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Originally published Feb. 15, 2018 —
Before the scene was even contained, the shooter apprehended, or anything was known about how the killer obtained his weapon, many in the media were certain they already had enough information to politicize Wednesday's mass shooting in Parkland, Fla.
Reporters largely focused their attacks on Republicans who oppose new gun control legislation, and America more generally.
NBC's Tom Costello said America's "sick preoccupation with guns" leads to tragedies like today's. After reeling off the death count of other mass shootings, Costello said, "This, according to Bill Bratton the former NYPD commissioner, is another example of how the country seems to have this sick preoccupation with guns. It manifests itself into these really terrible mass shootings."
NBC law enforcement analyst, Jim Cavanaugh, likened the Second Amendment to a "suicide pact."
"You know, the argument that gun safety laws don’t work has — it’s jump shark week, it’s gone," he said. "Look at these mass killings. That argument is gone. We need to have reasonable laws, not take away anybody’s rights. Everybody’s got to work together or we make the Second Amendment a suicide pact for all of us, our children, the mall, the school, the college. This is crazy. We can do better."
CNN's Jake Tapper chastised Washington and American voters for not pushing through new gun control laws.
"It is hard to not believe that the adults of America are not failing the children of America by not doing more to prevent guns from getting into the hands of the mentally ill and those who are violent and would carry out such a horrific act,” Tapper said. [At the time of publication, it remains unknown how the killer obtained his weapon.]
ABC's White House correspondent Cecilia Vega suggested President Trump was to blame for not taking action after the Vegas shooting. "After that church shooting in Texas, President Trump said it would be a little too soon to talk about gun laws. After the massacre in Las Vegas, he said, quote, ‘we will talk about gun laws as time goes on.'""There has not been a very serious public policy conversation about gun control here at this administration, in this White House," she continued. "The President tweeted today, 'no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.' We will see if this is the one that forces that policy conversation."
CNN's Chris Cuomo said America is the "scourge of the world" on guns.
"The president has that #MAGA, right, Make America Great Again," Cuomo said Thursday. "How can you now include this issue in part of that agenda. He's supposed to be a change agent, right? We are the scourge of the world when it comes to these. Nobody is worse than we are. How does that not make the MAGA agenda?”"