Guns Vs. Cheese Internet Graphic Is Analyzed

An Internet graphic making its way around the Web is causing quite a stir.

The picture features a list of guns on one side with the word "Legal" written above them and "Automatic Weapons" written below. On the other side, there are all types of French cheeses with "Illegal" written above them and "French Cheeses" written below. There is also an American flag in the middle. 

In a post from America Blog, John Aravosis breaks down the photo to see if there is any truth behind the graphic.

He found that the picture is only somewhat accurate. While French cheeses are not illegal in the United States, there is a ban on cheeses made from raw milk that have been aged for less than 60 days. The ban was put into place in 1950 after an outbreak of Typhoid in Canada was linked to raw milk cheese.

So, the cheeses in the photo aren't "illegal," but they are not allowed if they haven't been aged for 60 days and are made of raw milk. Any cheese made of pasteurized milk is perfectly fine (although it loses some of the "French" flavor). 

The author suggests that the picture could be accurate if an asterisk was added to the word "Illegal" on French cheese side with the words "The true version of these cheeses — i.e. made with raw milk and aged under 60 days."