Monday, August 24, 2009

A Shining Endorsment of Tennessee Gun Laws Courtesy of History Channel's Gangland

Posted by Jack Silverman on Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 7:17 AM

click to enlarge gangland-title-image.jpg
The History Channel series Gangland featured an episode on street gangs in Nashville, titled "Hunt and Kill," which aired several times throughout the month of August. The show's hyperbolic tone at times made it sound like the streets of Nashville were a war zone comparable to South Central. Regardless of the exaggeration, there were enough specific details about gang activities here to remind us that Nashville isn't the quaint and cozy town pictured on postcards hawked in the tourist traps on Second Avenue. In addition to an examination of the Brown Pride, Sureños and MS-13 street gangs (including an in-depth look at the 2006 murder of two Brown Pride members by MS-13 members on Nolensville Road), the show featured the following segment, which caught my ear in light of recent gun legislation:
NARRATOR: BP members love to pack heat, from handguns to semiautomatics. JAMES CAVANAUGH, SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE, ATF: To be a gang, to be the bully of the block, to be the strong man, to control the neighborhood, there's no way that a gang's gonna do that without a boatload of guns. NARRATOR: Tennessee has some of the loosest gun laws of any state. No permits or licenses are required to purchase a shotgun, a rifle or a handgun. BROWN PRIDE MEMBER SPOOK: You just wanna buy a gun, just have a gun with you, you can get it anywhere. BROWN PRIDE MEMBER GORDO: You can get 'em from a gun show. You don't even gotta show 'em no permit or nothing. Say I can just come up to you and be like, "hey, you wanna buy this? Here. You give me the money, that's it."
Yet another shining endorsement of Tennessee's gun laws! Way to go state legislature!

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The Gangland episode on Nashville was basically five minutes (if that) of content crammed into an hour of hyperbole, repetition, and staged "dramatization" footage. Nonetheless it did, as JS observes, shine a (hyperbolic repetitive dramatized) light on the silliness of existing gun laws. It's a shame the producers didn't see fit to interview some NRA types for rebuttal.

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Posted by bb on 08/24/2009 at 7:57 AM

NARRATOR: Tennessee has some of the loosest gun laws of any state. No permits or licenses are required to purchase a shotgun, a rifle or a handgun.
According to the Washington Post, four states require a permit to buy a rifle or shotgun and eleven require a permit to purchase a handgun. Four states actually require registration of a shotgun or rifle. If memory serves, Tennessee requires a background check and waiting period for some purchases.

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Posted by Emmett Flatus on 08/24/2009 at 8:45 AM

Do you think that if you had the toughest gun laws on the North American continent that it would stop these gangsters from having guns? If you do we need to talk. I have this bridge in CA that I can get you a real good deal on.

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 9:11 AM

Emmett, fair enough. Though those two narration sentences you quoted may be accurate, they don't belong together like that, since it implies that Tennessee's laws are among the loosest BECAUSE of the no-permits thing, when in fact there's much more to it.
And Anonymous, no, I don't think that if Tennessee had the toughest gun laws, it would stop these gangsters from having guns. For one thing, there's nothing to prevent people from transporting guns across state lines, so the the nation's gun laws are essentially no stronger than the gun laws of the weakest state. I do think that if ALL states had stricter requirements, it would definitely make it more difficult for these gangsters to have guns.
And yes, I am looking for a bridge. What's your price, and what condition is it in?

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Posted by Jack on 08/24/2009 at 9:30 AM

"it would definitely make it more difficult for these gangsters to have guns."
No it would create a another black market and another revenue stream for them. We strong have strong national drug laws for cocaine and herion. You should get to know a gangster or two. You'll see some of the real world and how it works. Supply will always meet damand

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 10:09 AM

And yes, I am looking for a bridge. What's your price, and what condition is it in?
It's solid gold in mint condition. For just $3,000,000.00 cash it's yours

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 10:11 AM

Do you take PayPal?

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Posted by Jack on 08/24/2009 at 10:24 AM

If tough gun laws were the solution, then NYC and Detroit would be the two safest cities in the nation. How's that working out again?

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Posted by Emmett Flatus on 08/24/2009 at 11:21 AM

I love hometown shout-outs on TV. "Cops" is also pretty good for this.

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Posted by Ashley on 08/24/2009 at 11:50 AM

I think Cops reruns stuff shot here in the last century.

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Posted by Emmett Flatus on 08/24/2009 at 11:53 AM

Bubba sayz - "If tough gun laws were the solution, then NYC and Detroit would be the two safest cities in the nation. How's that working out again?"
Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports statistics, 2007:
Violent crime, per 100,000 population:
Nashville - 1,509
New York City - 614
source: http://tinyurl.com/jbmaa
Well, yeehaw cowboy. Just cause we ain't got no learning don't mean we ain't terribly insecure & need our gunz.

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Posted by Jesse James on 08/24/2009 at 12:35 PM

Yeah but the parts of town they filmed in are like exactly the same. Haircuts and all.

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Posted by Ashley on 08/24/2009 at 12:40 PM

Another day and another liberal screed about gun control.
Ho hum.
Business as usual.

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Posted by Gilbert Martin on 08/24/2009 at 12:45 PM

America's most violent cities (FBI, 2007, per 100,000):
1. Detroit 2,289
2. St Louis 2,198
3. Memphis 1,951
4. Oakland 1,918
5. Baltimore 1,631
6. Atlanta 1,624
7. Nashville 1,509
Tennessee has 2 cities in the top 7 most violent. Thank you Doug Jackson!

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 12:59 PM

I question any stats that don't include New Orleans or DC. I know Detroit has been up there for the last 20 years. New York I can see causation because of Gooliani's tactics he instigated in Manhattan when he was mayor

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 1:32 PM

Also safe and gun crimes per capata may not be related. If you have ever takena a stats class, you know how things can be easily manipulated. Figures lie and liars figure

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 1:38 PM

Fun fact: 65% of statistics are made up.
PS - That's not how you spell Ghoul.

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Posted by Ashley on 08/24/2009 at 1:52 PM

Them facts make my head hurt too. Who ya going to trust, them socialists at the FBI or your own prejudices?

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Posted by Goober on 08/24/2009 at 5:41 PM

Yeah you got to believe the FBI. After all it was these brain sugeons us
that told us terrorist had sent Amthrax to all them there congressmen after 911. Oh wait,it turned out to be uhhh, nevermind. Good thing we are just moving forward

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Posted by Anonymous on 08/24/2009 at 6:40 PM

The statement the narrator made is factually incorrect, or misleading at least. Tennessee has tougher gun laws than any contiguous State except North Carolina (which requires a permit to purchase a handgun), as Tennessee has its own State form for handgun purchases (including a thumb print) and the TBI performs the background checks instead of using the federal system, so they should be more comprehensive as State law has specific prohibitions on who can own firearms in addition to Federal law.
Tenn. actually has middling gun laws when looked at nationally.

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Posted by Steve on 08/24/2009 at 11:58 PM

Well, gun-toting Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey did announce that he was courting the votes of Middle Tennessee residents - I just never imagined that when Ramsey was talking about Hispanics, he actually meant the M-13 gang bangers...
http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ramsey.jpg

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Posted by Elmer Gantry on 08/30/2009 at 8:16 AM

The information brought forward are actually good.

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Posted by Raymon Wally on 03/14/2010 at 12:54 PM

Crazy, isn't it? The lifestyles the rich & famous live. At the same time I've thought many time how difficult it must be to not have any privacy and always have people and photographers everywhere... all the time. Guess it's one of things where you can't have your cake and eat it too. I think I would much rather have riches and skip the fame part,

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Posted by Rob Fore on 03/19/2010 at 8:15 PM
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