I'm really upset by the multitude of adults who should know better than to shamelessly blast kids for being kids. Let's not kid ourselves: we're seven months out from a midterm election, and calling so many neatly-organized synchronous 'demonstrations' in so many cities (with permits and march routes and guest speakers and stages with pretty professional-level sound design) a spontaneous youth movement would be naïve to the point of absurdity. Of course there are opportunistic politicians circling these kids like vultures, hellbent on appropriating their voices for their own campaigns. That's what politicians do, and why damn near all of them should fuck right off. But while much of the 'movement' around these kids is being punched up and reframed by national media and special interests, that doesn't take away that at the core of this are a bunch of scared kids who are shockingly good at getting their shit together, by the standards of scared kids. No, they don't appear to have the best grasp of constitutional law. Yeah, they seem especially uninformed on the subject of firearms legislation - though I honestly wouldn't place them below the mean on a national level when it comes to either of those. But I find I need to remind people that these are high-school kids, many of whom probably haven't even had a chance to take the relevant social-studies classes yet! And some out there want to hold them to a standard of expertise on con-law - not to mention a standard of dispassionate objectivity - that's far beyond the schlubs they voted into office. And for any of us to dismiss the fears they're voicing as irrational, when so many of them have literally watched their friends die, is simply ridiculous. Is this 'movement' rooted in a knee-jerk panic response? Absolutely. But these kids aren't tilting at windmills here. The least we can do is encourage our legislators to actually have some constructive dialogue about this for once. If I have an issue with their "agenda", I'm going to politely point out that no, that's not what an 'assault rifle' is, no, you can't legally do that right now, no, these sorts of incidents - and those sorts of weapons - don't actually account for a very big statistical slice of gun violence at all, and you really should keep in mind the ripple effect of legislative precedent represented by the 'common-sense changes' you're demanding. I'm not going to throw a tantrum and spew venom at a bunch of kids who are scared because they have a reason to be scared, and who feel like nobody is listening to them or talking about the very real problem they want to discuss. That's reprehensible. But maybe that's just me speaking as a parent.
Except that... as you pointed out yourself, these high school kids, COULDN'T have possibly organized simultaneous protests in cities nationwide. They WOULDN'T know how to organize boycotts of companies that give discounts to NRA cardholders. These high school kids were hijacked by groups like MoveOn.org and Center For American Progress, and just coincidentally are using precisely the tactics of targeting and isolation that these far Left groups HAVE A LONG HISTORY of doing!
If I was a kid in a high school that was shot up, I would dismiss it for what it is, an isolated incident like Sandy Hook or Columbine that is a once-in-a-decade event. They don't have a reason to be angry or outraged because it is such an incredibly rare event, that will obviously never happen again at their high school. Were "assault rifles" used at Sandy Hook or Columbine? NO! They used more conventional weapons. So that makes it an even more rare event.
I seriously question whether their voiced outrage is even real. At that age, my attention would quickly have moved to something else. If you polled 200 students, most are no doubt disturbed by the event, but not "angry" and lashing out at the NRA and politicians like these wind-up-toy leftist-indoctrinated and coached handful of kids. Who are, as Ann Coulter described the 9-11 widows 15 years ago, perfect front faces for the Left, that can scold the public, but to challenge what they say and attempt a dialogue is to unforgiveably challenge and confront the grieved. They are front-faces we are not allowed to challenge or engage in dialogue.
There are PLENTY of other people to blame, and "assault rifles" only incidentally qualifies for blame. For example:
1) The school ( forget the exact name for the program) is one of many schools nationwide that has vastly reduced the criminal incidents they report to the police. To make the school look better and not as violent as it truly is, and also (liberal championed) to reduce the number of statistical incidents of minority crime in high schools. Laura Ingraham discussed this in several of her programs (don't look to CNN or MSNBC to report it).
2) Incidents where Broward police came to the shooter's home for violent attacks, and didn't follow up or write full reports on the incidents.
3) Incidents of the shooter (Cruz) making threats online of wanting to shoot up a school were reported TWICE to the FBI and not followed up on. Nor did FBI notify the local Broward Sheriff's Department.
3) BECAUSE OF 1) and 2) above, AND 3) NOT REPORTING, Cruz was
able to purchase guns, including an assault rifle. Because of not reporting, local police never got any heads up,
even after Cruz already had possession of these weapons,
even after he was known to have them and continued making threats.
Further:
4) The on-location school security guard stood outside even after the shooting began, even knowing Cruz was firing on kids in the building. Even after several other sheriffs arrived, they "secured the building" waiting outside, while Cruz continued shooting students. It really burns me that the jerk "retired" with a full pension a few days later, for NOT doing his job.
5) The Broward Sheriff's office did its damnedest to cover up what actually happened for as long as they could. And even after exposed, the head Broward Sheriff responsible (surprise!) BLAMED THE NRA AND ASSAULT WEAPONS LAWS, instead of accepting the blame that obviously rests on him. And incredibly, still has a job!
THAT is where blame lies, not with "assault weapons". There is a clear massive valley of cracks this case fell through, and the ball was dropped at every stage. It's not about assault rifles, if these people had simply done their jobs, Cruz would have had a red flag that would have prevented him from having ANY weapon, not just an assault rifle.
And the fact that these kids, spokes-front-faces for the Left don't account at all for these facts, lays exposed their falseness. This is not legitimate outrage, it is a stage platform for the Left's anti-gun agenda.
I frankly don't know how anyone can't see that. The fact that the shithead Broward County cops, and the FBI, and Stoneman Douglas school administrators sat on their hands and just let it happen tells me law enforcement can't be trusted to protect any of us. Quite the opposite of the Left's talking points, it encourages me to go out and buy several weapons to protect myself and my family.
