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John Lott links OCDO in 'Television and Gun Accuracy Don’t Mix', BigHollywood.brietbart.com

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http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jlott/2010/03/10/television-and-gun-accuracy-dont-mix/print/

Has “Burn Notice” gotten new writers? They used to have some very insightful comments about guns and crime (e.g., see the episode in season 2 entitled “Lesser Evil” [sup][1][/sup]). Yet, now one needs a scorecard to keep tracks of all the errors in some of the shows. Take some of the errors in the most recent show, “Partners in Crime,” [sup][2][/sup] posted on Hulu.

At 10:10 into the episode, Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell [sup][3][/sup]) explains to Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan [sup][4][/sup]) that an individual who they are checking up on in Florida, “Owns a gun, but it is registered.” The only problem is that Florida, where the show is said to be occurring, and the vast majority of the rest of the US, doesn’t have gun registration. Indeed, only four states require the registration of handguns and one state requires the registration of all long guns [sup][5][/sup] (several other states require the registration of so-called “assault weapons.”
At 16:20 Sam Axe says: “The cops are probably matching ballistics right now even without your gun.” Ugh? Now I concedethere’s possibility that this comment might have been geared solely to freak out Tim (the suspected thief”, but given the previous conversation aboutguns being registered between Weston and Axe, I am not so sure. And there are never any knowing winks between the main characters to indicate that they are in on some jokethey’re playing on the bad guy.
Now the only possibility is that two states (Maryland and New York) have spent millions of dollars registering the ballistic fingerprints of new handguns before they’re sold. The notion is that this data bank could then be used to catch criminals from bullets found at crime scenes. But this never solved any violent gun crimes [sup][6][/sup] for the simple reason that the friction from the barrel that produces markings on the bullets also causes the inside of the barrel to wear (read: “change”) and thus produces different markings on bullets over time. Also two barrels that come off the same assembly line will initially very likely produce essentially the same markings on a bullet (it would be like taking molds of all new tire treads with the notion of keeping them on file to help solve crimes where tire tracks are available).
Finally, at 35:30, Michael Weston has this conversation with the bad guy in the episode.
Michael Weston: [The gun] was stolen and the serial number has been filed off.
Damon (Jeff Parise): Which means that it is untraceable.
Michael Weston: Completely untraceable.
Again, I concede that it is possibleMr. Weston knewthis statement was false, but that he made it anyway to freak out Damon. In this case, though, part of the statement is true and part of it is false. Why add in incorrect information if you have a strong explanation anyway and the false information might let the person you are trying to trick thinkyou don’t know what you are doing? It is particularly troublesome in this show because the whole premise is that Mr. Weston has all the angles on potential problems thought through.
The false part of the statement involves the claim about serial numbers. Serial numbers can’t really be effectively filed off [sup][7][/sup]. The stamping of the number into the metal creates structural abnormalities in the metal below the stamped number that can be discerned by a forensics lab. The portion of the metal where the numbers were stamped is denser than the surrounding metal and that makes it possible to determine the original serial number.
Now the statement about the gun being stolen is a different matter because there is no one to trace the gun back to. That said, given the earlier statement in the show about gun registration, registration doesn’t work to solve crimes. In theory, if a gun is registered and it is left at the scene, it could theoretically be traced back to the owner. There are a couple of problems with that. 1) Crime guns are virtually never left at the scene of the crime. When they are left at the scene it is almost always because the criminal has been seriously wounded or killed, and thus you are going to catch the criminal anyway. 2) Even when the crime guns are left at the scene they turn out not to be registered to the criminal who left them at the scene.
Here’s a link [sup][8][/sup] to a piece that I wrote for the Canadian Newspaper “The National Post” a few years ago. Additional information is available in the forthcoming third edition of More Guns, Less Crime [sup][9][/sup].
Don’t get me wrong, the show is still entertaining, but the frequent factual errors can become quite disconcerting. “Burn Notice” used to really stand out from other television shows for its insightfulness. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. One suspects that political correctness on gun issues might be the cause for the changes.
 

shad0wfax

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XD40coyote wrote:
CSI Miami is just as stupid in this regard.
I don't think I've ever seen any television shows (apart from the stuff you see on Wednesday Night at the Range on the Outdoor Channel) that gets firearms right. Television just gets it all wrong.

Hollywood and the big-screen industry somehow manage to get it all wrong too when it comes to firearms.

There are two movies I've seen that get the gist of firearms correctly: Terminator 2 and Taken. Sure, there is some stuff both of the Terminators do in T2 that's basically impossible for you and I, but not for a robotic ransom-rest. As far as Taken goes, it got most of it right too. There are a few parts with the SMGs that seem a bit wonky and the car chase scenes are ridiculous but most of the pistol-play is correct.

Hollywood, for the past few decades, has had a checklist on how to properly display firearms in movies. That checklist (with a few exceptions) is essentially how to make guns, gun owners, and gun-users have a bad image.
 
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SSgt R. Lee Ermey for president! Hoo Rah

As comfortable as is Ermey's public persona, try a service senior NCO. I have one as neighbor and have been closely acquainted with two candidates not accepted (JJ Sbei). By the time that seniority is reached the few horse's behinds only prove the rule that they are good people.

My MCPOCG neighbor has wonderful tear-jerking stories of Carlos Hathcock. Hoo Rah
 

shad0wfax

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Master Doug Huffman wrote:
SSgt R. Lee Ermey for president! Hoo Rah

As comfortable as is Ermey's public persona, try a service senior NCO. I have one as neighbor and have been closely acquainted with two candidates not accepted (JJ Sbei). By the time that seniority is reached the few horse's behinds only prove the rule that they are good people.

My MCPOCG neighbor has wonderful tear-jerking stories of Carlos Hathcock. Hoo Rah
GySgt Ermey, not SSgt Ermey. He got promoted to E-7 before he retired.
 

Tomahawk

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shad0wfax wrote:
Master Doug Huffman wrote:
SSgt R. Lee Ermey for president! Hoo Rah

As comfortable as is Ermey's public persona, try a service senior NCO. I have one as neighbor and have been closely acquainted with two candidates not accepted (JJ Sbei). By the time that seniority is reached the few horse's behinds only prove the rule that they are good people.

My MCPOCG neighbor has wonderful tear-jerking stories of Carlos Hathcock. Hoo Rah
GySgt Ermey, not SSgt Ermey. He got promoted to E-7 before he retired.
Actually, I think he was promoted after he retired, being the only enlisted man to do so. I could be wrong.
 

shad0wfax

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Tomahawk wrote:
shad0wfax wrote:
Master Doug Huffman wrote:
SSgt R. Lee Ermey for president! Hoo Rah

As comfortable as is Ermey's public persona, try a service senior NCO. I have one as neighbor and have been closely acquainted with two candidates not accepted (JJ Sbei). By the time that seniority is reached the few horse's behinds only prove the rule that they are good people.

My MCPOCG neighbor has wonderful tear-jerking stories of Carlos Hathcock. Hoo Rah
GySgt Ermey, not SSgt Ermey. He got promoted to E-7 before he retired.
Actually, I think he was promoted after he retired, being the only enlisted man to do so. I could be wrong.
Oh, you might be right about that. I just know he's a gunny now.
 

Tomahawk

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Master Doug Huffman wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Lee_Ermey#Military_career

Believe nothing that you read or hear without verifying it yourself unless it fits your preexisting worldview.

This is the best part from that wiki page, and why Ermey rocks:
Ermey played a series of minor film roles until 1987, when he was cast as tough drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket; Ermey also served as the technical advisor on the film. Initially, he was only intended to be the technical advisor, but Kubrick changed his mind after Ermey put together an instructional tape to convince Kubrick he was the right person for the role, in which Ermey went on an extended hair-raising drill instructor tirade towards several Royal Marines cast as extras, all the while being pelted by oranges and tennis balls, and managing to do so without repeating himself, stopping, or even flinching. Seeking absolute military authenticity for the film, Kubrick allowed Ermey to write or edit his own dialogue and improvise on the set, a noted rarity in a Kubrick film. Kubrick later indicated that Ermey was an excellent performer, often needing just two or three takes per scene, also a noted rarity for a Kubrick film.[1][/suP] Ermey's performance won critical raves and he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actor.
 
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Lengthy cursing without repeating is a prerequisite for DI evidently.

I went through Navy bootcamp with an (nearly) invisible recruit company commander. His wife had just let herself out of this life and he slid into a bottle so we put ourselves through bootcamp with just a little 'assistance' from the CC in the next bay.

But when BMCM Bentley did show up we learned much - like how to swear for many effective phrases and clauses and all without a repeat or nonsense. He was a good ol' soul RIP.
 

okboomer

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Yeah, I caught that 'registered' comment also.

That is one form of entertainment in my household. With my adult daughter who has landed on our doorstep in this crappy economy, and I love having her around for a while, it is highly educational to her for us to play this game of "name the firearms innaccuracies" in the shows and movies we watch. A familiar call is, "how many times is that gun going to fire before it needs reloading in hollywood?" :lol:

Watching the old Bruce Willis Die Hard reruns is fun, too as there are a few (OK, a lot) extended fire automatic weapons in there ;-)
 

Jayd1981

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okboomer wrote:
Watching the old Bruce Willis Die Hard reruns is fun, too as there are a few (OK, a lot) extended fire automatic weapons in there ;-)

I always laugh when watching Die Hard 2.
That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me. You know what that is? It's a porcelain gun made in Germany. It dosen't show up on you airport X-ray machines, and it cost more than you make here in a month.
 

marshaul

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lol, nice first post.

Welcome to OCDO. :)

Glock 7

Made in Germany, this firearm is constructed entirely of porcelain, is capable of passing through airport metal detectors completely unnoticed. The only downside to this amazing weapon is the price, which is quite expensive. The real MSRP is unknown, but experts say that they cost more than the Dulles International Airport Police Chief makes in a month.

This is not to be confused with the Austrian made 9mm Glock 17, or any other Glock handgun, which are constructed of both steel and polymer, and would quite easily set off an airport metal detector.
 

Jayd1981

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Thanks, I've been lurking since I started hearing about the controversy going on with OCDC in Cali. Thought it was about time I actually joined and showed my support.
 

tekshogun

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Wow, I remember the porcelain gun park, but not the Glock 7 thing.

Maybe they thought Austria ultimately fell under Prussian rule in the 1800'sand was still under the control of Otto von Bismark's legacy...

Fur Gott und Vaterland! Mit Eison und Blut! Feuer frei!
 

TheMrMitch

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Gunny was the most authentic Drill Instructor I have ever seen portrayed on the screen, from Jack Webb on.

Ihope Ishould know. I went through Parris Island in the summer of 1959.:dude:

His scene in the head was really truelike, except for "Pyle" having ammo.
 

XD40coyote

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I've noticed most Hollyweird stuff goes by what the gun laws in Los Angeles/CA are. Since this is a constant occurance, I fully expect TV and movies to start showing people UOCing, esp in FL and TX. Maybe in DC, MD, and NJ too!
 
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