60 Minutes journalist, Trevor Nelson, had a story last night about taking away the right to own and purchase a firearm for those that have had a history of mental illness. At issue is the Brady Bill which is supposed to prevent anyone who has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution from purchasing a gun. The problem with the legislation, according to CBS, is that the states haven't been forced to turn over mental health records to law enforcement agencies who run the national instant background check service. The proposal is to force the states to turn over mental illness records by threatening to decrease in federal pork-barrel money.

The typical CBS liberal bias showed clearly through in the reporting. They started their story by playing off of the 'Beltway Sniper' that has been in the news recently, even though their story had nothing to do with the 'Beltway Sniper'. From the very beginning, Trevor Nelson called the rifle that the 'Beltway Sniper' is using a "weapon of mass-destruction", and compared him to Saddam Hussein. Not only is this grossly inaccurate, it is disparaging to the innocent Iraqi people who live and die in fear of Saddam Hussein.

Next, he referred to Americans for Gun Banning Safety, AGS, as a group "which supports strict enforcement of existing gun laws." This is at best a half truth. AGS routinely lobbies for strict gun control laws. A quick visit to their site shows that they are supporting several new federal gun control laws, as well as countless "AGS state initiatives", which or nothing more than state level gun control legislation that they are lobbying to pass. Hardly a group that should be characterized as merely supporting "strict enforcement of existing laws."

On the other side of the coin, CBS demonized Gun Owners of America, GOA, as "the gun lobby." No, to CBS it is not a group of American citizens banded together to preserve their unalienable right to own and possess a firearm, it is "the gun lobby."

Trevor also claimed that "you might think there'd be little opposition [to the gun ban], but you'd be wrong." Gee Trevor, maybe I don't swallow your liberal bullshit hook line and sinker like some folks. Perhaps I think for myself and don't need you telling me what I may or may not think.

He then continued to demonize both GOA and the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), who is simply looking out for the rights of the mentally ill. Both groups were characterized as a "powerful special interest groups that helped create the loophole in the first place." GOA, as Trevor puts it "opposes ANY restrictions to ANYONE owning a gun." (Emphasis theirs)

Spokesman for the NMHA quite plainly said that they don't feel that people who may have had a history of mental illness should be restricted from owning a firearm. They discount the belief that a person with a mental illness is inherently violent and psychotic. Trevor Nelson seemed to disagree with that message and said, that the NMHA is using the same "agenda" as the "gun lobby." He went on to gloss over the gun ban by adding, "we are not talking about their right to due process, we are not talking about their right to vote, we are not talking about anything other than their right to buy a firearm". Yeah, we only want to take away their unalienable (that which cannot be taken away) right to keep and bear arms. What is so bad about that? Hate to break it to you Trevor, but there is a reason that it is the SECOND Amendment. Number TWO, as in Bill of Rights, not number FOURTEEN.

Trevor also offered up this gem: "As a matter of common sense, it seems like a good idea to try and keep firearms out of the hands of people that don't know the difference between right and wrong. Call me crazy..." Gee Trevor, if we called you crazy, we'd have to take away YOUR rights, yes? The notion that someone who is mentally ill, inherently doesn't know the difference between right and wrong, and is violent, and a threat to society is not only ignorant, it's insensitive. CBS continues the insensitivity by constantly referring to the mentally ill as "psychotic and delusional".

In the interview with AGS spokesman, Jim Kessler, Trev let this little gem slip by: "Nobody wants to stigmatize the mentally ill, but when somebody walks into a church or walks into their office place and kills 6 or 7 people, that is going to stigmatize the mentally ill more than any law we are talking about here that keeps the mentally ill from getting guns."

You'd expect a real journalist to call him on that. Hey Jim, lets change that argument to a protected group. How about blacks. Lets say that we're gonna keep all black people from buying guns because one black guy that holds up a convenience store stigmatizes black folk more than simply denying them their unalienable right to keep and bear arms. Is that acceptable? Instead, CBS just gave him a pass.

Overall the report leaned heavily to the left. AGS arguments were met with a nod and agreement, while the opposition was given the 'but that goes against common sense' treatment. As usual, it was also followed closely by the 'they're just the gun lobby and oppose everything' mantra. At the end of the story, Trevor Nelson noted that the law to toughen up the Brady Bill was gutted in committee, and won't be changing any time soon.