It was difficult for me to believe this wasn’t a satire site at first:Â
“The workshop, funded by Everytown for Gun Safety, will offer independent expert briefings and specialized reporting skills training to enhance the practical ability of journalists to report on guns and gun violence knowledgeably, ethically and effectively,†the website reported. “The workshop will cover such topics as state and federal gun laws; patterns of gun sales and gun trafficking; national trends and polling; education and prevention initiatives; social, economic and public health impacts; and special populations (e.g. children and youth, women and returning veterans.)â€
So Bloomberg is going to teach journalists about how to report on guns. Actually, I think this is a smart move on their part. First, most journalists don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to this topic, so they won’t be able to tell they are being spoon fed bullshit. Second, it gives Bloomberg’s group a chance to tout that they have expertise on this issue. They don’t actually need expertise, but by passing themselves off as experts they gain a chance to become that journalists go-to source when they are looking for information on a topic. More importantly, it will connect journalists Bloomberg’s preferred experts.
NRA has never done anything like this, as far as I know. But the preconceptions that most journalists have about NRA would make this a difficult proposition for them. Like I said, Bloomberg may be a billionaire busybody who isn’t afraid to spend his money screwing over the little people, but he didn’t earn his fortune by being a fool. They’ve been very good at playing to their advantages.
NRA has been doing this for decades — taking writers and politicians out to ranges and meeting with them to educate them. Bloomberg’s conference isn’t going to do anything like that. Bloomberg is not going to promote actual gun safety and education. Of course not. It will be a parade of whining from “…prevention advocates and gun-violence survivors.” People already go to NRA contacts when they want actual knowledge about firearms. They already go to NRA’s firearms law seminars held around the country.
If you read it carefully, you will notice that it is restricted to journalists from the Southwest. I see this as an effort to reinforce the narrative in those states like AZ and NV that probably will see a UBC initiative.
Bingo!!!! Folks have been getting wise as to what is crammed into that craptastic Bloomberg Background Checks ™ bill. He needs soldiers to murky the waters some more.
Having Bloomberg teach about guns is like hiring a garbage colltor teaching brain surgery, but the garbage collector will be closer to getting it right!!!!!!!!!!
You’re joking, right? The NRA HAS been doing this for a very long time. They hold and advertise courses AND take uneducated politicians and journalists to the range and give them one on one training. Bloomberg isn’t going to do squat to educate people on gun training and safety. He is going to fill these journalists’ minds with his psychobabble b.s. in order to promote his anti-gun agenda. Not to mention– doesn’t it sound like a HORRIBLE idea for one uneducated person (Bloomberg) to teach other uneducated people (journalists) about guns?! Sounds like a fool to me..