Why is it when a mass shooting occurs outside the US, it drops off the media quickly? Because it does not fit the template?
Thankfully we are not relying on CBS to tell us “That’s the way it is” anymore. The late Rush Limbaugh made several lucent points about the American media in his years as a commentator. They don’t like being challenged on their integrity, particularly when they lie about being “nonpartisan.” I laugh when anyone considers calls themselves “nonpartisan.”
We all have our biases and beliefs, and they affect how we view things. The media is an entity that supports the left over 90% in this country. But that is not bias? Please. They would be taken more seriousely if they admitted what they are and tried to be, to coin a phrase, “balanced and fair.”
One reason the major media hate the “new” media (talk radio, Internet, blogs, etc.) is they can’t stand competition. They like controlling the narrative, especially being able to stop certain issues from seeing the light of day. Until the early 2000s they had a good hold on information. They would tell us what we needed to worry ab out. Not anymore.
I thought of that as I was reading the Houston Chronicle a few days before Christmas and found this interesting. A mass shooting outside of the United States.
Police seeking a motive as Prague mourns victims of worst shooting
PRAGUE — Czech police investigated Friday why a student went on a dayslong violent rampage culminating in a shooting at the university he attended in Prague that left 14 dead and dozens wounded (Note, the total was later updated to 17).
Investigators believe the gunman in the mass shooting Thursday in a philosophy department building at Charles University also killed his own father earlier in the day, and another man and a baby last week…
The Czech government declared Saturday a national day of mourning.
Petr Matejcek, the director of the police regional headquarters in Prague, said the gunman, whose name has not been released, killed himself on the balcony of the university building as officers closed in. Police have not released the gunman’s name, but said they believe he was Czech…
I’ve looked for follow up on this report since then, and I’ve found little, especially in the US media. I did find a MSN report from 12/29/23 updating the incident, but for the most part it fell off the radar scope. Now this is a significant loss of life by “gun violence,” yet no one in the headquarters of the NY Times, ABC/NBC etc. wants to talk about it. Why?
Because it’s the rule that disproves the exception. Americans are not the only people who have mass shootings, and they happen in countries where firearms are heavily regulated, no even banned (e.g. South Korea).
According to major media, every gun owner in the US is a nutcase ready to go into a school or grocery store wanting to murder dozens for no reason. Too many times I’ve argued with people when a mass shooting occurs, or after an accidental shooting (paging Alex Baldwin), the gun is not at fault. It’s the human handing the firearm. The gun is an instrument. We don’t sue auto makers for the carnage that drunk drivers cause (I know that’s being worked on, but it’s another post for another day), so why do some think Remington Arms should be held accountable for a stolen pistol used in a robbery?
I look at that shooting and I remember after any major shooting in the US, there is the calls for “common sense gun regulations,” excuse, “reforms,” that will keep us all safe. They never explain how restricting law-abiding citizens access to guns will stop criminals from committing crimes. But I find a few things interesting. As I write this, there are 17 dead in Prague, which would make it the 29th largest mass shooting in history (tied with Dunblane Scotland 1996, Erfurt Germany 2002, and Stoneman Douglas High School Parkland FL 2018). Looking at the data further, of the top ten mass shootings in history, eight are outside the USA, where this never happens. (Vegas is #6, the Pulse Nightclub is #9). Of the top 30, nine are in the US. But let’s look further.
The Czech Republic has every “common sense gun regulation” that the left wants in America. You must apply for a license to own a gun, with training including an exam required. You must pass a physical and mental exam to purchase a weapon, and have safe storage for weapons at home. That should handle the problem, right?
Not really. These regulations did not stop the 2015 Uherský Brod shooting (9 dead) or the 2019 Ostrava hospital attack (8 dead).These requirements did not stop this shooter from getting his firearms license and his AR-10.
What is coming to light is he was disturbed and had fantasies of “being a maniac” If the gun didn’t have a “disturbed” owner with fantasies of being a maniac, would we be discussing this today?
No, but back to the original point. If someone has gone on a mass shooting in the US four days before Christmas, does anyone think this would not be the only issue talked about during the holiday season? No. They would prop up Joe Biden and put a Teleprompter up to read a few safe lines for all the Sunday shows, the White House spokes idiot would stage how this requires another major effort of the Congress to regulate law abiding citizen’s access to firearms.
But as this shooting doesn’t fit the template (only the US has mass shootings because we don’t forbid/regulate law abiding citizens access to firearms), the story has dropped. Thankfully, there is an option that allow facts to get out, without the filter of liberal reporters and editors on the east coast.
The worldview from the left is the more restrictions on our rights, the safer we will all be. But every person who commits a mass murder proves how they can get weapons when they want to, even in countries where private ownership is practically illegal.
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
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