Christiane Amanpour’s CNN International show is simulcast for Americans on PBS, meaning that your tax dollars paid for a Wednesday edition of Amanpour and Company where Amanpour wondered why “the firearms industry” insists on flipping off children. She received a racist answer from her guests.
Speaking to Ryan Busse, Amanpour asked him to explain why, “you have told the New York Times recently that — quote – ‘The AR- 15 to most people in the firearms industry, it’s a statement. It’s a middle finger.’ So talk to me about that middle finger. What makes the firearms industry so irritated at America and at America’s children? Why?”
Busse, whose chyron read “former firearms executive” blamed racism, among other things, “It’s a really twisted — it’s a good question, but it — the answer provides a really twisted window into our culture. About the time that Tom describes, after the 1999 shooting in Columbine, the NRA figured out that cranking up incendiary, hateful, racist, frankly, middle fingers to the rest of the country could energize a certain segment of people to become so incendiary, that they’re just held right below the boiling point.”
For Busse, the bird flipping comes from people not liking former President Obama, “And those sorts of people will do irrational things. We have witnessed this in recent elections. The firearms industry joined forces with the NRA very purposely then, and especially as President Obama started to lead in the polls in 2007, because the exact same things that drive this kind of incredibly divisive, incendiary politics that the NRA now has let across this country and handed off to President Trump, those exact same things drive firearm sales.”
After assuming that people who view AR-15s are irresponsible gun owners, Busse returned to his earlier claims of racism, “But when you have this intertwined hatred, fear and racism, politics and guns, then you have these symbolic things that drive both politics and gun sales. That’s the reason radicalization of the right is so strong, I believe — I have written a book on this. Gunfight, but it’s all about how this has happened to our country.”
One could say that calling AR-15 owners hateful and racist with no evidence was incendiary, but that didn’t stop Busse from projecting one last time, “Like, as Senator Murphy says, it happened purposefully, right? This is not the only way. This is the wrapping incendiary policies with guns. And then you have AR-15s as symbols, as middle fingers.”
Are gun owners certain that the media is hostile to them?
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PBS Amanpour and Company
5/25/2022
11:00 PM ET
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Ryan, you have told the New York TimesRecent reports have shown that the AR-15 to many people working in firearms was a statement. It’s the middle finger.
Talk to me about the middle finger. What is the reason the firearms industry would like to point a finger at America and at America’s children? Why?
RYAN BOUSSE: That’s a bizarre question. However, the answer offers a fascinating window into American culture. Tom describes how the NRA discovered that by generating incendiary hateful and racist comments to the rest the country, it could incite a segment of people into becoming so incendiary that they just keep them below the boiling point.
That’s why they will act in irrational ways. These people will vote in unrational ways as we’ve seen recently in election. Because the same factors that drove this divisive and incendiary political climate that President Obama has allowed to spread across the country, the NRA gave to him, the firearms industry joined hands with them.
The AR-15 symbol is a contradiction to the beliefs of responsible gun owners. Responsible gun owners think guns are serious and must be handled with extreme responsibility.
When you combine hatred, fear, racism, politics, and guns you get these symbolic items that are driving both politics as well as gun sales. This is why radicalization to the right — as I claim — I wrote a book called GunfightBut it all comes down to how these things have happened in our country.
It’s obvious that I am tired. Tom may be too. But, you know what? As Senator Murphy stated, this happened intentionally. It’s possible to do this. It’s the combination of incendiary political rhetoric and guns. AR-15s are used as symbolism, or middle fingers.
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