By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
In the aftermath of the tragic Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia Wednesday, it did not take long for the media to start sneering at gun laws, while failing to acknowledge none of the criticisms had anything to do with the crime at the center of this story.
The Independent, to its credit, noted that a teenager “wouldn’t have lawful access to buy a handgun, rifle, or shotgun under state law and federal law.” It also made clear minors cannot possess handguns under Georgia law.
But then the news agency seemed to complain, “Everytown for Gun Safety ranks Georgia as number 46 of 50 in terms of the strength of its gun laws, describing the state’s policies as “some of the weakest” in the nation.”
In the next paragraph, The Independent observes, “Adults in Georgia don’t need a permit to buy rifles, shotguns, or handguns, don’t need to register their guns with the government, and don’t need a permit to carry rifles and shotguns,” identifying the source of this information as the National Rifle Association.
It’s true, but the fact that adults can do things in Georgia has nothing at all to do with the murders allegedly committed by a 14-year-old.
Second Amendment advocates argue that permits should not be required to exercise a constitutionally-protected fundamental right.
The New Republic weighed in, appearing to criticize the fact that Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation two years ago—when the suspected school shooter was 12 years old—that allows Georgia adults to carry handguns without a license or a background check. It is called “constitutional carry,” and is now the law in 29 states.
The background check comes with the purchase of a firearm. Georgia still issues carry permits, so state residents traveling to other states can exercise their rights under reciprocity agreements, and a background check is part of the permitting process.
Again, the legal carrying of a sidearm for personal protection has zero connection with the illegal act of bringing a firearm onto a school campus, and then opening fire.
But the media is attempting to create a bogeyman where none exists.
Still, the Washington Post notes in a length piece published Thursday that “gun violence” is now back on the list of front-burner campaign issues as the November election is just two months away.
The article refers to the gun control lobby as “advocates against gun violence” as though America’s gun owners condone school shootings and other crimes committed with firearms. The 1,134-word article clearly reveals gun prohibitionists will try to capitalize on the shooting tragedy to move their agenda forward, and into the spotlight, with the campaign.
Inadvertently, the WaPo acknowledges something without actually doing so.
“The (Apalachee) shooting has come at a time when violent crime has declined nationally, a fact that Democrats have highlighted as Trump portrays Biden and Harris as soft on criminals,” the newspaper notes. Not mentioned, however, is that this decline in violent crime is happening during a period of increased gun sales nationwide.
A quick glance at the monthly FBI National Instant Check System (NICS) data shows more than 2 million background checks initiated every month since October 2018, and while the FBI and National Shooting Sports Foundation stress these numbers do not reflect actual gun transactions, the NSSF publishes monthly adjusted figures showing more people are buying more guns. This tends to refute arguments by anti-gunners that more guns lead to more violent crime.
The WaPo article also confirmed that gun prohibition groups—Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords—have endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
But Harris on Thursday took some heat from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, which pointed to her argument in 2019 that school resource officers should be taken out of schools. It has been reported that the shooter at Apalachee High School was taken into custody quickly by an armed school resource officer.
“Once again,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “a good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy with a gun, demonstrating how wrong Kamala Harris was about the importance of armed school resource officers, who literally saved lives in Georgia. It’s just one of many things, especially relating to firearms and crime intervention, she’s been wrong about during her political career.”
Gottlieb also said removing armed school resource officers, as Harris advocated five years ago, would have “accomplished less than nothing by making schools and our children more vulnerable.”
