Serbia, which carried out ethnic cleanings in the 90s and recently clashed with NATO peacekeepers sparking renewed ethnic tensions, recently moved to ban guns in the country after a pair of mass shootings. This development was celebrated on the Monday edition of NBC’s Today where chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and the anchors marveled at the speed and suggested it was totally doable in America. They also leaned on Serbs to lecture Americas about the policy saving democracy.
Engels was indignant from the get-go as he proclaimed that America could learn a lot about coming together to get rid of guns from Serbia. He touted their national “moment of reflection” and called it a “what-has-become-of-us type moment” that “inspired Serbs to completely change their relationship with guns.”
“I think a lot of Americans will be particularly interested in this story,” he projected. After giving a brief rundown of the attacks, his chided America saying that “more than thoughts and prayers” came in the wake of the violence. “Outrage became action. Tens of thousands demanded not just tighter gun controls, but a reorientation of society away from violence, a reaction against armed rage,” he boasted.
He never disclosed what kind of firearms were used in the attacks, but images of what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver were displayed on the screen.
And as liberal journalists do when they want to browbeat Americans with how inferior they are compared to Europeans, he leaned on some Serbs to lecture Americans about what they needed to do. According to one parent, banning guns was about saving democracy:
ZARKOERKO CVJIC (parent): I think a lot of us have had enough, and now it's a make-or-break moment.
ENGEL: Žarkoerko Cvejić’s 9-year-old daughter, Zora was in the school when the 13-year-old boy went on a killing spree.
What would you say to Americans who’ve been through this and then see no change?
CVJIC: I would say to them, you know, safeguard your democracy. If you still have it. And mobilize. And act.
He also spoke to “opposition politician” Dobrica Veselinović to diagnose why there’s inaction in America against gun rights:
ENGEL: There's outrage every time there is one of these mass shootings in the United States every time but very little is done about it. Why is it do you think you were able to cross political divides?
VESELINOVIC: I would say the one – the precondition for that is we are not having this big gun lobbies and the big industry which is behind it.
Engel touted Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic’s stated goal “to take 90 percent of guns off the streets soon.” “In Serbia, two were more than enough to bring change. And frankly, it wasn't that difficult,” he rhetorically sneered at America, ignoring the Second Amendment. He touted the plan while admiring a giant pile of confiscated firearms that ranged from full and semi-automatic rifles to bolt-action rifles to shotguns to revolvers.
NPR gleefully reported: "Officials plan to order inspections of registered addresses 'to check whether there exist conditions for safekeeping,' anti-crime department officer Bojana Otovic Pjanovic said on Serbian state TV network RTS. 'If not, the guns will be taken away and punishment will be rigorous.'"
Stephen Gutowski, the founder of The Reload and MRC Bulldog Award winner, saw NBC's reporting as a good example of why American gun owners were concerned about having their guns taken away. “Well, one reason that concern exists is because news media tends to portray gun confiscation as an easy solution to violence with zero negative consequences,” he wrote on Twitter.
“It's important to understand that gun owners notice the way foreign confiscation efforts are covered and it's a backdrop for these debates,” he added.
NBC’s praise for taking away people’s guns was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from McDonald’s and Google. Their contact information is liked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Today
June 19, 2023
8:05:46 a.m. EasternJACOB SOBOROFF: Now to a country that taken quick action to address gun violence after a pair of rare mass shootings last month. NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel tells us about the steps Serbia is taking to loosen the nation's grip on guns. Richard, this is fascinating. Good morning.
RICHARD ENGEL: Good morning. I think a lot of Americans will be particularly interested in this story. Last month there were these two extremely rare mass shootings in Serbia, and they caused a moment of reflection across the entire country. It was a – what-has-become-of-us type moment and inspired Serbs to completely change their relationship with guns.
[Cuts to video]
Serbians didn't see it coming. Yes, they have a lot of guns in this country, the third most per-capita after the United States and Yemen. But they've never been used like this before. On May 3, a 13-year-old boy for reasons still unclear, stormed into his school with two of his father's guns and a hit list and killed eight classmates. The next day, a man in his 20s with a history of violence opened fire in a village killing eight more.
But then, came more than thoughts and prayers. Outrage became action. Tens of thousands demanded not just tighter gun controls, but a reorientation of society away from violence, a reaction against armed rage.
ZARKOERKO CVJIC (parent): I think a lot of us have had enough, and now it's a make or break moment.
ENGEL: Žarkoerko Cvejić’s 9-year-old daughter, Zora was in the school when the 13-year-old boy went on a killing spree.
What would you say to Americans who’ve been through this and then see no change?
CVJIC: I would say to them, you know, safeguard your democracy. If you still have it. And mobilize. And act.
ENGEL: Within weeks of the shootings here, new laws were introduced and old ones enforced. Now, all existing gun permits are under review. All sales of new guns of any type are banned for two years. Gun owners must submit to in person psychological and back ground checks and owning an illegal gun is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Many Serbs are deciding being armed isn't worth the risk or hassle and turning in their guns voluntarily.
There’s lots of AKs and assault rifles.
There are 70,000 guns in this police warehouse surrendered under a no-questions-asked amnesty. The deputy Interior minister says this is only the start. He wants to take 90 percent of guns off the streets soon.
What do you think when you see all of this?
[Engels translating for Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic] I see life saved, I see children's lives saved. I see better safety for society, he said.
Serbia is deeply divided politically over populism, abortion, and gender identity, but overhauling gun laws was universally popular. Dobrica Veselinović is an opposition politician.
There's outrage every time there is one of these mass shootings in the United States every time but very little is done about it. Why is it do you think you were able to cross political divides?
DOBRICA VESELINOVIC: I would say the one – the precondition for that is we are not having this big gun lobbies and the big industry which is behind it.
[Cuts back to live]
ENGEL: There were more than 300 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. In Serbia, two were more than enough to bring change. And frankly, it wasn't that difficult. Jacob.
SOBOROFF: Richard, thanks.
It’s shocking to see those 70,000 guns that were turned in there. And this is going to get a lot of people the U.S. thinking about what we can learn from Syria – from Serbia – excuse me – as well.
KRISTEN WELKER: Absolutely, there’ no doubt about that.
CRAIG MELVIN: The speed with which they mobilized is telling.
