ABC / Virginia Tech Killer "purchased Ammo on Ebay"...but Ebay doesnt SELL Ammunition!!

[shance]

How many more lies.......

ABC News: VT Killer 'Purchased Ammo' on Ebay... But Ebay Doesn't SELL Ammunition!

Newsbusters
Tuesday April 23, 2007

ABC News tries its hand at sensationalism with a story on the VT killer buying "ammo" on the auction site Ebay, but muffs it badly getting all the relevant facts wrong. But it sure is a good headline... Ammo from eBay? VT Killer May Have Used Site

April 21, 2007 — ABCNews has learned that in the months before his shooting spree at Virginia Tech, Seung-Hui Cho may have purchased 20 rounds of ammunition through the online auction site eBay.

An eBay account holder who appears to be Cho purchased a two-pack of 10-round ammunition clips for a Walther P22 on March 22, 2007, less than a month before Cho killed 32 people and himself at Virginia Tech.

The ammunition was purchased on eBay from Elk Ridge Shooting Supplies for the same type of weapon used by Cho in his bloody rampage last week.

Problem is, Ebay doesn't sell ammunition... it doesn't even sell guns. What the VT killer bought were clips (magazines), not "ammo"-- if it was even him .

Will ABC News correct itself? Will ABC News admit it was not only misinformed on an easily checked issue, but acted with tabloid journalism to boot?

Keep watching and let's see.

http://newsbusters.org/node/12212

[bluestateguy]

1. ABC: The network that brought you "Path to 9/11"

and the network that canceled the Wonder Years a season too early.

[bouwob1]

2. thats not entirly true

they do sell all the components needed to make bullets

http://sporting-goods.listings.ebay.com/Reloading-Equipment_Bullets_W0QQfclZ3QQfromZR11QQsacatZ71113QQsocmdZListingItemList

[ClintonTyree]

14. That's not entirely true....

the key component to a bullet would be the gunpowder. I doubt you'll ever see that for sale on ebay. You'll be ab;e to buy all the things you need to reload bullets BUT the gunpowder.

[napi21]

3. That's what you get when you have NEWS READERS and not reporters!

The days of Rather, Huntley & Brinkley, etc. are GONE folks! What we have now are "Pretty" readers who get the job on your TV screen because they LOOK GOOD and can read text on a screen. Unfortunately, I have no idea who puts that text on their screen, if it's edited, and where the info came from!

[youngdem]

4. Just an mistake in terminology by someone unfamiliar with guns

He got the clips on ebay.

For what it's worth though, you CAN buy ammunition on Ebay. You just have to put the rounds together yourself, which is very easy.

http://sporting-goods.search.ebay.com/bullets_Reloading-Equipment_W0QQcatrefZC12QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfromZR10QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZ31823QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZ

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. All reloading components available on eBay?

I'd be surprised if they're selling powder or primers. I didn't see any, but I'm somewhat eBay-challenged.

He could have gotten some magazines for the pistols on eBay.

[youngdem]

9. Saw primers. Not sure about gun powder. Probably violates ebay rules on explosives or chemicals

But, gunpowder is easy enough to get, as are all loading supplies.\

[slampoet]

5. He didn't buy "Ammo" but instead bought "Ammo Clips"

That's like saying he bought Money instead of buying a Money Clip.


This is what you get when you hire with looks as your main criteria.

[Capn Sunshine]

6. What he bought was atwo pack of CLIPS

These are designed to hold more ammo than a regular clip would. Very helpful if you're planning an assault where you can't use speedloaders. AFAIK You can buy gun parts and guns on ebay.

[Bluebear]

8. Firearms & ammunition prohibitied on ebay

eBay prohibits members from listing firearms, including antique, collectible, and sport & hunting firearms as well as ammunition. This includes, but is not limited to: (MORE)

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html

[LibertyUntoDeath]

10. Actually they were _magazines_ not clips, and they were low-capacity

Magazines are detachable metal boxes that hold bullets. Clips are metal feeding devices which are used to more quickly load a magazine. Cho ordered two 10-round .22 magazines for his pistol. 10 rounds is considered below what most pistols are designed to hold (12-15) and is not even considered an assault-style magazine under the now-defunct assault weapons ban of 1994. Please get your facts straight before posting.

[benEzra]

21. I thought the ebay purchases were two 10-round magazines for the .22 pistol...

A 10-rounder is a LOW capacity magazine. Most pistols hold 13-17.

I don't think ebay allows sales of over-10-rounders, but I may be wrong.

[Initech]

11. Yup, it is true! They wont even sell gun related accessories (including ammo clips)

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html

Since many firearm-related items, gun parts, gun accessories, paintball equipment and accessories, stun guns, crossbows, airsoft equipment and accessories, hand weapons and throwing knives are not permitted on eBay, sellers must carefully review the ‘Some Examples’ section below before listing these items and adhere to all the policies outlined.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. Maybe they don't allow it, but it happens

http://cgi.ebay.com/Glock-357-ten-round-Magazine_W0QQitemZ150113847624QQihZ005QQcategoryZ36257QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[LibertyUntoDeath]

13. Tell me why I should care...

You can buy magazines mail order, on Gun Broker, or at the mall, so who cares if they're on eBay? eBay has a history of being anti-gun, and most firearms owners don't give them their business anyway, or even use paypal. It's a metal box with a spring, I fail to see how this is something that needs to be regulated.

[Bluebear]

16. Oh, are you troubled & concerned by "anti-gun" websites?

[LibertyUntoDeath]

19. No, not at all...

Just not used to seeing anti-magazine websites. I guess metal baseball bats are next. Oh wait...

[Initech]

20. It's a matter of misinformation

The fact that the media reported this incorrectly should've been noticed. But then again, our media reports things incorrectly about 99.9% of the time, so...

I don't care if you can buy guns on eBay or not, but I hate it when the media blatantly lies like this.

[Hangingon]

15. Where did he buy his ammo?

I really don't care, but it would be nice to know. I've heard Dick's and WalMart. Both?

[Buck Laser]

17. This tells us something about Newsbusters, too...

I don't know where I came across the story about the shooter buying from E-Bay, but what I understood was that he was buying clips. I know the difference between clips and ammunition, but I guess they're more interested in misleading than looking for truth.

[Bluebear]

18. ABC did indeed report he bought the "ammunition" on ebay, not the clips. nt

[rinsd]

22. Ummmm just because its policy doesn't mean it doesn't happen

Here's a search for guns on ebay

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=guns&category0=

[ThomWV]

23. I tried to sell a flare gun from my boat on E-Bay and it got tossed

Yep, its a dangerous tool and could be used improperly, no question about that. The thing is, at its heart, a 12 gauge pistol when you get right down to it, but still. It is also a boating safety device and it, or something very much like it, is mandated to be aborad my boat and I wouldn't be without one even if it wasn't. So it seemed like something that one might trade between other boaters on E-Bay.

Mine got tossed off within a day. I didn't blame them, its just what showed me how serious they are about their rules, that's all. Good for them. I don't disagree if that is their policy. That's why I knew it was bullshit as soon as I saw that stuff about it.