t mean I would be buying an actual “Stinger” missile any more than the cops got real rocket launchers off of the street. http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIM-92-Guided-Stinger-Missile-Case-Rocket-Launcher-LAW-AT4-M72-M136-/140820828356?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c99350c4
The repeated and emphasized point about these “weapons” being made in “America” not only offensive, but just plain ignorant. The AT-4, used by the U.S. military, is a decades old Swedish weapon produced by SAAB. The tone at which the reporters repeatedly stated these were U.S. made weapons suggests that they were insinuating U.S. arms manufacturers were somehow at fault for these terrible weapons hitting the streets of L.A. The other, the M-72 LAW, which was not the focus of the report, has not been actively used or stocked by the U.S. military in decades and was originally produced ,I believe, at Redstone Arsenal in the U.S. during the Vietnam war, but has since ceased production and is only made in Norway.
Even worse, Lee Baca, the Los Angeles County Sheriff compares Los Angeles to a third world country and uses the term “seizure” to describe his department’s policy and mindset of the “gun buyback.” First, L.A. has its problems, but clearly the man is purely ignorant and untraveled or is heavily embellishing his statements for political ends. Los Angeles is certainly not representative of the “third world.” Second, he speaks as if these guns were illegal weapons that posed an imminent and dire threat to every man, woman, and child walking the streets of Los Angeles. In fact, even the reporters in a rare moment of hidden truth admit most of the guns turned in were non-functional antiques or relics. I don’t know how much money L.A. residents had to cough up to “buy back” these wall hanging relics, but I am positive they did not get their money’s worth. In fact, it appears they have been swindled in the deal by evil drug dealing grandmother that was about to go on a rampage if the good Sheriff hadn’t seized, I mean, bought back her evil weapon. That brings up the last issue with the Sheriff. His word use of “seizure” does not resonate well in America and nor should it. However, it does seem appropriate for the “third world” where countless millions have been disarmed and massacred by generations of sick and deranged power hungry dictators, imperial regimes, and invaders. It is a rare glimpse into the true intent and end-state goal this self-described “third world” dictator has in mind. I guess the thug Baca would only be happy if the streets of L.A. were patrolled by his armed thugs that have done such a good job of keeping L.A. crime free. Of course we all know L.A. cops would NEVER do anything illegal like mercilessly beat a man senseless in what appear to be repetitive testosterone fueled orgies of violence.
One may think this was enough to turn CNN off forever, which is arguable a good decision if you actually want to get some real news. However, CNN doesn’t stop there. They go on to find what can only be assumed to be a “self-described” security “expert.” This “expert,” Aaron Cohen is as close to a douche bag as you can find in the industry and clearly has zero idea what he is talking about. In fact, you would have to wonder if he wasn’t just paid to provide an anti-gun sound bite. I point this out because Cohen is supposedly an “Israeli” commando that should know all about the importance of a well-armed population for self-defense as in Israel and should certainly know the difference between and AT-4 and what he incorrectly calls a rocket-propelled-grenade or RPG. This follows the media pattern of labeling everything that fires a bullet an “assault rifle” and calling the gun an AK-47 even if it is neither. I guess in Aaron’s world, everything is an RPG. The “expert” Aaron Cohen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Cohen_(counterterrorist) ; http://www.ims-security.com/ has multiple links to his boutique executive security firm online. As actual experts, we would STRONGLY advise anyone needing executive protection to stay far away from this man and his company because he appears rather incompetent.
In conclusion, these “rocket launchers” are just surplus novelties of the expended inert casings that pose absolutely no risk to the public. For CNN to raise hysteria over these items is akin to yelling “fire” in a movie theater to just cause panic and those responsible must be held accountable. False reporting to push a gun control agenda and undermine the U.S. Constitution verges on treason. If CNN chooses to be a tabloid news outlet, we need to call out CNN, their reporters, their producers, their editors, and their “experts” as frauds. There is simply no accuracy or truth in their reporting and it is clearly designed to “misinform” their viewers. Shame on CNN!
