View Full Version : Charlotte Observer Caught Fabricating Sources in Gun Control Story
It looks like I've caught the Chalotte Observer fabricating a source for one of their pro-gun control stories. I stumbled on this article that was mentioned in another thread.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/18/3734372/gun-makers-fret-as-gun-control.html#storylink=cpy%23storylink=cpy
In it, they quote a supposed local firearms manufacturer, Tactical Arms Manufacturer, Inc, in Huntersville, NC who favors a ban on high capacity magazines. They even go so far to quote the company's VP who alledges that his customers are mainly LE personel.
The problem is, this company does not appear to exist. First, here is their website which appears to be an amateurish shell with no real products.
www.tacticalarmsmfr.com
They only list Huntersville, NC in their contact information and no actual mailing address. In addition, the contact information on the website lists out of state area codes (FL) for this "family owned company." I attempted to call the number and a Hispanic sounding lady answered and hung up the phone telling me that I had the wrong number.
I also tried to find a listing for Ken Rinkor who is the supposed VP. Well, he has no listing in Charlotte, but there is a listing in Orange Park, FL. Things that make you go humm...
Well, I sent this email to the ombudsman at The Observer. Let's see what they have to say for themselves:
Dear Sir:
I'm writing to inform you of inaccuracies in your story, "Gun makers fret as gun control consensus gains steam" that was posted on 12/18/12 and can be found here:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/18/3734372/gun-makers-fret-as-gun-control.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy
In this story, you cite Tactical Arms Manufacturer Inc. in Huntersville, NC as a company that produces assault style weapons, but also favors tougher gun laws. On further review, I am unable to verify the actual existence of this company. First, their website appears to be a shell created by a novice scam artist. In addition, there is no mailing or physical address listed on their website. The provided phone number on their website has a NY area code, and appears to connect to a residence. Finally, I've been in the military and worked around the M4/AR15 series of weapons for over 15 years and I never once heard of this company or their supposed VP, Mr. Ken Rinkor, whose existence also cannot be verified.
Thus, it appears that your writer did not do his due diligence in vetting (or factiously creating) this source. Please contact me or issue a correction for this story that appears to contain false and misleading information.
Sincerely,
XXX
montanadave
12-22-12, 23:19
Nice catch! Be sure to update this thread when you get a response.
That is a FL area code for the (appears to be a wireless) phone number, AND a Massachusetts area code+nxx for the fax line. Interesting indeed...
BBB shows them listed as a NE FL business. (http://www.bbb.org/north-east-florida/business-reviews/gun-dealers/tactical-arms-manufacturer-inc-in-orange-park-fl-235960764/)
I don't know man, they sell NcStar which I've seen Navy SEALs using first-hand. ;)
Oh and don't worry, their standard features list includes military style sights (which apparently means they can be adjusted in the field) and a rail that maintains the use of metallic sights.
I've already received this email from The Observer editor:
Thanks for sharing your concerns. We'll need to investigate this further.
Ronnie Glassberg
Front page editor
The Charlotte Observer
and this email from one of the article's arthors:
I called them on their website number and talked wirh rinkor
Sent from my iPhone
I plan to compose another email to learn more about how the paper even learned about this "company."
Is there any way you can check to see of they actually have an FFL?
ATFs website lists all the FFLs. Its a bitch to weed through though.
Per ATF list of FFL holders, as of Jun 2012:
TACTICAL ARMS MANUFACTURER INC
XXXX PARK AVE STE XXX ORANGE PARK FL 32073
XXX BLANDING BLVD XXXX ORANGE PARK FL 32073
561309XXXX
Source. (http://www.atf.gov/about/foia/download/ffl-list-2012/ffl-list/06/0612-ffl-list.txt) (May take a few minutes to load text to browser page.)
Oh this ought to be good.
Damn! Nice one if this pans out.
I know a lot of people here don't like Glenn Beck but he would probably run with this one and get it a lot more exposure. Which is what it needs.
Shit, they took it down. Anyone grab of copy of it before they did?
Subscribing to hear how this pans out.
Yes, I got a copy. Didn't format real well but easily readable. Have arms website front page as well. It does look like a quick hack job.
Hardly surprises me that a journalist is willing to manufacture a story.
It's back up now, but I can't tell if they made any changes.
I don't see any changes to any of the article, seller site, BBB link, nor the ATF list. Which one did you see missing?
The_War_Wagon
12-24-12, 07:18
The Charlotte Disturber sucked 25+ years ago - when I was working for a living and could buy a copy and read it from time to time at lunch.
Nice to see they've gone from "suck" to "blow"... :rolleyes:
This "company" blocked and deleted comments on their Facebook after I told my friend about this and he called them out.
That's not suspicious at all.
Littlelebowski
12-24-12, 14:06
Public whois info.
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: TACTICALARMSMFR.COM
Created on: 04-Jan-11
Expires on: 04-Jan-21
Last Updated on: 20-Dec-11
Registrant:
Ken Rinkor
410 Blanding Blvd.
#9-102
Orange Park, Florida 32073
United States
Administrative Contact:
Rinkor, Ken ken.rinkor@yahoo.com
410 Blanding Blvd.
#9-102
Orange Park, Florida 32073
United States
5613097814
Technical Contact:
Rinkor, Ken ken.rinkor@yahoo.com
410 Blanding Blvd.
#9-102
Orange Park, Florida 32073
United States
5613097814
Domain servers in listed order:
NS63.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
NS64.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Littlelebowski
12-24-12, 14:10
LinkedIn.
Ken Rinkor
IT Director at Tactical Arms Manufacturer, Inc.
Charlotte, North Carolina Area | Sporting Goods
Current:
IT Director at Tactical Arms Manufacturer, Inc.
Past:
IT Director at Source International, CEO at Tacnology Automation Consultants, Inc.
Education:
San Francisco Computer Center, South East Community College, South Lake Tahoe Community College
How are they getting off selling from a NC address online with a FFL from FL?
Is that legal?
Even more interesting,
The easiest way to instantly reach business professionals.
Ken Rinkor
President
Join to view email and phone
Pasco County Sheriffs Office
20101 Central Blvd
Land O Lakes, FL 34637-7002
United States
http://www.jigsaw.com/scid33886211/ken_rinkor.xhtml
Ken Rinkor in FL is reported on a couple of webpages to be 51YO
He better not be this Kenneth Rinkor, also age 51
http://dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov/Corrections/InmateDisplayServlet?DcsId=33298
Aaaaannnnnd, 410 Blanding, #9, is the UPS Store.
Subscribing to hear how this pans out.
Me too!
I plan to compose another email to learn more about how the paper even learned about this "company."
My guess is he may have contacted them, and as a claimed fire arms manufacturer willing to go on record supporting gun control, their journalistic requirements to authenticate a source went to zero real fast. That's my guess anyway.
Even more interesting,
The easiest way to instantly reach business professionals.
Ken Rinkor
President
Join to view email and phone
Pasco County Sheriffs Office
20101 Central Blvd
Land O Lakes, FL 34637-7002
United States
http://www.jigsaw.com/scid33886211/ken_rinkor.xhtml
WTF? Thats literally down the street from me.
Yeah I'm shaking some ****ing trees right now. Or should I stop because this just may be a case of a guy having the same name. Please advise.
Found their Facebook page:
I would like to clarify a recent article where comments that I made during an interview with an economic reporter asking about how the recent talk of banning semi-automatic rifles and high capacity magazines. Two sound bites from a twenty minute interview are finding their way into several articles. In each article the writers have taken it upon themselves to suggest I support a ban on high capacity magazines. To set the record straight I do not agree with our government banning anything that responsible adults can buy.
My opinion that people do not need high capacity magazines for personal protection is based on a less sensitive debate amongst shooters. Why use 30 rounds when you can get the same job done with 10. For persons who shoot often you have heard the saying “Spray and Pray”. For those who need a 30 round magazine to hit the target 10 times. Well, all I have to say is, there’s room for improvement.
My comment about not knowing why people need 30 round magazines was in response to a question of why people need 30 round magazines, not whether I support a ban on high capacity magazines. The reporter used my comment to support his own view about the ban. I assure everyone, it was not my view.
The Charlotte Observer paid me a visit this morning. The Observer is a responsible newspaper and wanted to verify the recent news article. The Observer will be printing a retraction and clarify what was written by the reporter. To iterate our position again, we do not support a ban on anything.
Me thinks that someone is a might pissed off. I wonder what, if any, legal action they could take. It would warm the cockles of my heart if they sued the snot out of the Observer.
Here is my reply to The Observer's editor:
Dear Mr. Glassberg:
Thank you for your prompt response and attention to this matter. Soon after receiving your email, Kevin Hall sent me a message and explained that he called Tactical Arms Manufacturer, Inc. (TMF) on their website phone number and spoke with Mr. Rinkor while conducting his research for this story. Since your last email, I have been made aware of new information regarding this story which you may find interesting.
First, I believe that it is now safe to say that TMF is not a family owned business in Huntersville, NC like the story alleges. Not only is their area code a Florida prefix, they are listed with the Better Business Bureau in Orange Park, FL. This is further supported by the fact that their ATF FFL is registered to Orange County, FL. Even their website domain name is registered through GoDaddy on 1/4/11 to the following:
Ken Rinkor
410 Blanding Blvd.
#9-102
Orange Park, Florida 32073
United States
Moreover, it appears that Mr. Rinkor has no real background in the firearms industry. A quick review of this credentials reveals that his eduction is in IT with several jobs in the computing industry before creating TMF last year. There is no evidence that Mr. Rinkor has ever actually produced a firearm other than the fact that he created a very amateur appearing website.
Next, it appears that Mr. Rinkor is now disputing the claims made in the story on his Facebook page. Here is the quote that he posted:
I would like to clarify a recent article where comments that I made during an interview with an economic reporter asking about how the recent talk of banning semi-automatic rifles and high capacity magazines. Two sound bites from a twenty minute interview are finding their way into several articles. In each article the writers have taken it upon themselves to suggest I support a ban on high capacity magazines. To set the record straight I do not agree with our government banning anything that responsible adults can buy.
My opinion that people do not need high capacity magazines for personal protection is based on a less sensitive debate amongst shooters. Why use 30 rounds when you can get the same job done with 10. For persons who shoot often you have heard the saying “Spray and Pray”. For those who need a 30 round magazine to hit the target 10 times. Well, all I have to say is, there’s room for improvement.
My comment about not knowing why people need 30 round magazines was in response to a question of why people need 30 round magazines, not whether I support a ban on high capacity magazines. The reporter used my comment to support his own view about the ban. I assure everyone, it was not my view.
Finally, I believe that this information raises serious questions as to how The Observer learned of this source and vetted the authenticity of Mr Rinkor's position in the firearms industry. Did he call your organization, or did the author's stumble across this obscure individual while trying to write the piece? If it is the former, it does not appear that any effort was made to verify the accuracy of his claims. On the other hand, if your organization contacted him, how did you learn of his company and why would you use this source over more established entities in the firearms industry? For example, FNH is a major firearms manufacturer for the military and their US headquarters is located just down the road in Columbia, SC. They would be a local source that is a much more credible representation of the industry's position on the issue of gun control.
I look forward to hearing the results of The Observer's investigation into this matter. Many of us in the shooting industry feel that the story used a factitious source to push an particular point of view on the topic of gun control. This type of behavior is not what we expect from a newspaper of The Observer's caliber.
Sincerely,
XXX
Cincinnatus
12-24-12, 22:00
I bet you'll get some mealy-mouthed platitudes in response to that. Their real response is "damn, we got caught." But I doubt they will actually desist in doing the same thing again. This sort of thing is SOP in the news business now days. They don't seem to care what readers think, only what idiots like Chris Matthews and his ilk will think of the politics of their position and the furtherance of their shared agenda.
SeriousStudent
12-24-12, 22:49
Good work, Sensei!
Larry Vickers
12-25-12, 04:02
Nicely done
Make sure Eric Graves at Soldier Systems gets the lead on this so he can run it on SSD
Good work Sir
platoonDaddy
12-25-12, 04:39
Great job!
Forwarding this link to a pro gun local talk show host in the DC area.
This was very much a team effort with Littlelebowski and kmrtnsn providing much of the leg work.
I'll be sending a summary to Keith Larson and John Hancock at Charlotte's Newstalk AM1110 / FM99.3 WBT. Keith runs the 9AM to noon, and he has a libertarian streak with no love loss for The Observer. John Hancock is also a straight shooter who might give this some air time on his 6 PM show.
I'll be sure to Eric Graves at SS as well as Cam and Company on Sirius/XM so this gets the maximum playtime possible.
Wolf Spyder
12-25-12, 13:20
Great Job.
Littlelebowski
12-25-12, 14:24
Since I had a hand in the scoop, I blogged about it :D Corrections and suggestions welcome.
http://rationalgun.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-online-gun-forum-keeps-journalists.html
Since I had a hand in the scoop, I blogged about it :D Corrections and suggestions welcome.
http://rationalgun.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-online-gun-forum-keeps-journalists.html
Nice.
SeriousStudent
12-25-12, 15:24
Since I had a hand in the scoop, I blogged about it :D Corrections and suggestions welcome.
http://rationalgun.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-online-gun-forum-keeps-journalists.html
Man, when you have doctors, IT geeks AND cops on your butt? You are doomed. ;)
And people think the ex-wives club is dangerous.
mikelowrey
12-25-12, 15:34
Since I had a hand in the scoop, I blogged about it :D Corrections and suggestions welcome.
http://rationalgun.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-online-gun-forum-keeps-journalists.html
If its ok with you I will be posting a link in twitter of your blog under the following hashtag #gunrights #obama #whitehousr @NRA @whitehouse
Littlelebowski
12-25-12, 15:49
If its ok with you I will be posting a link in twitter of your blog under the following hashtag #gunrights #obama #whitehousr @NRA @whitehouse
No problem!
Moose-Knuckle
12-25-12, 16:02
Great job all around gents!
Stick it to 'em! :big_boss:
Suwannee Tim
12-25-12, 17:54
Good catch Sensi.
These dumbasses can't even get the three rules right:
Always point the muzzle in a safe direction; never point a firearm at anyone or anything you don't want to shoot.
Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
Keep the action open and the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
Rule three is "Know what you are shooting and what lies beyond."
Suwannee Tim
12-25-12, 18:09
Obviously not worth a thread of it's own so here it is:
Talk about bogus! (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=322406702#PIC)
Obviously not worth a thread of it's own so here it is:
Talk about bogus! (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=322406702#PIC)
Actually it was designed for SOCCOM and used by NSW. Well the MK 23 anway, and not that handgun specifically.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_Mark_23
The Heckler & Koch MK23, Mk 23 Mod 0, Mark 23, or MARK 23, is a handgun consisting of a match grade semi-automatic pistol, a laser aiming module (LAM), and suppressor. It was adopted by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for special operations units in the 1990s.
Magic_Salad0892
12-25-12, 19:45
Great work guys. :D
Versions of this email were just sent out to the conservative radio, print media, and TV stations in the greater Charlotte area.
Dear XXX:
I'm a regular listener to your show who thought that you might be interested in a developing situation with the Charlotte Observer. Last week, the paper ran a story about firearms manufacturers who struggle with gun control issues in the wake of the CT shooting. The story contained quotes from a local firearms manufacturer named Tactical Arms Manufacturer, Inc. (TMF) in Huntersville that supports a ban on so called high capacity magazines. The self-proclaimed VP of this company, Mr. Ken Rinkor, went so far as to say that he would be willing to suffer a loss of business to pass a ban on high capacity magazines. Here is link to the story for your review:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/18/3734372/gun-makers-fret-as-gun-control.html#storylink=cpy%23storylink=cpy
The problem with this story is that TMF is not a local business and does not appear to actually exist as anything more than a shell website. They have no physical address in NC and their phone number is a Florida cell number. In fact, all attempts to learn more about this company have led back to Orange Park, FL and Mr. Kenneth Rinkor who is actually an IT specialist, not a manager of a family owned firearms manufacturer. The only Florida address that can be found for Mr. Rinkor belongs to a UPS store. Although Mr. Rinkor claims that his company supplies weapons to law enforcement, there is no evidence that he has ever produced a single firearm since no one in the shooting industry has ever heard of him or used the product listed (yes, there is only 1 rifle) on this website.
So, this begs to question how did The Observer learn about this supposed source from the firearms industry? Were they contact by Mr. Rinkor, or did they find his obscure website through an internet search? Also, what measures were taken to insure that his ties to the firearms industry were true? At best, The Observer was anxious to report a source within the firearms industry that held views favorable to gun control, and they were willing to look past glaring inconsistencies in the source's credentials. At worst, they conspired with a fabricated source to push a gun control agenda while hoping that nobody would catch them in the act.
Either way, we need more news sources to hold the print media accountable for erroneous reporting. Those of us in the shooting industry would appreciate your consideration in airing this story on your program. All we ask is a fair reporting of the facts. Unfortunately, The Observer seems incapable of providing that service.
Sincerely,
XXXX
Versions of this email were just sent out to the conservative radio, print media, and TV stations in the greater Charlotte area.
I hope that gets some traction. Thanx for the efforts.
Heartland Hawk
12-26-12, 12:12
Reading this thread made my day. Great catch, guys.
Littlelebowski
12-26-12, 12:14
I sent the journalists that wrote this a link to my blog post, entitled "Did your research for you."
No response. Maybe they're planning on a formal thanks.
No response. Maybe they're planning on a formal thanks.
I wouldn't count on it.
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