Piers Morgan

It has been no secret that Piers Morgan is a big opponent of guns and the Second Amendment, but for a fleeting second it almost seems as though the irritable whinger ‘gets it’. Almost.

I’ve had some of the pro-gun lobbyists on here, saying to me, ‘Well, the reason we need to be armed is because of tyranny from our own government,’ and I’ve always laughed at them,” Morgan said last night. “But, actually, this is vaguely tyrannical behavior by the American government. Read more »

In the wake of massacres in the US media people who know no better, like Piers Morgan, called for tougher gun laws, like those in the UK. How do they work in reality? Not so well it turns out.

The images of paramilitary-style policemen with assault rifles in Luton are a shocking confirmation that law and order has collapsed in parts of our country.

In an age of terrorism, we have become used to seeing armed police at major railway stations and airports, or guarding other potential targets such as embassies. But when officers with guns are needed to patrol the streets of an English town because of an upsurge in gang shootings, it seems we have reached something of a watershed in our national life.  Read more »

Every time there is a gun attack in a ‘safe zone’ at a school or university liberal elite tossers like Piers Morgan rush to call for bans on guns.

But ill they do the same for a knives?

At least 14 people were hurt Tuesday in a stabbing spree at a Texas community college apparently carried out by a student, authorities said. Sheriff’s officials said the suspect was in custody.

At least two victims were in critical condition. It was not immediately clear how severe the other injuries were. The stabbing happened at the CyFair campus of Lone Star College, in the Houston suburb of Cypress.

The school said the attack happened “in and around” its health science building. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said that authorities were not certain what the weapon or motive was. He said the suspect was 21 years old.  Read more »

Jesse Jackson joins other anti-gun loons like Piers Morgan and tells outright lies about firearms and gun control:

This week’s outrage comes to us courtesy of the anti-gun Reverend Jesse Jackson.  Rev. Jackson is not in the news as much now as he once was.  When you do hear from him, though, his comments are still laced with his usual dose of hyperbole.

That predictable pattern continues with Rev. Jackson’s recent comments on semi-automatic firearms.

According to an article appearing on TheBlaze.com last month, Rev. Jackson believes that semi-automatic firearms must be banned because they could “shoot down planes” and therefore constitute a risk to national security.

The Blaze ran a follow-up story debunking the claim, but that didn’t seem to deter Rev. Jackson, as this week he boldly declared that, in addition to shooting down planes, semi-automatic firearms could also be used to “blow up railroads.”  Read more »

The Atlantic has put together some proper facts and statistics about “gun violence” in America. I think you will be surprised, particularly those of you like the dick Piers Morgan who call for assault rifle bans just how few deaths are caused byt people armed with assault rifles:

How much gun violence is there in the U.S.?

There were 8,583 homicides by firearms in 2011, out of 12,664 homicides total, according to the FBI. This means that more than two-thirds of homicides involve a firearm. 6,220 of those homicides by firearm (72%) are known to have involved a handgun.

It’s worth noting that violent crime rates of all types have been steadily decreasing since the early 1990s. No one is quite sure what is causing this decrease, though there are many theories, ranging from tighter gun control laws to more innovative policing and changes in the drug market. Whatever the cause of this decline, America still has a homicide rate of 4.7 murders per 100,000 people, which is one of the highest of all developed countries (see: international comparison).

Gun violence also affects more than its victims. In areas where it is prevalent, just the threat of violence makes neighborhoods poorer. It’s very difficult to quantify the total harm caused by gun violence, but by asking many people how much they would pay to avoid this threat — a technique called contingent valuation – researchers have estimated a cost to American society of $100 billion dollars.

Guns are also involved in suicides and accidents. 19,392 of 38,264 suicides in 2010 involved a gun (50%), according to the CDC. There were 606 firearm-related accidents in the same year — about 5% of the number of intentional gun deaths.

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In the US there is much talk about banning assault rifles…because they have been used in a few massacres. The proponents ignore the statistics and so when they make wild claims about wanting to prevent gun murders they simply are grandstanding. Especially knobs like Piers Morgan who is crusading against assault rifles yet ignoring the basic facts:

Paul Waldman looks at some salient facts:  Read more »

…and getting invited for a cup of tea in Palmerston North.

Bonus video: 2010 Flashback of Jon Stewart ripping Piers Morgan.   Read more »

Andrew Sullivan takes the cosh to Piers Morgan:

One thing we have never heard on his week-long ratings-seeking descent into Jerry Springer land is any sane, reasonable, calm and credible figure who can marshal facts and arguments against gun control. Don’t get me wrong. I cannot fathom why assault weapons are somehow integral to either hunting or resistance to an Obama-led coup. But I do know that there are intelligent points to be made – about how gun control cannot truly work in a country with as many legal guns as the US, how the country’s history and constitution make it incomparable to a place like Britain, how mass confiscation is impractical and could make matters much worse, etc, etc.  Read more »

There has been plenty of debate recently in the US and indeed worldwide surrounding gun control following the recent shootings in Connecticut. One thing we haven’t been short on is hypocrisy by A-listers and actors/actresses who stand against guns and violence, but have been more than willing to suck off the Hollywood tit even if they have to use guns.

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We started our Saturday by paying our respects to Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., the hard-charging US Army general whose forces smashed the Iraqi army in the 1991 Gulf War.  He died aged 78.  At The Standard 2012 Worst Political Blog Mike Smith is told some home truths about long term grass-roots Labour families heading for the Greens.  A quick vid on how to put out a boat fire the Kiwi way is next, followed by a vote for Best Minister.  The winner, at 52%, is Judith Collins.  The Whale Week That Was summarised all the stories this blog covered in the previous seven days.  A quite active Saturday Debate (for the time of year especially) led a post calling for nominations for Best Political Blog.  Those who see WOBH as any sort of threat to them (and those that don’t too), should take heed of this Malcolm Tucker quote: “marshal all the media forces of Darkness to hound them to an assisted suicide”.  A CNN piece showing Teachers in Utah taking a class on gun use shows some common sense around the gun debate.  A reader has taken yesterday’s US Fiscal Cliff graphic and created one for New Zealand – great work.  As Cameron Slater predicted from the outset, the Aussie Hoax DJs will not face charges.  The NZ Herald continues to amuse – this time a car crashed into a poll.  The blog then introduces us to two sexy taxidermists showing you don’t have to look like a front row forward to deal with dead animals.  And you’d think we’re picking on an incompetent NZ Herald, and you would be right.  This time they have Jesse Ryder beating himself at Eden Park in Wellington.  Then a hilarious story about a Queensland woman who fell into the longdrop and was there for two hours before being discovered by her husband.   Turns out that during the Falklands War the French tried to send missiles to Argentinia behind Margaret Thatcher‘s back.  Commerce first eh?  The last post of the day highlights a report of a man holding up a Countdown Supermarket with a hammer.  Our readers get fired up about the idea of hammer banning.

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