FFLs: Media Ban - DO NOT ALLOW REPORTERS in your dealership; use the NRA press office

[ArcticSplash]

NRA Press Office contact: https://home.nra.org/media-inquiries/
GOA Press Contact: (703) 321-8585


Everyone's probably seen Chris Cuomo (CNN)'s tweeting of a debunked article from two years ago at a digital zine called Tab.

The reporter basically entered the gun dealership, took a selfie with an AR-15, then left.


Listen, I know it's difficult to take advice from a gay guy who lives in a big liberal city. But I do know most of the reporters in Philly and their entire body of work. Out of all of them, only two actually reach out to ask me questions when they're writing stories about firearms. AND EVEN THEN---I have to fight with them and their editors to correct mistakes.

They are out to write narrative-driven articles.

We all hate seeing a gullible gun store owner allowing a TV crew or the press into their store, ask dumbass questions... and then the responses given are either dumb or craftfully edited to make them appear dumb. (Psst remember Katie Couric and what she did to firearms owners?)

We all remember Helen Urbiñas and her article in the Philadelphia Inquirer saying she bought an AR-15 in a few minutes. It turns out she didn't use her own money, but her employer's credit card which ranked her as a straw-buyer. Her bravado and addytood got checked when she had to scramble to get an attorney and feared prosecution. Of course she wasn't going to get prosecuted for this--just like David Gregory didn't when he pulled a magazine out of his jacket on Meet The Press [the mag is banned in DC] (he was later fired anyway for the cardinal sin of poor ratings).


Reporters coming to visit your store are not interested in writing objective articles or to profile you any longer. Most of us watch every single word written by the press about firearms owners and we've seen this get progressively worse. Given the latest craze to go after gun owners who had nothing to do with the Parkland shooting; reporters are now desperate for content to fill along this subject line and to get those clicks.

It will not help a single law-abiding gun owner, your customers, to allow reporters into your place of business, much less an interview.

The NRA and the GOA both have press teams which you can use. Simply refer inquiries to the NRA or the GOA--whichever works best for you. Many gun store owners already instruct employees to not take questions from press outlets over the phone or off the job. If you haven't instituted that policy, you should do so for the protection of your business. The last thing you'd ever want to do is get visible in the press to the point you attract protestors.

Not all protestors are liberal hippies in the city. There's some left-of-center church pastors who drag out their congregations to protest in gun store parking lots--I've seen this occur outside of Philadelphia.


There's only one solution to this bias. Deny access.

Overall, the press is not only a waste of time, but they only have one goal in the back of their mind: "How can I damage his or her business for selling these killing machines?"

Do not give these people the time of day.





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Many FFLs are NRA members. You can use the NRA's press office to handle media comms for you. Here is the contact:
https://home.nra.org/media-inquiries/

[Emptymag]

There have been multiple threads over the years bitching about gun shops that do interviews that ultimately paint gun owners in a bad light.

I can only think of two reasons they would agree to being interviewed.
(a) They really think that they are going to "educate" the viewers/readers
(b) Free advertising

Both end badly in most cases.

[ArcticSplash]

There have been multiple threads over the years bitching about gun shops that do interviews that ultimately paint gun owners in a bad light.

I can only think of two reasons they would agree to being interviewed.
(a) They really think that they are going to "educate" the viewers/readers
(b) Free advertising

Both end badly in most cases.

The ones who continue to do it need an intervention. Maybe a crisis response team, for FFLs

[Emptymag]

I know that forum member WCMG (Wash. County Machine Guns) has been interviewed before, but I recall him posting after the Las Vegas Shooting that he was contacted by reporters asking if he would give them a machine gun demonstration.
I wish I could find his post, but he essentially told them to bugger off because after a mass shooting, he wasn't going to be used by them to promote their agenda.

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

Majority of Media is not Pro 2A ! Practice of allowing media into your store is not a good idea,this practice of allowing media into store should have been stopped years ago !

[JenniferG]

My Father was a big boss on the railroad and one thing he made quite clear to me as I was growing up and even after I was a railroad employee. Never, never, ever talk to the press. As we have seen over the years the press will edit your words add things to the interview that wasn't present while the interview was done and make it sound like you have said something that you actually hadn't said or are completely against.

The example I can give is with my Father. There was a strike at the railroad back in the 60's. My Dad then was a management guy, I think Assistant General Foreman of the shop. The press went out to interview union guys on the picket line. My Father was obviously not in with the union members but was with a group of management foremen. The reporter asked questions of the union members on the picket line and they said the usual mumbo jumbo of the management is evil and that sort of thing. Well, that night on the news they used the interview and used the audio of the union guys but showed the video of the foremen making it look like the foremen had said those things and one scene was a reporter shoving a microphone in my Father's face while the audio was being played of the union member. Those foremen and my Father had to explain to the big bosses what had happened and the press never acknowledged their outright dishonesty in their reporting. I had an early lesson on the dishonest press.

Never, never, ever talk to the press. The press is a leftist advocacy organization with their own agenda. Nothing more really needs to be said.

[GeneCC]

The Media do not report facts. They shape perception of what is "truth". If you give them a comment, a "sound bite" they will use it to give their lies meaning.

Recording people without their consent is a crime in Pennsylvania. Inform them that they are violating wiretapping statutes because you do not consent to being recorded. Inform them that they are trespassing. Ask them to leave or face arrest.

If they persist, repeat the request while dialing 911 to report a crime in progress.

[ArcticSplash]

If you visit a gun range or a gun store (or a combo rangestore)... and that business is... let's just say... "out of step" with the rest of us....

Print out the Tab article, or just this thread.... and remind them that talking to the press should be verboten.


And by out of step I'm not talking about ideology. But there's plenty of firearms-related businesses in Pennsylvania who I swear still have rotary telephones.

Nearly all of these places are family-owned businesses. The 20-something from the regional newspaper in the county might seem harmless, but even he has no qualms about trying to screw you over in front of your entire community, or painting you as a monster, or misquoting you... or listening for 2 hours of talk from you and picking out the one sentence you say that can be pulled out of context that will make it appear horrific in print.



And then when he publishes it, it will wind up here on PAFOA where we will all shake our collective heads.



CNN not only took a side in this debate it is launching a war against firearms owners.


The best thing to do is to support the NOA and GOA, carry on with your business, call and threaten your legislators with non-support and you will support challengers and spread it across your wide social network if they waver from their support of firearms owners and the many veterans in this state who are among them.

If the press calls, tell them to fuck off.