The Media’s Tone on Guns Seems to be Shifting for the Better

Let’s be real, the media has never really been our allies on much of anything. There are some journalists that aren’t hostile toward gun ownership, but it seems they’re the minority. A distinct minority.

Over and over again, we’ve seen stories about gun ownership that, frankly, borders on libel to some degree or another. At best, they’re disingenuous hit pieces designed to make people who value their Second Amendment rights look unhinged. That’s why Cam wrote about how the Washington Post finally found a group of gun owners it liked.

But there’s also a bit of a trend going on. Not much of one, not yet, but that’s far from the only piece that seems to have a decent tone on guns.

Both The New York Times and Politico recently ran articles that didn’t mock, disparage or criticize private gun ownership. What is going on?

The Times published an investigative report on the growing number of first-time gun owners and found that, not only do law-abiding Americans value gun ownership, but many gun owners defy the stereotypes the Times has so often propagated.

“I began contacting people who had responded to a Times callout to the public and volunteered to discuss their gun purchase and ownership. Then I contacted gun stores, ranges and shooting clubs. In conversations with people across the country—men and women; young and old; black and white—I came to see something I might not have considered previously: A whole universe of people had once believed, firmly, that they would never buy a gun. Until they did,” read the Times’ article.

…

Politico reported that a group of Democrat consultants, campaign staffers, elected officials and party leaders gathered to discuss future strategies following last year’s electoral losses. Of particular note in Politico’s reporting was that the Party should “embrace patriotism, community, and traditional American imagery” and that candidates “get out of elite circles and into real communities (e.g., tailgates, gun shows, local restaurants, churches)” [emphasis is ours].

Also noted is Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos wants the op-ed page to focus on things like free markets and personal liberties. That should include gun rights in that, as that is a personal liberty.

There does seem to be something of a tone shift in the media, but let’s not get too worked up about it just yet. They have a long way to go before they’re truly trustworthy. The fact that the New York Times has a gun owner covering the gun beat is a solid start, but they also have a very long history of degrading gun rights. I can’t be that quick to forgive.

But if this trend does continue, that’s ultimately a good thing.

For far too long, the media hasn’t been a neutral observer of what’s happening in our nation, especially on the issue of guns. They’ve been an active participant in trying to dictate where public perception should go. That’s harder today that it was in days gone by, but it’s something they’ve still done and had at least some success at.

If they’re abandoning that, then good. I don’t need them to be pro-gun, just not anti-gun.

We can handle everything else from there.