“Under the Gun,” which as of this writing is enjoying a 100 percent “Fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, has already been proved beyond any doubt to have been deceptively edited to make a pro-gun group appear stumped by Katie Couric’s hard-hitting question on background checks.
The filmmakers weathered that outrage, but they might not be out of the woods yet. Ammoland reported this week that, in an interview with The Lip TV (no, we hadn’t heard of it either), director Stephanie Soechtig confessed that she sent one of the film’s Colorado-based producers to Arizona to purchase guns from a private seller.
‘Under the Gun’ Director, Stephanie Soechtig, Confesses to Federal Gun Crimes https://t.co/L5bGsNCQE5
— AmmoLand News (@AmmoLand) June 3, 2016
Here’s the excerpt from the interview.
That producer succeeded in buying a Bushmaster rifle and three handguns without a background check. So, just where are those guns now? And does the producer realize that, by purchasing them, he committed a federal gun crime?
Bob Owens, editor of Twitchy sister site — no, make that protective older brother site — Bearing Arms launched into an epic Twitter rant Saturday. Will he or Ammoland receive a response, or do the filmmakers consider themselves off the hook, having confessed to the lesser offense of deceptive editing?
1. Hi, @jkunau. I see that you're one of the producers for @UnderTheGunDoc
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
That would be Joshua A. Kunau, an “Under the Gun” producer who lives in Colorado, making him the most likely to have purchased the guns on the basis of Soechtig’s interview.
2. I also see, @jkunau, that you're a male producer for @UnderTheGunDoc based in CO.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
3. So that makes me want to ask you, @jkunau, if you are the @UnderTheGunDoc producer who drove from CO to AZ to buy guns.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
4. You know, @jkunau, the producer that @stephsoechtig talked about here: https://t.co/lvhVpFiYYH
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
5. I see that you're a lawyer, @jkunau, but I'm guessing that federal firearms laws aren't your specialty, are they?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
6. If you are the producer that @stephsoechtig sent to AZ to buy guns, @jkunau, were you aware she was enticing you to commit felonies?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
7. Do you see the irony, @jkunau?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
8. @UnderTheGunDoc was a propaganda effort to bolster support for "universal" background checks, and yet, @jkunau, what happened?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
9. If @stephsoechtig is telling the truth (a rare occurrence, to be sure), @jkunau, that purchase violated existing laws requiring BG checks
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
10. In fact, @jkunau, whoever made that purchase committed at least four federal felonies.
How does that make you feel?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
11. Even better, @jkunau, is that @stephsoechtig confessed to all of it on camera! She's not very smart, is she?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
12. So where are the guns now, @jkunau? Three handguns and rifle, right? I think @ATFHQ might want to know where they are.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
13. I think, @jkunau, we're about to find out if @TheJusticeDept is really a law enforcement agency anymore.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
Unfortunately, that’s a big “if.” When former “Meet the Press” host David Gregory pulled a similar stunt by brandishing a high-capacity magazine on the air in violation of Washington, D.C. gun laws prohibiting its possession, TMZ reported than an ATF official gave Gregory the go-ahead, even after D.C. police denied a similar request.
14. What's amusing, @jkunau, is that @UnderTheGunDoc calls for more gun laws, but lacks the integrity to note…
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
15. …that prosecutions for gun crimes has PLUMMETED in Obama's @TheJusticeDept. @jkunau, why didn't your film address that?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
16. I think, @jkunau, that you, @stephsoechtig, and @katiecouric feel you are above the law. As corrupt as @POTUS's @TheJusticeDept is…
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
17. …you may very well be right, @jkunau. But here's the thing.
If @TheJusticeDept refuses to prosecute those who took part in this…
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
18. …then we'll know for certain that @TheJusticeDept is corrupt, and that more gun laws are just a ruse they won't enforce, @jkunau.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
Let’s knock on Door No. 2 and see if anyone’s home there.
Hi, @ATFHQ. The @NSSF has called for a criminal investigation into crimes confessed to in interviews by @stephsoechtig of @UnderTheGunDoc.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) June 4, 2016
Even though an investigation showed that Gregory clearly violated the law, D.C.’s attorney general declined to press charges, explaining that “a prosecution would not promote public safety in the District of Columbia nor serve the best interests of the people.” Maybe the ATF can lift that quote verbatim if it bothers to acknowledge this latest stunt in the name of gun control.
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