The “Resistance” outrage machine broke into full force on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, as Leftists blamed President Donald Trump for the South Florida school shooting on Valentine’s Day that killed at least 17. A great deal has come to light about the suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, but Leftists blamed Trump and Republicans instead.
“We have to elect candidates that are not funded by the NRA in November. We have an opportunity to elect candidates who won’t allow kids to go to school and get shot,” “comedian” Chelsea Handler tweeted. “It is disgusting how many times this has happened and Republicans do nothing. You all have blood on your hands.”
We have to elect candidates that are not funded by the NRA in November. We have an opportunity to elect candidates who won’t allow kids to go to school and get shot. It is disgusting how many times this has happened and Republicans do nothing. You all have blood on your hands.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) February 14, 2018
“Avengers” (2012) director Joss Whedon snidely tweeted, “Anything going on that we definitely shouldn’t politicize?” He then included the hashtag “Stop Normalizing Mass Murder.”
https://twitter.com/joss/status/963880905394630656
One Twitter user who claimed George Washington would be “proud” of the “Resistance” tweeted, “Trump & the #NRA sycophants facilitated the slaughter of innocent children yesterday. There are ways to prevent/minimize these massacres but REPUBLICANS DO NOTHING.”
Trump & the #NRA sycophants facilitated the slaughter of innocent children yesterday.
There are ways to prevent/minimize these massacres but REPUBLICANS DO NOTHING. #GunReformNow Nikolas Cruz pic.twitter.com/wkFshX9BU1
— Professing Professor (@Professing_Prof) February 15, 2018
As an aside, if “gun control” is what this “Professing Prof” suggests as a “way to prevent/minimize these massacres,” a 2013 study showed that state laws requiring universal background checks made little difference when it comes to murder rates. In fact, even gun confiscation would not have any effect on roughly one third of murders, because those are committed without firearms.
Even as “Resistance” members — and some elected Democratic lawmakers — rushed to blame Trump, news broke that the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, was reported to the FBI after a YouTube account under his name warned he would become a school shooter. Witnesses said Cruz was disturbed, and a few even said they had predicted he would do such a thing.
Responding to these reports, President Trump tweeted, “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
The CEO and founder of the ad agency Creature of London shot back, tweeting a screenshot of a story from last February.
https://twitter.com/creature_dan/status/964129654486511621
While Trump did indeed sign a law rolling back former president Barack Obama’s regulation preventing people with mental illnesses from purchasing a firearm, this law did not impact this situation, as it has nothing to do with the FBI’s ability to prevent “known wolves” from purchasing firearms.
Specifically, Obama’s regulation added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs to the national background check database. This Trump law may or may not have been a good idea, but unless Cruz was on Social Security for mental illness or deemed unfit to handle his finances, it has no application to this case.
Web entrepreneur Brian Krassenstein took the opportunity to suggest the real culprits behind this shooting: “Congress, Gun Store Owners, Gun Manufacturers, The President of this nation.” Does this mean that former president Barack Obama is guilty for the mass shootings that took place under his watch?
https://twitter.com/krassenstein/status/964113738315034624
Television personality John Fugelsang snidely remarked that “politicians who took active steps to help Nikolas Cruz get an AR-15 don’t get to offer passive thoughts & prayers for his victims.”
Politicians who took active steps to help Nikolas Cruz get an AR-15 don't get to offer passive thoughts & prayers for his victims.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) February 15, 2018
Protecting Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms does not implicate politicians in the actions of mass shooters. Fugelsang would have a point if any NRA-backed politician explicitly called for those credibly reported to the FBI to keep their rights to bear arms, but they do not.
Pollster Matt McDermott came closest to a true attack on Trump regarding Cruz. “As Trump tweets blame the victims for not reporting the shooter, Buzzfeed reports that the shooter actually was reported—directly to Trump’s own FBI—months ago. It did nothing to prevent the shooting,” McDermott tweeted.
As Trump tweets blame the victims for not reporting the shooter, Buzzfeed reports that the shooter actually was reported—directly to Trump's own FBI—months ago. It did nothing to prevent the shooting. https://t.co/7sgXkoyXXg
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) February 15, 2018
This indeed is a problem, and it goes beyond Trump. The Orlando Pulse nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen, was also reported to the FBI. PJ Media’s Patrick Poole has reported case after case where a mass shooter had been previously known to authorities — a “known wolf.”
More effective law enforcement, rather than gun control, may be the right approach in the wake of these evil shootings. Then again, the only detail known about Cruz from the YouTube post was his name — and how many “Nikolas Cruz”es are there in America?
In any case, blaming Trump, the NRA, and Republicans for this massacre is wrongheaded. As Mike Zollo tweeted, “Liberals are blaming everyone except the shooter. The NRA is not to blame. Donald Trump is not to blame. Law abiding gun owners are not to blame. Nikolas Cruz, the psychopath who did this, is the only one to blame.”
https://twitter.com/mike_Zollo/status/963949502041292800
As PJ Media’s J. Christian Adams pointed out, guns were in schools 30 years ago, but mass shootings did not take place — partly because students were taught how to use guns rightly, and how not to use them. Something about modern American culture is exacerbating this problem — it may be the attention given to mass shooters after Columbine, it may be unformed male teenage anger, or it may be something else.
Blaming Trump and the NRA is a distraction from the real issue.
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