Bill Grady has been a stellar journalist for about 40 years, so there is very little that the veteran KMBZ-980 AM (98.1 FM) radio reporter has not covered from the inaugural flight of the Concorde to Hurricane Katrina.
But his recent story, where he highlighted the ease of how he purchased a rifle at a recent gun show in Kansas City just may prove to be his most controversial.
Grady went to Sunday’s KCI Expo Center’s Gun Show and legally purchased for $390.00 a large caliber semi automatic rifle. No background check was required.
The seller of the rifle (below) was not a licensed firearms dealer and Grady’s story pointed out the “Gun Show Loophole” that is a hot topic of discussion these days. (SEE KSHB STORY)
As expected, many gun owners are furious with his report and have been calling into the Entercom-owned station with their complaints.
Grady told Bottom Line that he was simply looking at reporting the truth, nothing more, nothing less.
He was grateful for the support that his station’s management gave him to do the story.
“My news director Lisa Carter, program manager Jack Landreth, and general manager Dave Alpert never blinked,” he says. “They stood behind the story and me from the start. Far too often in this profession, reporters don’t get that kind of support.”
He admitted that the ease of purchasing the weapon surprised him.
“I knew it could be done, but I didn’t think it would take as little time as it did,” he says. “It took about two minutes and there was no driver’s license needed, and I never signed a thing.”
Grady, past president of the Kansas City Press Club, was the recipient of the “Edward R. Murrow” award for his 2007 coverage of the shootings at Ward Parkway Shopping Center.
What will Grady do with his new weapon?
“I really have no use for it and really don’t want it around,” he says. “I would prefer to sell it as part of a government buy-back program. I can tell you I will not sell it privately!”
UPDATE (1/21/13): Grady has announced he sold the weapon to an Olathe dealer.
DANA AND PARKS
Listened to the reports last evening on Dana & Parks…boy it drove the 2nd amendment crowd bonkers.
IT’S FREEDOM ISSUE
It’s not a loophole. It’s freedom. Americans have always been able to conduct legal commerce between individuals without government involvement. Firearms exchanged between law abiding individuals have never been shown to be the problem. Guns knowingly sold to felons are the problem, which is not happening at gun shows. Most gun crime in America is black on black and gang street crime, which no one seems to want to address. Gun control is not about guns. It is about control.
KUDOS TO BILL GRADY
I’m a gun owner. I’m a 2nd Amendment supporter. I’m a former KMBZ reporter. Kudos to Bill Grady. You gun critics - get a backbone and thicker skin. Nothing inaccurate with the story. Nothing sinister about it. If you have a problem with the story because of impending regulatory intervention, then you better address that separately because it’s a different issue. Actually, Bill’s story might get me to go to a show in St. Louis. If what he purchased was only $390, I learned from the story there are pretty good gun deals out there.
GRADY BOUGHT CRAP RIFLE
I agree 100% Scott. I’ve been saying the same thing since the story came out.
Just remember, you get what you pay for! That SKS he bought was a cheap Chinese piece of deadly crap! Still, it’s good for drive-by shootings.
A FAN?
Billy!
You do good work Billy!
Yes, you do!
NO LONGER A LISTENER
It was pure sensationalism that us second amendment supporters found repugnant and offensive. I wrote KMBZ that I will no longer listen, and I won’t. OMG! Grady bought a gun! (gasp)!
No,it was not just telling the facts. It was accenting a legal activity that has always been legal, in such a way to give the impression something was sinister.
Second Amendment supporters have seen this time and time again. Media outlets like KMBZ want their cake and eat it too and their response to me was that the broadcast was “pro second amendment” Now that was laughable.
This will prove to be an overall disaster for them. Especially for Dana and Parks. Lots of us pro second amendment people USED to listen to them. Not now because I am done with KMBZ period.
GRADY BIAS OBVIOUS
Grady’s bias is obvious from his response as to how he intends to dispose of the weapon.
A story like this could have taken many angles. He could have tried to understand why so many people are suddenly flocking to gun shows and gun dealers. 250,000 new NRA members, 4 - 5 million background checks (many purchasing multiple weapons).
In essence, millions of Americans are using their wallets to engage in what amounts to civil disobedience against Obama’s policies, but Grady wasn’t interested in that. He could care less about their side of the story.
No, he went out there with the same script every liberal “journalist” is pushing about gun show “loopholes” and simply acquired a show and tell weapon and a few soundbytes to fill in the script. he then went to a shooting range and “killed a target in the shape of a human to add even more sensationalism to the story.
Not once has any of these shills thought to ask why everyday, honest, hardworking Americans want those “loopholes”. Not once have they asked why Americans don’t trust their government with the knowledge of what guns they own.
There were many “truths” that could have been told at that gun show. Grady’s was predictable, mindless, shallow propaganda for an ever more authoritarian state. You can doll that pig up all you want, but at the end of the day Grady is no more of a journalist than Wayne LaPierre. Indeed the only difference between the two is that LaPierre knows more about the subject and the motivations of all sides of the argument than this local shill ever will.
Well said
ALTEVOGT HAS AGENDA
John Altevogt is the one that seems to have an agenda. Only his view of the world is the right one. Anything that goes against his view of the world is totally wrong and must be part of the “Great Conspiracy.”
Mr. Altevogt, give it a rest.
THE DEBATE CONTINUES
If anyone should “give it a rest” it would be the kind of individual who creates a straw men and puts words into the mouths of others. No where did I mention, or imply, a Great Conspiracy, nor have I argued that only one view represents “truth”. Indeed I stated that there were many truths that could have been covered by this story. Perhaps a course in reading for comprehension followed by having the backbone to actually use your real name - something both Grady and I have done.
That in mind, let me say that Mr. Grady is certainly a gentleman. He wrote a note asking me what psychophantic meant. To someone literate enough to spell it correctly, i.e. sycophantic, the meaning can be found in any dictionary.
And this will be the final comment on the topic.
SCARED?
Scared of discussion?
Not really. I am more interested in focusing on media-related issues. When it gets into political discussions it is a turn off. Go on the NRA site if you want to debate the issue.
My upcoming book is titled, “Confessions of a Corporate Sycophant.” At least I know how to spell it…