The New York Times came out today for an assault weapons and high capacity magazine ban. “Mr. Obama should also focus on the weaponry itself, starting with restoring — after toughening — the ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004. Assault weapons are versions of military rifles that are meant to kill people, not paper targets, clay pigeons or deer. They account for only a fraction of the guns sold and used in the United States, but they play a hugely outsize role in the national slaughter; rampage killers love them.” But here’s something you wouldn’t expect: the Times agrees with gun owners who believe in arming teachers . . .
Republicans say they want to end the violence but have been mostly trying to end the discussion. Their attempts at deflection began immediately after news of Newtown spread. To hear them tell it, the slaughter of 20 children and seven adults wasn’t about guns; it was about mental health care. It was Hollywood and video games and the culture of violence. Actually, it was about guns and bullets and the easy access to them.
Correct! It was about the lack of easy access to guns and bullets for the teachers, administrators and adult visitors to the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The rest of the editorial you can guess. Suffice it to say, the Times, which defended itself against rioters with twin machine guns back in the day, exploits its readers’ inability to focus their anger where it belongs.