LYING TO PUSH AN AGENDA: Three High-Ranking U.S. Politicians Parrot Blatantly False Statistic To Influence Public Support
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder have been caught lying. A statistic that says 90% of guns used by Mexican drug cartels are from the United States is patently false according to the Gun Owners of America.
Larry Pratt, Executive Director for GOA and Erich Pratt, Communications Director, are available for interviews to discuss this dangerous and misleading tactic on the part of politicians who are clearly giving out false statistics to bolster their stances on gun control. Holder’s position is well documented while Clinton and Feinstein have teamed up in the past in an attempt to ban semi-automatic firearms.
STATEMENT FROM GOA
(Springfield, VA) -- New revelations today from Fox News showed that several high ranking U.S. officials were lying about the number of guns going into Mexico from the United States. For several weeks, Americans have been told that 90 percent of the guns used by drug cartels in Mexico have come from this country.
“Well, it turns out that the 90 percent factoid was a lie,” said GOA Communications Director Erich Pratt.
“Everyone knows that politicians lie, as we saw with Chris Dodd who lied to the American people concerning what he knew about the AIG bonuses. Now there are three more politicians who have been caught red-handed: Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Dianne Feinstein.”
“They all parroted this 90 percent claim, and they were all wrong,” Pratt said. “The fact is, our guns are not a significant source of Mexico’s illegal gun stash, and to be sure, America’s law-abiding gun owners are definitely not to blame.
“The gun banners have every reason to inflate this figure because they want to see the Clinton-Feinstein ban on semi-automatic firearms reinstated. They want to take away people’s ability to protect themselves.
“They are trying to conceal their hatred for guns by claiming this ban would help the Mexican people. But who are they kidding? Do they really think that the drug cartels, which pull in billions of dollars every year, are going to send their operatives into the United States to stand in line at gun shows to buy their arms?
“The idea is laughable. These well-funded ‘armies’ can easily get guns through back channels and from Latin American military soldiers who are looking for a quick dollar. In fact, much of the weaponry they possess is not even legal for most American citizens to own. The average citizen can’t own an automatic weapon, a rocket launcher, or grenades. And yet, that’s what the drug cartels possess.
“So kudos to American journalism for uncovering the recent slate of deceptive politicians who are trying to generate momentum for a new gun ban,” Pratt said.
FAST FACT: The U.S. government has shipped millions of guns to arm military and police departments in Central America over the past 50 years. Thus, it is not surprising that a small percentage of firearms seized by the Mexican government are American-made firearms. According to today’s Fox News report, about 17 percent of the firearms seized from the drug cartels originated in the United States. Earlier reports -- claiming that “90 percent” of the drug cartel guns are coming from the U.S. -- were based on tracing data, which is often used to deceive the public as to the types of guns used in crime.
ABOUT YOUR EXPERT GUEST, LARRY PRATT…
Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 30 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their second amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.
GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.
Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Good Morning America, CNN’s Crossfire and Larry King Live, Fox’s Hannity & Colmes, MSNBC’s Phil Donahue and Dan Abrams show and many others.
Larry Pratt has debated Congressmen James Traficant, Jr. (D-OH), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Vice President Al Gore, among others.
Larry’s columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.
Pratt published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995.
Pratt’s latest book is “On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty.”
Pratt has held elective office in the state legislature of Virginia, serving in the House of Delegates. Pratt directs a number of other public interest organizations and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the American Institute for Cancer Research.