ABC - Australian Bureau of Communists?

I just heard a report on the ABC radio program "AM" that was compiled by their "North American correspondent" - I think it was Alison Fan.

The item was about "Gun crime in Philadelphia". Why this is news in Australia, I have no idea, but the entire report was either a deliberate falsehood or the worst case of journalistic ignorance that I have ever heard.

The report started out with the standard "{some big number} of Americans are murdered every year, and 75% of these deaths involve firearms", followed by the perennial favourite "{some other big number} of those murdered are children".

The news "reporter" then interviewed a member of some organisation, members of which walk the streets of certain districts in Philadelphia in an effort to reduce crime among the young of a particular ethnic group.

In this interview, the following question was posed:
"Are handguns easy to get in Philadelphia?"

The answer (predictably):
"Too easy. Every kid in this neighbourhood knows where to go, or who to ask to get a handgun."

From that point the reporter states: "In Pennsylvania, all anyone has to do to buy a handgun is pass a criminal background check and a mental health check, pay the processing fee, and buy the gun".

Does anybody else see the elephant in the room? The elephant that everyone is ignoring, while the reporter is installing a SEP field generator (think Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).

No?

Well, I'll explain.

The reporters question seems almost reasonable, but the response is about ILLEGAL guns, while the reporters next comment is about LEGAL guns, AND SHE DOES NOT MENTION THIS DIFFERENCE.

Not a single one of the "kids" in the neighbourhood could POSSIBLY pass a NICS check (the criminal background check mentioned) as they are either too young (must be 21 to buy a handgun), or already has a criminal record.

The whole piece is decrying kids having easy ILLEGAL access to guns, while doing a hatchet job on the LEGAL process.

I remain absolutely convinced that this was a deliberate attack on lawful gun ownership, but I can't figure out why. What on earth is the benefit to the ABC of this activity?