The Washington Post, which is no friend of the Second Amendment, has called out Barack Obama once again on the subject of gun control, as the newspaper’s Fact Checker has awarded the president “three Pinocchios” for his assertion that it is easier for a teen to buy a Glock than it is to get a book.
During his remarks at the July 12 memorial for five murdered Dallas police officers, the president could not resist the chance to push his anti-gun agenda. He contended, “We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.”
But that’s not accurate, and the WaPo Fact Checker noted:
It reminded us of a similar claim by Obama in March 2015, when he said, “There are neighborhoods where it’s easier for you to buy a handgun and clips than it is for you to buy a fresh vegetable.” In fact, he said a version of the comparison of guns and books at the time, as well. We awarded Three Pinocchios to a series of his odd exaggerations about guns, including the comparisons to buying vegetables.”
That’s the same tantamount-to-a-lie rating that Obama received back in 2013 from the Fact Checker after he repeatedly insisted that 40 percent of gun sales are conducted without background checks. Evidently the president not only can’t resist pushing his gun control agenda at every opportunity, he also can’t resist engaging in prevarication in the process. The more “Pinocchios” someone gets, the bigger the fib. Remember, Pinocchio’s nose grew every time he told a lie.
As the WaPo Fact Checker explained:
Federal law prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling a handgun, such as a Glock, to people under 21 years old. It prohibits unlicensed people, like family, from selling or transferring handguns to anyone under 18. In most states, you need to be at least 18 to purchase and own a handgun.
Public libraries, on the other hand, generally don’t have an age limit or a background check for children to get a library card and access books and computers for free.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Larry Keane wrote about this, because the firearms industry that group represents has been on the receiving end of the president’s scorn almost from Day One when he took office back in 2009. The gun industry, and particularly firearms dealers in Arizona, were both used and then abused as a result of the scandalous Operation Fast and Furious debacle that, to paraphrase Obama, flooded Mexico with illicit guns now being used by drug cartel killers.
This mess was the handiwork of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Obama provided cover to former Attorney General Eric Holder by extending executive privilege to thousands of subpoenaed documents until a federal court ordered their release. But by then the public had all but forgotten the story, and the media blew it off rather than attach a scandal to the Obama administration.
While the president’s supporters will either willfully ignore his remarks or dismiss them as political rhetoric – while telling the public that “there’s nothing to see here, move on” – the fact remains that Obama has a track record for not being factual when it comes to wild claims about guns. The ultimate irony here is that it takes a newspaper that has historically taken sides against gun owners to expose the canard.
