# Paula Zahn **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 16, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630 "2006-03-16T18:25:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/1 "2006-03-16T18:25:05Z")
[Zahn](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/15/pzn.01.html) did a story on a Ferrari wreck. it said a Glock pistol was found. Paula described it as _ **"a model, made mostly out of plastic and favored by criminals because it can pass through some metal detectors."** _ Didn’t we terminate the “plastic terrorist gun” scare back in the 80’s? This is indicative of the media. They hate guns, but don’t know a Goddamned thing about them, so they just spread whatever lie they believe (or hope) to be true about them. By weight the Glock is NOT mostly plastic. Only the frame of a Glock is made of a polymer plastic. The barrel, slide and all other moving parts are metal. If a person can’t get through a metal detector with a set of car keys, how do you expect to pass through with almost 2 pound of steel on you? I defy anyone to try to pass through a functioning metal detector with a Glock pistol. What she failed to mention was that Glocks happen to be favored by cops (myself included) , over 65% world wide use them. But, hey! She’s just a reporter. Why waste time with the facts?:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/2 "2006-03-16T18:30:13Z")
Huh. I’m actually surprised she’s on CNN (and hence a “real” reporter). I thought she was some _Access Hollywood_-type personality. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/3 "2006-03-16T18:36:15Z")
Maybe she gets her information from the [movies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock#Plastic_pistol_myths): > [@Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2](#): > > That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me! You know what that is? It’s a porcelain gun made in Germany. It doesn’t show up on your airport X-ray machines, and it costs more than you make here in a month! In fact, most of the weight of a GLOCK (the proper brand reference) is from the standard metal parts, and they sure as hell would show up in an X-ray. Morons and neophytes. That’s what we have to deal with. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/4 "2006-03-16T19:32:21Z")
In fairness, she did say “_some_ metal detectors.” In this case, I assume she’s referring to metal detectors that haven’t been plugged in. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/5 "2006-03-16T19:39:26Z")
When I worked on the Hill before 9/11, I used to be able to pass through the metal detectors to the Congressional offices with a metal watch, keys and a nice chunk of pocket change without triggering them. This was at both Cannon and Longworth. They tightened things up a bit afterwards, though. Now I can only get through at Cannon with a pocketful of change and my belt buckle. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/6 "2006-03-16T19:44:39Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > What she failed to mention was that Glocks happen to be favored by cops (myself included) , over 65% world wide use them. Not quite true. They are favored by police administrators all over the world; mainly because of Gaston Glock’s aggressive marketing tactics and underpricing compared to competitors. I, personally, don’t care for GLOCK pistols. I’ve owned a couple and found them wanting in ergonomics and accuracy. Moreover, if you are making a private purchase with no LE discount, the Glock is no bargain pricewise. The Sheriff’s Office with which I am associated mandates that individual deputies private purchase their choice of firearm subject to caliber regulations. GLOCKs are in the minority there. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/7 "2006-03-16T19:50:19Z")
- “a model, made mostly out of plastic and favored by criminals because it can pass through some metal detectors.”\* I tell ya, it’s getting harder and harder to knock off liquor stores and gas stations what with everyplace having metal detectors. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/8 "2006-03-16T19:54:57Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Huh. I’m actually surprised she’s on CNN (and hence a “real” reporter). I thought she was some _Access Hollywood_-type personality. One needs to look long and hard to find “real” reporters on CNN, especially in the lead roles. Nearly all are _Access Hollywood_-types. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/9 "2006-03-16T19:58:32Z")
Paula Zahn doesn’t write the copy, she just reads it. And how about a cite that “the media hates guns?” From what I’ve seen, the media LOVES guns. They’re good on TV. ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/10 "2006-03-16T20:05:46Z")
Paula Zahn’s weird. She’s said some of the most retarded things in interviews that I’ve ever heard, then all of the sudden she’ll do one almost worthy of Ted Koppel. I’m guessing drugs. Personally I’m most sick of the spokesmodels CNN gets to anchor - esp. outside of primetime. These people are so obviously picked for their looks it’s clear CNN isn’t even trying to pretend they’re real reporters. It would be fine if they just read the news, but they insist on having them do interviews, which are so painful I can almost hear Edward R. Murrow weeping from the beyond. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/11 "2006-03-16T20:15:23Z")
She also said quite crypitically, when mentioning the gun, that it was “one more piece of the puzzle.” What fucking puzzle is she talking about, and what the hell does a handgun have to do with it? She completely failed to explain this mysterious remark. The whole thing looks like something inserted into the conversation to advance some kind of agenda. I sent this message off to CNN requesting correction: > [@](#): > > Regarding the comments by Paula Zahn found near the bottom of this transcript: > [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/15/pzn.01.html](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/15/pzn.01.html) > > Ms. Zahn said, “One more piece of the puzzle. Detective also found part of a Glock pistol, a model, made mostly out of plastic and favored by criminals because it can pass through some metal detectors.” > > This is factually incorrect. There are no guns manufactured which are “made mostly out of plastic.” Nor are there any guns manufactured which can pass through a properly functioning metal detectors. It is, in fact, a violation of federal law to manufacture, or market, a gun which has been deliberately engineered to defeat metal detectors. All guns contain a considerable quantity, and mass, of metal components. Today’s plastics simply are not strong enough to effectively withstand the forces generated by detonation of ammunition. > > Finally, while Ms. Zahn declined to identify the specific Glock model from which the found part comes, it should be made known that Glock handguns, while may be favored by criminals for their cachet, Glocks are also favored by police departments worldwide. > > I believe a correction to Ms. Zahn’s multiple errors of fact is in order. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/12 "2006-03-16T20:23:01Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > And how about a cite that “the media hates guns?” From what I’ve seen, the media LOVES guns. They’re good on TV. First, you tell me who “the media” is. I don’t wanna spend a bunch of time tracking down and posting the dozens of quotes available only to be told they don’t count because you and I are using a different definition of “the media.” To my way of thinking, “the media” are the editors of newspapers who can get their opinion published prominently, and the directors of news programs who steer the content of their shows. “The media” most certainly is not Hollywood, which is the impression I take from your final sentence. A clarification would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/13 "2006-03-16T20:31:32Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > First, you tell me who “the media” is. I don’t wanna spend a bunch of time tracking down and posting the dozens of quotes available only to be told they don’t count because you and I are using a different definition of “the media.” To my way of thinking, “the media” are the editors of newspapers who can get their opinion published prominently, and the directors of news programs who steer the content of their shows. “The media” most certainly is not Hollywood, which is the impression I take from your final sentence. A clarification would be appreciated. The NEWS media. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/14 "2006-03-16T21:18:16Z")
Groovy. Here’s a small handful to get us started: MICHAEL GARDNER, PRESIDENT OF NBC NEWS > [@](#): > > There is no reason for anyone in this country . . . to buy, to own, to have, to use a handgun …The only way to control handgun use in this country is to prohibit the guns. — USA Today, January 16, 1992 > [@](#): > > In fact, only police, soldiers – and, maybe, licensed target ranges – should have handguns. No one else needs one. — The Wall Street Journal, January 10, 1991 EDITORIALS, LOS ANGELES TIMES > [@](#): > > Why should America adopt a policy of near-zero tolerance for private gun ownership? Because it’s the only alternative to the present insanity. Without both strict limits on access to new weapons and aggressive efforts to reduce the supply of existing weapons, no one can be safe. — _Taming the Monster: Get Rid of the Guns_ Dec. 28, 1993 > [@](#): > > The Times supports a near-total ban on the manufacture and private ownership of handguns and assault weapons, leaving those guns almost exclusively in the hands of law enforcement officials. — _Taming the Monster: The Guns Among Us_ Dec. 10, 1993 JACK E. WHITE, TIME MAGAZINE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT > [@](#): > > Whatever is being proposed is way too namby-pamby. I mean, for example, we’re talking about limiting people to one gun purchase, or handgun purchase a month. Why not just ban the ownership of handguns when nobody needs one? Why not just ban semi-automatic rifles? Nobody needs one. — _Inside Washington_ May 8, 1999 GARY WILLS, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST > [@](#): > > Every civilized society must disarm its citizens against each other. — Philadelphia Inquirer, May 17, 1981 NEWSWEEK COLUMNIST ANNA QUINDLEN > [@](#): > > Perhaps it will take one more school shooting to move the majority of Americans into a position more powerful than that of the NRA. Perhaps it will take one more school shooting to move us from people who support gun control to people who vote it. But as we continue to let the widows and the wounded do the work, be warned. That next school may be the one your children attend; the next accident could be close to home. — November 1, 1999 SUBSTITUE ANCHOR SARA JAMES > [@](#): > > Littleton, Colorado, is 1700 miles from Washington, D.C., but it might as well be a million. For many survivors of the Columbine shooting, today’s collapse of gun control legislation feels like a slap in the face. — Aired on MSNBC’s _The News with Brian Williams_ June 18, 1999 ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR OF NEWSWEEK EVAN THOMAS > [@](#): > > Since there are 200 million guns already out there, I don’t think that gun control is going to have much impact. But I think we ought to do it anyway just to make a statement as a society, and even if you save a couple of lives, then it’s worth it. — _Inside Washington_ May 1, 1999 PBS ESSAYIST ROGER ROSENBLATT > [@](#): > > Get rid of the guns. We had the Second Amendment that said you have the right to bear arms. I haven_t seen the British really coming by my house looking for it. And besides, the right to bear arms is not an absolute right anyway, as New York_s Sullivan Law proves. We talk about ourselves as a violent society, and some of that is right and some of it is claptrap. But I think if you took away the guns, and I mean really take away the guns, not what Congress is doing now, you would see that violent society diminish considerably. — Aired on PBS’s _NewsHour_ May 20, 1999 USA TODAY COLUMNIST WALTER SHAPIRO > [@](#): > > Repealing the Second Amendment is no cause for the faint-hearted, but it remains the only way for liberals to trigger an honest debate on the future of our bullet-plagued society. So what if anti-gun advocates have to devote the next 15 or 20 years to the struggle? The cause is worth the political pain. Failing to take bold action condemns all of us to spend our lives cringing in terror every time we hear a car backfire. — September 17, 1999. THE MEDIA IN GENERAL [http://secure.mediaresearch.org/specialreports/news/sr20000105b.html](http://secure.mediaresearch.org/specialreports/news/sr20000105b.html) Some findings from this study: • . . . analysts found a dramatically tilted debate in favor of gun control. In 653 gun policy stories, those advocating more gun control outnumbered stories opposing gun control by 357 to 36, or a ratio of almost 10 to 1, while 260 were categorized as neutral. • Anti-gun soundbites were twice as frequent as pro-gun ones—412 to 209—while 471 soundbites were neutral. • Gun control advocates appeared on the morning shows as guests on 82 occasions, compared to just 37 for gun-rights activists and 58 neutral spokesmen. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/15 "2006-03-16T21:50:37Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > Maybe she gets her information from the [movies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock#Plastic_pistol_myths): > > > [@Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2](#): > > > > That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me! You know what that is? It’s a porcelain gun made in Germany. It doesn’t show up on your airport X-ray machines, and it costs more than you make here in a month! You know, that’s really an impressive piece of screenwriting. I don’t think even David Mamet teamed up with Neil LaBute could compact that many lies and misstatements into four lines. Paula Zahn is just another in a string of TV personalities with attractive fronts and nothing behind them. Bring back [Lynne Russell](http://www.lynnerussell.com/home.html)! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/16 "2006-03-16T22:10:04Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > You know, that’s really an impressive piece of screenwriting. I don’t think even David Mamet teamed up with Neil LaBute could compact that many lies and misstatements into four lines. To be fair to Die Hard 2, I don’t think it was meant to be a malicious lie so much as they needed a way to get a gun in and show that these guys were well-financed badasses. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/17 "2006-03-16T23:06:10Z")
To be fair, the pro-gun side is full of misinformation too. Like when the NRA called me (back when I was still a member) and told me that I needed to write to my congressman and tell him to vote against the “Clinton Gun Grabber Bill”. Dag: “Uh, the what?” NRA: " The Clinton Gun Grabber Bill. It’s a bill to take away your guns." Dag: “It’s really called the ‘Clinton Gun Grabber Bill’? That’s the name of it?” NRA: “Yes, Hillary Clinton wants to take away your guns.” Dag: “I can’t believe it’s called that though. What is the Bill number?” NRA: “It’s really called that.” Dag: “So what is the Bill number? I need to do a bit of research on the legislation before I write a letter to my congressman.” NRA: “I don’t know the Bill number.” Dag: “Wait a minute. You call and want me to write a letter to my congressman about upcoming legislation, and you don’t even know something as basic as the Bill number? Yet you state with complete certainty that the Bill is called something as ridiculous as the ‘Clinton Gun Grabber Bill’?” They finally did get someone who could tell me the Bill number. I looked it up and as you can guess it wasn’t called the ‘Clinton Gun Grabber Bill’. I didn’t bother to write my congressman. I also didn’t bother to renew my NRA membership. Wankers. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/18 "2006-03-16T23:16:52Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Groovy. Here’s a small handful to get us started: > > MICHAEL GARDNER, PRESIDENT OF NBC NEWS > > EDITORIALS, LOS ANGELES TIMES > > JACK E. WHITE, TIME MAGAZINE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT > GARY WILLS, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST > NEWSWEEK COLUMNIST ANNA QUINDLEN > SUBSTITUE ANCHOR SARA JAMES > ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR OF NEWSWEEK EVAN THOMAS > PBS ESSAYIST ROGER ROSENBLATT > USA TODAY COLUMNIST WALTER SHAPIRO > > THE MEDIA IN GENERAL > [http://secure.mediaresearch.org/specialreports/news/sr20000105b.html](http://secure.mediaresearch.org/specialreports/news/sr20000105b.html) > Some findings from this study: > • . . . analysts found a dramatically tilted debate in favor of gun control. In 653 gun policy stories, those advocating more gun control outnumbered stories opposing gun control by 357 to 36, or a ratio of almost 10 to 1, while 260 were categorized as neutral. > • Anti-gun soundbites were twice as frequent as pro-gun ones—412 to 209—while 471 soundbites were neutral. > • Gun control advocates appeared on the morning shows as guests on 82 occasions, compared to just 37 for gun-rights activists and 58 neutral spokesmen. Two things: 1. Your cites all appear to be opinion pieces, columns and interviews, not anything related to actual news reportage. 2. Supporting some forms of gun control and “hating guns” are two different things. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/19 "2006-03-16T23:37:59Z")
**DtC** , if people talking about outright banning of all handguns don’t hate guns, who does? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630/20 "2006-03-16T23:41:09Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > **DtC** , if people talking about outright banning of all handguns don’t hate guns, who does? Outlaws? No, wait, I think I got that wrong… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paula-zahn/348630.md?page=2)