Two Roanoke, Virginia TV journalists were killed on-air by a deeply disturbed former coworker. The killer then posted his own video of the shooting to Twitter and Facebook and faxed a 23 page rant to ABC News before killing himself several hours later. Per our longstanding principles, we will not broadcast the killer’s name, nor sensationalize his so-called reasons. We do express our sincere condolences to the friends and families of the victims of this senseless attack.
It was only an hour or so later, with the killer still at large, when politicians and activists started elbowing their way onto the airwaves and social media. Candidates Clinton and O'Malley were quick to focus on the gun, as was the White House. Without even a significant fraction of the facts, they recited the usual half-truths, spin and nonsensical “common-sense” demands. Of course, Bloomberg’s minions were not far behind. Many remarked on how extraordinarily quick the anti-gun response was. Universally, the gun was the thing demonized.
It was only an hour or so later, with the killer still at large, when politicians and activists started elbowing their way onto the airwaves and social media. Candidates Clinton and O'Malley were quick to focus on the gun, as was the White House. Without even a significant fraction of the facts, they recited the usual half-truths, spin and nonsensical “common-sense” demands. Of course, Bloomberg’s minions were not far behind. Many remarked on how extraordinarily quick the anti-gun response was. Universally, the gun was the thing demonized.
However, it’s the media's chattering class that are very likely the real reason for this tragedy. This attack was the direct spawn of the media’s obsessive fascination with mass killings and the killers. The attack was designed from the start to get the attention the killer longed for. He wanted to ensure a stage for his beliefs, his perceived wrongs and himself. The killer brought his own body camera, stalked the news team, waited until they were on-air, then delayed his attack until the perfect moment when the news camera returned to the reporter. It is the stuff of cold, calculated madness -- and showmanship. The killer - and the media - got what they wanted.
Now, the pro-rights community must once again defend itself and it’s Constitutional Rights. It’s again time to stand up, to refute the lies and half-truths, and to actively support those that support them. The law-abiding, the rational, the sane, will be facing a flood of the usual, emotion-driven, nonsensical attempts to limit their freedoms with a host of ultimately ineffective laws.
