This Just In ...
Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
Gun-free zones are deadly
As a supporter of conceal-carry laws, and as one who always gets frustrated when reporters fail to ask critical questions, I’m fascinated by the untold story of gun-free zones.
Columnist Vin Suprynowicz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has an excellent inquiry: How many more will die in 'gun-free' zones before the media start asking why?
He quotes gun rights supporter/author John Lott in a recent column:
"A Google news search using the phrase 'Omaha Mall Shooting' finds an incredible 2,794 news stories worldwide" in the first 24 hours alone. But ... none of the media coverage, at least by 10 a.m. (Dec. 6), mentioned this central fact: Yet another attack occurred in a gun-free zone. Surely, with all the reporters who appear at these crime scenes and seemingly interview virtually everyone there, why didn't one simply mention the signs that ban guns from the premises?
There are plenty of cases every year where permit holders stop what would have been multiple victim shootings, but they rarely receive any news coverage. When will part of the media coverage on these multiple-victim public shootings be whether guns were banned where the attack occurred?"
Suprynowicz offers this example of how armed citizens save lives:
“Shortly after midnight on Dec. 9, Matthew Murray, who had been rejected from a missionary school in Colorado, shot and killed two staffers there. Twelve hours later he drove to the parking lot of the related New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where about 7,000 people were present for the midday service, and opened fire in the parking lot, killing two young women.
Jeanne Assam, 42, a member of the congregation who used to work as a police officer, volunteers to guard the church.
Assam hid. She waited until Murray -- carrying a rifle, two pistols and a backpack with more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition -- entered the church. Then she "came out of cover, identified myself and took him down," she told a packed news conference Monday.
The coroner later reported the wounded assailant took his own life -- but not till Assam had blown him to the ground.”
Here’s Suprynowicz’s column.
Last month also saw brutal slayings inside a Colorado church prompting author/columnist Doug Giles to point out once again the folly of the concept of gun-free zones, even in places of worship:
“Given that young people are opting for murder verses sucking it up and getting a life, ministers had better morph PDQ from imitating Mr. Rogers to mimicking Clint Eastwood’s character in Pale Rider.
Which brings me to this question, pastor: Exactly what kind of armed arrangement do you have in place when Beavis shows up at your worship service ready to kill congregants because he couldn’t sing in the choir?
What’s the plan, man of God, when some Son of Sam commanded on high by his English-speaking black Labrador enters your comfy Community Church with his 9mm with ten loaded clips?
What are you going to do? Pray? Run? Cower behind the pulpit or under a pew waiting for the cops while the dillweed empties his clip into your crowd?”
Here’s Giles’ entire column.
Why don’t we just get rid of gun-free zones entirely?
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