In the rush to report on yesterday’s shooting at Santa Fe High School, some of the usual suspects assumed that it was yet another instance of a bullied, maladjusted kid who’d gotten ahold of a “weapon of war,” the anti-gunners’ bete noir, an AR-15 rifle. The bullied, maladjusted part may be correct — all of that is sure to come out in the days ahead — but the firearms the kid used aren’t quite as easily demonized.
It must have come as a deep disappointment to learn that the Santa Fe shooter hadn’t, in fact, used an AR-pattern rifle. Instead, the murderer chose two firearms that haven’t changed significantly in their design since the middle of the 19th century; a shotgun and a .38 revolver.
That presents something of a quandary for the Chris Murphys and Diane Feinsteins of the world (not to mention David Hogg and Emma Gonzales). Oh, they’ll still blame the NRA for somehow encouraging an under-age kid to grab his father’s firearms and shoot up his school. But this doesn’t exactly bolster their argument for bump stock regulation or a new “assault weapons” ban.
Let’s call it like it is: the horrifying inaction of Congress, slaughter after slaughter, has become a green light to would-be shooters, who pervert silence into endorsement.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) May 18, 2018
Inaction by Congress? Please, Sen. Murphy, enlighten us. Which proposed piece of legislation — specifically — would have prevented the Santa Fe shooting? Universal background checks? Gun violence restraining orders?
By tomorrow morning, @NRA lobbyists and the lawmakers beholden to them will be calling for laws to arm teachers. When they do, remember that by arming just a fraction of America’s 3.6M teachers, gun manufacturers would recoup their $100M loss in sales since Trump’s election.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 18, 2018
So what’s your best guess? The Civilian Disarmament Industrial Complex isn’t deterred by facts, so they won’t be dropping their efforts against assault weapons any time soon. But what do you think their prevailing narrative will be now?