In the wake of Wednesday’s attack at Franklin Regional High School in Pennsylvania by a teen wielding two knives, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is planning a media event on April 16 at the Seattle Center that one might argue should focus on cutlery rather than Colts.
The Moms group will no doubt concentrate on warming up the grassroots troops for the campaign to pass Initiative 594, the 18-page gun control measure on Washington State’s November ballot. Disguised as a so-called “universal background check” package, it would have not prevented the Pennsylvania attack because it deals with firearms, not criminal violence.
Nineteen students and one security officer were injured in the high school rampage.
Based on information released so far, the Moms group and their partners at Mayors Against Illegal Guns will not be able to exploit this event. Indeed, they might be forced to remain silent, concentrating instead on the exploitation of the Fort Hood shooting, which they have already done.
Likewise, the well-funded Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR) sent out an e-mail several days ago that also tried to create an emotional link between passage of their initiative and prevention of a mass shooting. However, the Fort Hood gunman bought his gun at retail and passed a background check, a fact that was conveniently overlooked in the WAGR e-mail.
Next Wednesday’s event is being pandered as a networking effort aimed at “Winning the battle for comprehensive gun laws…and we’re going to rely on you to keep making change block by block, city by city.”
But how would that law, or any other gun control measure, have prevented what happened Wednesday morning at Franklin Regional High School? This attack clearly demonstrates that where there is a will, there will be a way and that people determined to hurt others will find a means to do it.
For a deeper look at the issue, check the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner.
