In case you have watched no television whatsoever, there's been a shooting down in Alabama [2]. Specifically, a nut gets upset and goes on a spree and kills at least ten people. Truly awful to be sure. But after seeing so much wall-to-wall coverage of the tragedy, you have to begin to wonder how long it will be before the gun control crowd tries to capitalize on the pain of others and turn it into political leverage.
An Alabama [3] man with an assault weapon burned down his mother's house around her, shot his grandparents, aunt and uncle dead, then killed five other people Tuesday before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
Coffee County [4] coroner Robert Preachers [5] identified the shooter as Michael McLendon [6] and said he was in his 30s. It was unclear if the mother, Lisa McClendon [7], who died, had been shot.
Authorities gave no motive for the rampage that claimed victims in several homes in the small towns of Kinston, Samson and Geneva [8] and along the highway connecting them. Two of the dead were a sheriff deputy's wife and 3-month-old child.
You can be sure that there will be calls for a renewal of the old "assault" weapons ban, which Democrats have recently shied away from [9]...as they're skittish about looking weak on the gun issue again, given that their newly enlarged majority is due (at least in part) to moderate, pro-gun Democrats [10] elected in conservative, pro-gun districts and states.
The Obama administration favors bringing back the ban [11] however. A position that's sure to get more ink in the coming week. (In the meantime, gun sales are going through the roof [12]) Even before this incident, the media was already trying to give the administration some cover [13] by blaming our lack of such a ban for drug related violence in Mexico.
It will be entertaining to watch the Democrat leadership squirm.
The term "assault" applied to "weapon" has really always amused me. Aren't all weapons "assault" weapons? It's really more of an oxymoron employed by the gun control crowd as a PR "weapon". Remember, this is the same crowd that tried to have automatic shotguns defined as an "assault" weapon.
Get ready to hear the term ad nauseum.
The only psudo-silver lining in an awful tragedy like this is that the killer killed himself and spared society from having to feed, clothe and house him for the rest of his life, (or until the state managed to execute him...which seems to take just about as long).
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