The mass murder in South Carolina is the natural outgrowth of the contemporary no gun law movement and Fox New's relentless shilling for them. If you've been away from all media today, nine black parishioners were murdered by alleged shooter Ryan Storm Roof, a 21 year old who was photographed with emblems of South Africa and Rhodesia on his jacket, indicating he may be a white supremacist.
"[Emanuel AME Zion chruch pastor state Sen. Clementa] Pinckney’s cousin told WAFF-TV that the gunman specifically asked for the reverend before Bible study and sat next to him before opening fire. The cousin says survivors told her that the gunman told them, “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”
The Daily Mail is reporting:
Roof’s uncle told Reuters that his nephew had received a .45 caliber pistol as a birthday present in April. He called the 21-year-old ‘quiet, soft spoken’ and said he recognized him in the photo released by police."
Fox News' reaction to this? Parishioners should be armed in church AND Dylann Roof may have been influenced by ISIS. This is the most stunning case of journalistic denial in the history of news reporting. Virtually every broadcast contains their spin on how more guns will make every situation better. And as I write, the anchor is comparing the obviously racially motivated shootings in South Carolina with the terrorist, Charlie Hebno shootings and giving air time to republicans claiming 'This is not a gun issue.' No mention of the seeming white supremacist patches on Roof's jacket, even though they've shown the above photo multiple times. Nothing of his racist statements before he started shooting.
The network is pathologically incapable of declaring a 'mea culpa' or admitting, even a little, that the blood may be on their hands. They can do this, in part, because all the media laws that would encourage them to be responsible journalists have been deregulated.
This country is need of major media reform and reintroduction of the Constitutionally upheld Fairness Doctrine, in some form, is part of that cure.
Link to my article: "Petition: Re-institute the Fairness Doctrine and Require Fairness and Accuracy in Broadcasting"
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Heart of Gun Rights Darkness.
The gun's right's movement has gone from 'They're coming to take your guns!!!!' to 'We have the right to hold all of America at gunpoint!!!' This is shear insanity and has to stop. From my article 'Enough is Enough, Time for Logical and Sane National Gun Laws.'
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Below is President Obama's proposed gun laws with a couple additions.
"The Plan:
1) Requires background checks for all gun sales and strengthens the background check system. This would include removing barriers under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act so that states may more freely share information about mental health issues involving potential gun purchasers.
2) Provides states with monetary incentives—$20 million in fiscal year FY 2013* and a proposed $50 million in FY 2014*—to share information so that records on criminal history and people prohibited from gun ownership due to mental health reasons are more available. Dates of original proposal.
3) Bans military-style assault weapons and limits magazines to a capacity of 10 rounds.
4) Provides additional tools to law enforcement. The plan proposes a crackdown on gun trafficking by asking Congress to pass legislation that closes “loopholes” in gun trafficking laws and establishes strict penalties for “straw purchasers” who pass a background check and then pass guns on to prohibited people.
5) Urges Congress to pass the administration’s $4 billion proposal to keep 15,000 state and local police officers on the street to help deter gun crime.
6) Maximizes efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime. The president calls upon the attorney general to work with U.S. attorneys across the country to determine gaps occurring in this area and where supplemental resources are appropriate.
7) Provides training for “active shooter” situations to 14,000 law enforcement, first responders and school officials.
8) Directs the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a statement to health care providers that they are not prohibited by federal law from reporting threats of violence to the proper authorities.
9) Launches a national gun safety campaign to encourage responsible gun ownership and authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission to examine issues relating to gun safety locks.
10) Helps schools invest in safety. The president’s plan calls for more school resource officers and counselors in all schools through the Community Oriented Policing Services hiring program. The plan also calls for the federal government to assist schools in developing emergency management plans.
11) Improves mental health awareness through enhanced teacher training and referrals for treatment. The plan calls for the training of 5,000 additional mental health professionals nationwide. The plan also calls for coverage of mental health treatment under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
And I'm adding #12 and 13.
12) 'Open carry of firearms' will not be permitted anywhere in the United States."
13) Concealed weapon permits will only be issued to those having a demonstrably personal or professional need."
As you can see these very reasonable, proposed laws are in large part dealing with guns and mental health issues. Laws like this could have forbade this father from giving his son a gun for their birthday. At least it should have given him pause.
We are long overdue for responsible gun laws in this country.
We need responsible media that is not constantly sparking outrage when there is the mention of curbing gun extremists through legislation.
Will this horrible and in all probability avoidable tragedy be the final one that brings about this much needed change?
I fear not.