The Daily Wire on Monday took a scathing verbal swipe at anti-gunners who rushed to exploit the Sunday shooting at a gamer gathering in Jacksonville, Fla., asserting that they use such incidents to advance their political agenda before all the facts come out.
“Predictably,” the Daily Wire observed, “pro-gun control politicians and activists instantly politicized the shooting before any details were confirmed by law enforcement officials because it is often in that window of time — when the facts are unknown — that gun control advocates are able to advance their agenda the furthest.”
That premise was explored in a book titled “Dancing in Blood: Exposing the Gun Ban Lobby’s Playbook to Destroy Your Rights,” co-authored by gun rights advocate Alan Gottlieb.
The shooting, which left two people dead and others injured by alleged gunman David Katz, 24 – who then took his own life – happened just two days before Tuesday’s primary. CBS News noted that the gubernatorial race could be influenced by the incident.
The deadly shooting raises issues about gun control and how it once again failed to prevent a tragedy.
According to published reports, Katz had some serious mental issues – a fact that seems to be fairly common among mass or would-be mass shooters – and he had been hospitalized twice. Still, Katz was reportedly able to purchase two handguns legally in Maryland, a state with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country. All of this was detailed in a Seattle P-I.com story. But did he really purchase the guns “legally,” that is, did he lie on the Federal Form 4473 about his mental health history? The 4473 asks (Question 11.f) “Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?” Is being hospitalized the same as being committed to an institution?
The shooting occurred 48 hours before the Tuesday gubernatorial primary in Florida and CBS News, which said gun control has become a “key issue” for voters in that state. Floridians still are coping with the mass shooting in February at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
There are reports that the mall where the shooting occurred is a so-called “gun free zone” but it appears Katz was in violation of more serious laws, such as carrying concealed without a license.
There is also a law against homicide in Florida. That didn’t prevent the shooting, either.
Many people have speculated about the reason behind the shooting, but so far there is no definitive motive. Because the killer killed himself, authorities may never now.
