censorship of our right to free press

[pitts duncan]

i have just been informed that our local paper , the ocala star banner has decided not to publish any legally acceptable ads for the sale of guns. only shotguns and hunting rifles. my favorite source for weapons aquisitions is the computerized classified service here called Ocala 4 sale . they have taken it upon themselves to stop the printing or displaying of any and all gun items of any descriptions. this leaves us as collectors with no tools to work with. seems to me i have as much right to get an ad published as the next guy. how does some bleeding heart liberal decide what i can and cannot run for sale in an ad? isn't this a violation of MY right to free press. is anyone interested in taking this before the legal system? I am not a man of means but perhaps someone here is and will help. thoughts? suggestions?

[SvenWittnebel]

Why do You call it censorship? I think censorship is it, when an authority tell the press what to do or what not to do.
The same with the meaning of free press. The press itself is free to decide what they will or won't publish.

I think You are free to be your own newspaper proprietor, right?

[ChrisCook]

Censorship

The problem is that the "liberal anti gun left" has infiltrated most levels of management in the media in this country, they attempt to shape the views of what is wrong and right by what they will and will not print in their papers. Most papers in the US are decidely left wing leaning. Anything gun related, religious related (well at least for Christians, other religious groups do get treated with kid gloves), and anything having to do with our military or national defence is fair game to be censored, ridiculed or attacked. So, IMO, it is a form of censorship. Craigslist will pull anything gun related, my jobsites bulletin board will not even allow you to post a rifle sling or scope, it will get pulled, that is censorship IMO. Censorship sucks, especially when it affects the free market exhance of goods and ideas. Chris...

[Josh Beckett]

I wouldnt subscribe to the news paper anymore, our bulliten boards are very liberal with posting guns(the good kind of liberal, not the left wing liberal), I have seen machine guns for sale in the bulliten boards here.

[Von Hoth]

i have just been informed that our local paper , the ocala star banner has decided not to publish any legally acceptable ads for the sale of guns. only shotguns and hunting rifles. my favorite source for weapons aquisitions is the computerized classified service here called Ocala 4 sale . they have taken it upon themselves to stop the printing or displaying of any and all gun items of any descriptions. this leaves us as collectors with no tools to work with. seems to me i have as much right to get an ad published as the next guy. how does some bleeding heart liberal decide what i can and cannot run for sale in an ad? isn't this a violation of MY right to free press. is anyone interested in taking this before the legal system? I am not a man of means but perhaps someone here is and will help. thoughts? suggestions?

yeah, i've noticed this too. I was very pissed when I realized it. Looks like gun dealers have all the luck and will continue to get away with charging high prices on guns since no one has the balls to place a simple, harmless listing.

It's really unfair, because there are already laws in place to prevent minors or others from getting guns. Why is it the responsibility of publisher when it's the seller or buyer who may break rules?

Does this not prove that lawsuits have gotten completely out of hand if people have to be overcautious?

[Josh Beckett]

I dont mean to sound like an anti-gunner, but it isnt censorship, because the newspaper can put what they want on it, and they have the right to refuse an ad. I would just boycott the paper.

[Bob Hritz]

Your right to free expression means that you cannot be jailed for speaking your opinion (with some limitations via the Supreme Court).

However, a newspaper is a business which has every right not to reject ads, not to their liking.

Please do not ask any one to abrogate their rights to fulfill an incorrect notion of yours.

Bob Hritz

[SurvivingPanzer]

Your right to free expression means that you cannot be jailed for speaking your opinion (with some limitations via the Supreme Court).

However, a newspaper is a business which has every right not to reject ads, not to their liking.

Please do not ask any one to abrogate their rights to fulfill an incorrect notion of yours.

Bob Hritz

True, but give it time and it will sway to where you dont want it too (no more beer ads, fireworks ads, car ads etc) then you'll switch sides.

[Sal Williams]

I don't think Bob is anti gun, he just understands what freedom of the press means. I am also pro gun but the idea of calling this cencorship is ludicrous. It is a drag, it is pc, it is many things, but they can do what they want with thier paper as can you with your paper (if you choose to have one).

Best, Sal

[Gary Cain]

Sal, Bob and Josh are absolutely correct on this one. The news paper is a private company and as such it may regulate it's classified add section in any way it see's fit. It certainly sucks, and it certainly is annoying, but it is also certainly legal. Now if you want to talk about NPR... then maybe you have a point!


Gary

[Bob Hritz]

Put your money where your mouth is and use your right to free expression by starting your own newspaper. You have every right to do so and you have every right to advertise whatever you wish. You will also have every right not to take advertising from anyone, at your will.

I am not pro gun or anti gun. I carried a sidearm for 28 years and am glad not to have to do so. I live in a state where anyone can openly carry a firearm, and I see pistols every day, in stores, and just folks walking around town.

However, if I was a legislator and was making up my mind about the gun laws, all it would take is one visit to a gun show. After viewing overweights in full camo and reading the " Kill them all and let God sort them out" tee shirts, I would vote to ban the private ownership of ALL firearms. This is the impression we give to the public.

I have faced armed men and have used my weapon on men. I just think a gun is a tool- a too oft misused tool. Since we will not adequetly punish offenders, WE have elected representatives who see us as too stupid to police our own conduct and needing protection from ourselves. Ergo, the gun laws slowly tighten until it is all over.

Gun owners are their own worst enemy.

Bob Hritz

[SurvivingPanzer]

Bob,

Luckily you live in a state that you can still carry a gun around in. Here in CA we cannot carry a gun unless specifically permited, we cannot shoot a gun within LA city limits unless at a gun range and even the police when they fire off a shot are heavily scrutinized. They need to account for every bullet fired, they are not allowed to shoot out of their vehicle at a car they are chasing, even if they are taking fire, they are not allowed to shoot into the air as warning shot.

Anyway a newspaper discriminating against what ads they run is as bad as discriminating against a person who is black or hispanic. Thats how the laws that oppresed minorities came about in the first place. The people who have the money (rich white aristocrats) decide who they will hire and who they will not. By saying that a newspaper can refuse an ad based on the personal belief of the owner is essentially as bad as saying hey, I'm not going to hire you cause you are a minority that I am prejudice against.

Newspapers and other public print need to be unbiased and undiscriminating towards all, they cannot have an agenda.

[Josh Beckett]

Bob,

Luckily you live in a state that you can still carry a gun around in. Here in CA we cannot carry a gun unless specifically permited, we cannot shoot a gun within LA city limits unless at a gun range and even the police when they fire off a shot are heavily scrutinized. They need to account for every bullet fired, they are not allowed to shoot out of their vehicle at a car they are chasing, even if they are taking fire, they are not allowed to shoot into the air as warning shot.

Anyway a newspaper discriminating against what ads they run is as bad as discriminating against a person who is black or hispanic. Thats how the laws that oppresed minorities came about in the first place. The people who have the money (rich white aristocrats) decide who they will hire and who they will not. By saying that a newspaper can refuse an ad based on the personal belief of the owner is essentially as bad as saying hey, I'm not going to hire you cause you are a minority that I am prejudice against.

Newspapers and other public print need to be unbiased and undiscriminating towards all, they cannot have an agenda.

But our first ammendment gives us the right to free press, the government cant just tell someones paper to allow something, thats the papers right, it is nothing like refusing someone based on color, because a paper refusing an ad is a protected right, and refusing someone based on color isnt a right. I would probably be mad about the paper refusing my gun ad, but that is the papers right to do so, and I would just take my ad to another paper, and refuse to buy the anti gun paper. It isnt really violating our second ammendment rights, because the paper cant control our gun ownership.

Or put an ad in the paper that says you are interested in WWII military items(German, Japanese, American) and leave out guns.

Or have a boycott of the paper.

[Terry K.]

Bob,
I know you personally from shows around Chicago(wish you were sitll here).
I believe from your statements here on the WAF that you are in fact anti firearm ownership. If you are not for our second amendment rights, you are against them, or might as well be. If one thinks that because an over weight person has any kind of tee shirt on his should not own a weapon that person is anti-gun. I have seen many tee shirts on some of the most idiototic looking persons and have not wanted to take any of their rights away.
Our worst enemies in this country are idiot politions like Richie Daley in Chicago. He sits in an ivory tower with millions to dole out to his budies and piss on the rest of the tax payers. He lets gangs run wild and does nothing! The police know who the gangsters are, and do nothing because of Daley's criminal friends. Then he is all upset when one of his gangs shoot up the area, and blame the gun. The gun never ever shot itself, PERIOD! Daley has many body guards, but wants to leave us defensless.

[Terry K.]

Hi All,
Please don't take my writing as anything personal against Bob, as I consider him a friend. I just can't sit by and hear that the anti gun crap coming from the mayors and leftest in this country is our(responsible gun owners)fault. I believe in the second amendment whole heartedly. It is not there to protect the hunter or sportsman, but to arm the citizenery against an oppressive government / enemy, foreign or domestic. I here people say oh yeah right, you could fight against our army, well in a short answer YES. In fact if the real meaning of the constitution was taught, there would be very little of the army that would fire upon there own people, as WE are the government, WE are the army. Our problem is the polititions and the leftest media, not law abiding citizens.
Yours,