'Gun Violence Devastates' Family... of Drug Dealers, Murderers and Thieves

Once again, the faux term "gun violence" is used as if the guns themselves are causing said violence, this time in a Miami Herald story. I have to say, this story by David Ovalle is amazing for the near Olympic grade gymnastics it shows as it twists the "tragedies" of death and casualties visited upon a family in the Little Haiti neighborhood into one blamed upon guns. The story starts off trying to make the reader feel sorry for this family that has seen so many of its members killed or catastrophically wounded by firearms. But as one reads on, one finds that this family is filled with drug dealers, murderers and thieves... not much like a hapless family "devastated" by "gun violence" but more like a bunch of criminals that deserve their fate.

After a headline that whines "Gun violence devastates Little Haiti family," we get several paragraphs about how this "devout Christian" family is being murdered one by one.

A devout Christian married 54 years, Joe Cooper presides over a family that tallies 10 children, 28 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren...But, bullet by bullet, violence is costing his family.

It all seems so horrible doesn't it?

The story gives us the body count. Grandson Kelsnic wounded, a cousin brain-dead, grandson Deron killed, Cooper's son-in-law murdered. What a mess. Those guns roving about Miami are a dangerous gang, huh? Those evil, evil guns must be eliminated so that this poor innocent Cooper family is spared this random horror.

But wait. Innocent?

Several paragraphs down in the story we begin to see that the Coopers are not so very innocent after all.

The recent violence is a result of the Cooper grandsons and their drug dealing activities. It also seems that they may have stolen from other drug dealers and the shootings are acts of revenge as opposed to random "gun violence."

As to the death of Cooper's son-in-law, sadly his own daughter is the one responsible for that little deed. Apparently in a domestic dispute Cooper's daughter stuck a shotgun in her loving hubby's stomach and let go a death-dealing blast.

Then we learn that Deron was also killed in a drug deal.

None of this is really a result of "gun violence" but a result instead of criminal activity. To act as if this is "gun violence," a term that usually refers to random acts of violence that afflicts innocent people -- or at least offers that implication -- is quite disingenuous here. The Cooper family is certainly devastated by violence, but it is violence of their own making.

But once again, we get a story that pretends as if "gun violence" is a thing divorced from the intentional actions of the people behind the guns, as if guns are roaming the streets and randomly blowing away innocent bystanders. The way this is written make the guns the guilty party and does its level best to make the criminals in the Cooper family out to be victims.

Just one more example of the anti-gun spin taken by the news media.