Debunking the CBS Propaganda on Guns

Do you ever read an article on something you have some knowledge on and just want to bash your head into the desk repeatedly because you know horrifically bad information is being released to the public and they are going to fall for it?

I just read that article from CBS. So let's talk about it. 

They have released an article on the five things harder to get in Florida than a gun. Yes, make sure you are sitting somewhere without a hard surface easily reachable by your forehead, because this one is special. 

Cold Medicine

Florida State law prohibits consumers from purchasing more than nine grams of common cold medication like Sudafed within a 30-day period. It's also illegal to purchase more than three packages at once. This is because the medication contains an ingredient called pseudoephedrine, used to create the illegal drug methamphetamine. In 2016, 327 people died from methamphetamine use in Florida. That same year, 2,559 gun deaths were recorded in the state. You can buy as many guns as you like at one time in Florida. ​

2016 stats:
Firearms deaths: 2,704
Homicide: 1,294
Drug Poisoning Deaths: 4,728
​Per the CDC. 

The total of deaths from firearms and general homicide for 2016 is 3,998. 730 less than drug poisoning deaths. 

They are correct that pseudoephedrine is used to make methamphetamine. However, with the laws in place to stop the manufacture, as well as the possession of meth being illegal, 327 people still died because of meth.

You do not need to spend time filling out paperwork for cold medicine beyond signing a form, nor is there a background check performed by the FBI. You can buy cold medicine as a felon, illegal alien, domestic abuser, or after having been involuntarily committed. Cold medicine also does not cost hundreds of dollars a pill. 

Marriage License

Hoping for a shotgun wedding in Florida? Hold your fire. State residents must either attend a premarital course or wait the mandatory three days before the marriage license takes effect. There's no similar cooling-off period for buying a gun.

To obtain a marriage license in Florida, both parties must be at least 18 years old. Minors must provide consent from both of their parents or a legal guardian. Photo identification is required for all ages. 
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Out-of-state residents are exempt from the waiting period, so elope there while the going is good.

In Florida - and the rest of the country - the legal purchase age for most rifles is 18, handguns 21. You cannot purchase a firearm under the age of 18. Even if mom and dad says it is OK. 

In 2016, 105,668 crimes of domestic violence were reported to Florida law enforcement agencies resulting in 63,193 arrests.

​Source

• - A study of intimate partner homicides found that 20% of victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but family members, friends, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders, or bystanders.3
• - 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female.8

- ​1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.5

• ​Source

The act of being married isn't exactly safe, either. 

Fertilizer

Anyone buying more than 25 pounds of fertilizer is required to register and be screened against a known terrorist list. Yes, fertilizer.
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So far, so in line with gun purchases. However, there are restrictions on the amount of fertilizer you can purchase in Florida because it contains ammonium nitrate, which, when mixed with other substances, can become explosive. Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh infamously used large quantities of fertilizer to make his bomb, prompting the federal government to clamp down on the sale of the gardening compounds (15 years later). 

They said it there. Fertilizer is a known component for bomb making, and would, I assume, become a nice go to should guns be outlawed. 

However, speaking from experience, if you walked into a gun store and wanted to buy 25 guns, you'd be escorted out and the FBI would be called. You can also buy a 50 lb bag of fertilizer for about $22. An AR15 is $500 and above. A 50 lb bag of fertilizer, in the wrong hands, will do a lot more damage a lot faster than an AR15 or 25. 

It's also just cow poop. That's not exactly hard to gather on your own. 

For those wanting to know if it happens, I spent seven years working in a gun store. One time a guy came in and wanted to buy ten AR15s. Yes, he was escorted out and the FBI got his information straight from his state ID. 

Anti-diarrhea medication 

Buying large quantities of anti-diarrheal meds? Expect to be put under surveillance in a way that owners of large numbers of firearms most likely will not. Anyone who bulk-buys anti-diarrhea medication is likely to come under scrutiny by the FDA because the drugs have been abused. In large doses, drugs like Imodium have a similar impact on the body as opiates like heroin. You'll get high, but your bowels will stop moving.  
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In an effort to combat this bizarre sideline in the opioid epidemic, the FDA is asking manufacturers of over-the-counter anti-diarrhea treatments to change the way they package their products, and limit the amount of loperamide going into the medication.

According to their own linked article, the changes are voluntary. And it mentions nothing about the FDA coming to your home or any authority being called if you purchase "large quantities" of the medication. It takes anywhere from 50 to 300 of these pills at a time to get high. When you buy the medication, you are not asked to sign paperwork or show an ID. So how is this in any way harder to get than a gun?

Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana is available for purchase in Florida, however, it is illegal under federal law. Licensed dispensaries are only allowed to sell medical marijuana to qualified customers.

To obtain a medical marijuana card, one must first seek treatment from a physician who will later enter client information into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry.
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A patient would then need to apply for a Compassionate Use Registry Identification Card. Once approved, the patient would be able to contact a licensed medical marijuana center to fill their order. Then, and only then, can you hope to get your hands on some marijuana. When Florida did its annual tally of deaths caused by drugs in 2016, zero deaths were attributed to marijuana.  

That would be a great argument except for the fact that marijuana is still federally illegal. I actually support legalizing pot, especially for medical purposes. But the fact of the matter is that whether Florida allows it or not, marijuana is not federally legal, and at any point the federal government can decide to step in and stop the use of it in states where it is legal. Jeff Sessions has already talked about doing that, as was discussed here. So yes, for medical reasons, you would need a prescription, and then you need to register it so they know who is using it should the federal government step in. That's what registries are for, after all. 

And of course, there is the glaringly obvious piece of all of this:

​None of these items are Constitutional rights. Your right to keep and bear arms is. I hate to be so blunt about it, but those are the facts. The second amendment does not mention hunting nor are there any words like "but" or "excluding" in the wording. A cursory look at firearms advances at the time it was written is also a dead giveaway that the Founding Fathers knew guns would improve and expected it. 

​The CBS article is nothing but propaganda, and bad propaganda at that. If it was fully pro-gun, that too would be propaganda. That isn't what our media is here for. It isn't their job. But they've gotten so far away from giving us the news that a lot of people are starting to take notice. It is no longer about presenting the news and the facts, it's all about pushing a political agenda. We deserve better than that. 

​All quotes taken from CBS News: click