Fear & Loading: Couric's Distorted Documentary

by
posted on May 27, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gsagi2015_fs.jpg (1)

When Katie Couric asked gun-rights activists how we could stop terrorists and convicted felons from buying firearms if there were no background checks, their answer was immediate, according to audiotape they recorded. But, when her documentary, “Under the Gun,” was aired, a lengthy pregnant pause of nine seconds mysteriously appeared between her question and their response, misleading viewers to believe they were struggling to find an answer.

The controversy is all over the Internet, and rather than regurgitate the entire debate, here’s a link from Fox News. There are many plausible reasons for this happening, including a college intern working on the segment that had his dog eat the missing audio. Here are a few more explanations just about as believable.

  1. The network purchased its audio recording devices surplus from the Nixon administration, so missing words and conversations are routine.
  2. What silence? You guys and gals must be deaf if you can’t hear the chirping crickets we dubbed in.   
  3. Couric’s contract specifies her close-up seconds, and we were behind schedule.
  4. The documentary was nine seconds short, and it was either add a pregnant pause or another Dancing with the Stars
  5. Hackers, from China, and they took vegan Friday of our cafeteria menu, too.
  6. The bargain basement videotape stretched.
  7. Someone fed gremlins after midnight, then showed them to the showers.  

Latest

weapons of war
weapons of war

A Deadly Testing Ground: Guns of the Spanish Civil War

Great powers have often used smaller conflicts as test beds for new weapon systems, and also as dumping grounds for obsolete machinery. The Spanish Civil War was one such conflict.

Sequel: The New Taurus Judge

Not content to merely mark the gun's 20th anniversary with a special engraved edition, Taurus also introduced the New Taurus Judge this year.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 3, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Questions & Answers: A Wreck of a Remington 40-X

An American Rifleman reader writes in about a project Remington 40-X .22 target rifle that needs some serious help.

New for 2026: KJI K950 Tripod and Titan Inverted Ball Head

KJI (formerly Kopfjäger) releases the carbon-fiber K950 tripod and Titan inverted-ball head.

Book Review | Guns, Shooting and Hunting: What I’ve Learned in 60 Years

Much of what one learns is truly inexpressible to others—so it’s a wonderful rarity when someone can put their knowledge into words.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.