For the liberal media, the only real problem for America when came to gun violence was that pesky Second Amendment and your access to firearms. And while they talked a good game about an “all of the above” solution, their only goal was to restrict your rights. A grade-A example of this kind of attitude was on display Sunday during ABC’s This Week, where host George Stephanopoulos grilled Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick about gun control for his state while ignoring Patrick’s point regarding the devaluation of life by our culture.
Stephanopoulos wasted little time and dove right into to the anti-gun fear mongering and propaganda at the top of the program:
Children who’ve never known school without lockdown drills expecting what should be unthinkable. Santa Fe, the ninth fatal school shooting this year reflected in this stunning fact: There have now been more students or teachers killed by guns in U.S. schools than active duty military deaths in 2018. A year not even halfway over.
That statistic about school shootings, which ABC didn’t actually present numbers for, was meant to sound like both were astronomical numbers, when, in fact, both were much smaller: 31 to 29. And it didn’t address how the Santa Fe shooter also tried to construct homemade bombs.
“George, should we be surprised in this nation? We have devalued life. Whether it's through abortion, whether it’s the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games…” argued Governor Patrick (R) when Stephanopoulos confronted him with those numbers.
But Stephanopoulos wasn’t going to allow any real discussion on Patrick’s point. The ABC host chided the Republican governor after he’d finished talking, saying, “Of course, hard not to miss what you didn't mention there. Any kind of regulations of guns.” “But you’ve also come into some pretty harsh criticism from those who think the problem is too many guns, not too many doors,” he added, mocking Patrick’s comments directed at hardening schools.
Patrick admitted that his door idea did raise fire safety concerns and noted the issue of school safety was “multifaceted,” but he continued to press on the issue of a culture that devalued life:
But we, again, we have to look at our culture of violence. Just our violent society. Our Facebook. Our Twitter. The bullying of adults on adults and children on children. We have to look at ourselves, George. It's not about the guns. It's about us. Can there be gun regulation? Gun control? I believe that starts at home, George.
But Stephanopoulos would not let up on trying to restrict people’s rights to keep and bear arms. “How do you explain another stunning statistic,” he angrily prefaced. “Americans of high school age are 82 times more likely to die from gun homicide than their peers in the rest of the developed world. That has to be connected to the availability of guns, doesn't it?!” Of course, Stephy would ignore the fact the U.K. has seen an explosion of knife attacks recently.
And despite Patrick’s comments on the difference, Stephanopoulos would continue to slam the U.S. for not being like the rest of the world. He even suggested that guns somehow had “greater lethality” in the U.S. The Lieutenant Governor countered with one simple truth about our great country: “They are, George. And here's the reality: They are a part of who we are as a nation. It is our Second Amendment.”
The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC
This Week
May 20, 2018
9:01:38 AM EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Good morning. We have a lot to cover this week. And we begin with the all too far scenes from Texas. There you see the students of Santa Fe high on Friday running out of school after 30 minutes of terror that claimed ten lives. They are surveyors but stricken. And what we heard from the survivors, a warning from all of us: “I knew it.” “I'm not surprised.” “Of course it happened here.” Children who’ve never known school without lockdown drills expecting what should be unthinkable. Santa Fe, the ninth fatal school shooting this year reflected in this stunning fact: There have now been more students or teachers killed by guns in U.S. schools than active duty military deaths in 2018. A year not even halfway over.
Our first guest this week, Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick. Governor Patrick, thank you for joining us. Of course, our condolences go out to the community, the families, there in Texas this morning. But I wonder if you can reflect on that statistic I just read. More students killed by gun violence in schools than active duty military deaths in 2018.
DAN PATRICK: George, should we be surprised in this nation? We have devalued life. Whether it's through abortion, whether it’s the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games …
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Of course, hard not to miss what you didn't mention there. Any kind of regulations of guns. And in fact, you have suggested fewer school doors could lead to fewer school shootings. I know some security experts have said that could be part of a comprehensive solution. But you’ve also come into some pretty harsh criticism from those who think the problem is too many guns, not too many doors.
PATRICK: Well, George, I think I laid out just a moment ago the problem is multifaceted. It's not any one issue. But we, again, we have to look at our culture of violence. Just our violent society. Our Facebook. Our Twitter. The bullying of adults on adults and children on children. We have to look at ourselves, George. It's not about the guns. It's about us. Can there be gun regulation? Gun control? I believe that starts at home, George.
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: How do you explain another stunning statistic? Americans of high school age are 82 times more likely to die from gun homicide than their peers in the rest of the developed world. That has to be connected to the availability of guns, doesn't it?
PATRICK: No, it doesn't have to be George. And I can't compare one country with another country because there are many variables in all these counties. Here's what I know. We live in a violent culture where we have devalued life.
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: But when we look inward, sir, aren't we going find that guns are more available in greater numbers, in greater lethality than any other developed country in the world?
PATRICK: They are, George. And here's the reality: They are a part of who we are as a nation. It is our Second Amendment.
(…)
