In the wake of the mass shooting in Texas over the weekend, the liberal media did their predictable song and dance calling for staunch gun control measures. This time around, ABC’s Sunday Good Morning America whined about Texas loosening their gun laws to make it easier for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. Meanwhile, on NBC’s Sunday Today, political director Chuck Todd seemed almost thankful that the shooting put gun control “front and center” again.
During ABC’s coverage of the shooting, correspondent Rachel Scott gave the topic of gun control positive spin by dubbing it “gun reform”. And complained about President Trump’s “mixed signals” and conversations with the NRA:
The President has sent mixed signals on where he stands on that front. Following the shootings in El Paso and Dayton, the President said there was a strong appetite for meaningful background checks. But then after a call with the NRA, he said, strong background checks already exist.
Scott touted the Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee’s “plans to discuss gun control legislation”. But reminded viewers, “the House has already passed two background check bills” and chastised the Senate because they’ve “failed to act”. Yet, it’s still unclear how the Texas shooter got his weapons.
Of course, Scott failed to mention the fact that so-called “universal background checks” wouldn’t have stopped any of the recent mass shootings.
“And as calls for gun reform continues to grow, Texas lawmakers are moving in the opposite direction, loosening gun reform restrictions. New laws go into effect today in Texas, the same state where that shooting was held, that make it easier to carry firearms in public places like schools and churches,” she bemoaned.
As they were wrapping up, co-Anchor Whit Johnson huffed about how “gridlock has existed on gun reform for years.”
Meanwhile, on NBC’s Sunday morning newscast, fill-in anchor Harry Smith lamented that “there was a lot of activity after the last two [El Paso and Dayton]. And all that activity seems to have faded into the ether.” “Yeah, I'm with you on activity. I now call it there is a lot of ‘rhetoric’, but that doesn't necessarily mean there’s a lot of anything beyond that after El Paso and Dayton,” Todd added.
Grimly, Todd seemed almost thankful that the weekend’s shooting sparked new calls for gun control from the left:
I’ll say this though. I think the timing of this one, you know, here there was starting to be questions with the focus when Congress came back shift to the trade war, shift to these other things. I think this is a sobering reminder that this -- that gun regulations, what to do about it, is going to be front and center.
“And I think this shooting almost makes it inevitable that they—that Congress is going to have to tackle this first thing when they come back, not as sort of -- I think the way we've seen it in the past,” he suggested.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
September 1, 2019
8:17:27 a.m. Eastern(…)
WHIT JOHNSON: Rachel. Back to our top story, just for a moment. We know the President has also been briefed on the shooting and that Congress will be back in session this month, where does the gun control debate stand with lawmakers right now?
RACHEL SCOTT: That's right. The President was briefed by the Attorney General on that shooting. But, as he returns to the White House today, Washington is under increased pressure to act on the issue of gun reform.
The President has sent mixed signals on where he stands on that front. Following the shootings in El Paso and Dayton, the President said there was a strong appetite for meaningful background checks. But then after a call with the NRA, he said, strong background checks already exist.
Now the House Judiciary Committee has plans to discuss gun control legislation as Congress returns this month. But remember, the House has already passed two background check bills. So far, it's the Senate that has failed to act. And as calls for gun reform continues to grow, Texas lawmakers are moving in the opposite direction, loosening gun reform restrictions. New laws go into effect today in Texas, the same state where that shooting was held, that make it easier to carry firearms in public places like schools and churches. Whit.
JOHNSON: And that gridlock has existed on gun reform for years. Rachel Scott at the White House for us, thank you.
NBC’s Sunday Today
September 1, 2019
8:10:15 a.m. Eastern(…)
HARRY SMITH: And here we are on the day after yet another mass shooting. There was a lot of activity after the last two. And all that activity seems to have faded into the ether. Anyway, anyhow that when the recess is over and people come back to Washington they'll at least begin the conversation about gun control again?
CHUCK TODD: Yeah, I'm with you on activity. I now call it there is a lot of “rhetoric”, but that doesn't necessarily mean there’s a lot of anything beyond that after El Paso and Dayton.
I’ll say this though. I think the timing of this one, you know, here there was starting to be questions with the focus when Congress came back shift to the trade war, shift to these other things. I think this is a sobering reminder that this -- that gun regulations, what to do about it, is going to be front and center. And I think this shooting almost makes it inevitable that they—that Congress is going to have to tackle this first thing when they come back, not as sort of -- I think the way we've seen it in the past.
SMITH: Gotcha. Chuck, thank you.
(…)
