By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
ANALYSIS—While a columnist at USA Today on Tuesday hailed the heroic actions of an armed private citizen and off-duty Idaho state trooper to stop the mass shooting at the newly-opened In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, there has been silence as usual from the nation’s gun prohibition lobby, save for remarks of sympathy for the victims, and calls for more gun control.
USA Today’s Nicole Russell summed it up six paragraphs into her 892-word short essay by writing, “I believe in the Second Amendment, and I believe some gun laws are necessary. But I don’t believe more laws are the answer every time evil strikes. Often, the only thing that stops a crime in progress is the courage of men like these. In an era when moral and physical courage seems to be in short supply, we must recognize it when it appears.”
The column was headlined, “Idaho shooting proves we need more heroes, not gun laws.”
What America got from gun control groups was something different. A survey of headlines, social media and websites produced the following:
From the Giffords Facebook page:
“Multiple people were killed and at least two others were injured earlier today in yet another senseless mass shooting, this time at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho.
“America’s gun violence crisis is out of control. We need immediate action now.”
From Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America’s Facebook page:
“At least three people were killed and two were wounded after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out yesterday in Twin Falls, Idaho — sending scores of people from the nearby shopping center into chaos. The CEO of In-N-Out confirmed that an employee was among the victims.
“We should be able to enjoy a meal, or go to work, without fearing for our lives. Our hearts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire Twin Falls community as they grapple with this horrific act of gun violence.”
From the Alliance for Gun Responsibility:
No comment at all, while this group was still exploiting the deadly shooting at the Seattle Center’s “Bite of Seattle”
From Brady United Against Gun Violence:
No comment.
From the Alliance to End Gun Violence Facebook page:
“Our hearts are with everyone in #TwinFalls following the recent tragedy
“We will work to share resources to help the community soon.”
All interesting comments from organizations which criticize politicians and Second Amendment groups for extending prayers and sympathy to violent crime victims.
In a statement earlier this week, Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Washington State-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms stated bluntly, “As in the past, the gun prohibition crowd is nowhere to be seen or heard. The fact that (Jordan) Salinas had a silencer on his pistol further demonstrates that good people can own modern handguns and sound suppressors, with which they can accomplish good things.”
Armed Private Citizens
Idaho is one of 29 states where no permit is necessary to carry a firearm, and a lot of Gem State residents do, on a daily basis.
The most recent World Population Review report on gun ownership in the U.S. shows that Idaho ranks fourth behind Montana (66.3%), Wyoming (66.2%) and Alaska (64.5%). According to the report, 60.1 percent of Idahoans own guns. That percentage may be growing, considering anecdotal reports from neighboring Oregon and Washington about gun owners fleeing those states and moving into Idaho to escape the increasingly restrictive gun laws and taxes.
The media’s penchant to identify armed citizens as “civilians” to somehow differentiate them from police—otherwise known as “civilian law enforcement” since they are not part of the military—wears thin quickly among gun owners. The off-duty, and as yet unidentified, state trooper who also engaged the Twin Falls killer was, for all intents, another armed citizen, since he was not in uniform.
Armed citizens have been intervening in emergency situations for many years, and unless it’s a high-profile incident such as unfolded at Twin Falls, media reports frequently, and quickly, erase their involvement.
Writing at the Las Vegas Review Journal, Victor Joecks observes, “It’s possible to stop mass shooters, but not if the gun grabbers get their way.”
His article is headlined, “How gun control advocates help mass shooters.” There is a paywall preventing further reading, but his point is made in the opening sentence. Anti-gunners don’t like armed citizens shooting back at mass shooters. It conflicts with their narrative, which many in the Second Amendment community believe is why the gun ban groups pretend there is no such thing as armed intervention.
Russell, in her USA Today column, explains, “In Idaho, most adults can legally possess a firearm and carry a concealed handgun without a permit, which is exactly what gave Salinas the freedom to be prepared…
“Politicians typically react to shootings with calls for more gun laws, and that was the response of many after Uvalde. But strict gun control hasn’t stopped high gun crime rates in states like Illinois and California.
“And strict laws leave law-abiding citizens with little or no ability to protect themselves if a shooting unfolds while they’re eating a burger.”
But it is Russell’s closing sentence which sums up the aftermath of such incidents as the Twin Falls confrontation as she discusses the heroism of Salinas and the off-duty trooper, and explains without spelling it out, why the gun prohibition lobby is out of touch:
“America still has such men and women. We need more of them. And we must recognize extraordinary valor when we see it.”
