Second Amendment foe Alex Wagner on Monday predictably attempted to use the tragic shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. to push for gun control. Reporter Pete Williams, appearing on MSNBC to simply offer facts on the unfolding situation, completely dismissed the left-wing question from Wagner.
The Now host noted that Barack Obama referred to the attack as another "mass shooting." Wagner hopefully suggested that comment "presages the White House taking up the issue again, perhaps, the issue of gun violence and gun safety reform." She continued, "We don't know that many details about the shooting but we are hearing that the gunman was armed with a long gun and an AR-15. Those have been weapons of choice in other mass shootings in America." The anchor lectured, "...It's worth noting the U.S. has had on average one mass shootings every month since the year 2009." [MP3 audio here [1].]
Williams wanted no part of this line of discussion and ignored Wagner: "Well, I'll leave that to the political folks on what the White House next steps might be." With no hesitation, he pivoted back to actual news about the shooting.
Wagner has not been coy about her belief that a school shooting shouldn't be wasted. On February 28, 2012 [2], the host pushed:
In countless schoolrooms across the country, the only protection against gun violence is, in the end, the law. And yet, in the very same states that have seen the country's grisliest gun crimes -- Colorado, Virginia and Ohio -- state legislators have remarkably tried to weaken gun control, making it easier to carry concealed weapons, purchase multiple firearms, or eliminate background checks.
Of course, guns don't kill, people do. But then again, when children are reliant on the state to ensure their safety, those in power must do everything to keep them out of harm's way. Standing up to the vocal, but certainly not all-powerful gun lobby, would be a very good place to start.
On November 14, 2011 [3], she bluntly lobbied, "Get rid of the Second Amendment."
A transcript of the September 16 Now exchange is below:
12:47
ALEX WAGNER: I want to turn to NBC's Pete Williams. Pete, we know – we've been saying fluid situation. We'll continue to say it. The President making his remarks about the shooting at the Naval Yard at the top of his address on the American economy. I guess I wonder what you thought about his notation, if you will, that this is not the first time we've seen a mass shooting. It sorta, perhaps, presages the White House taking up the issue again, perhaps, the issue of gun violence and gun safety reform. Um, we don't know that many details about the shooting but we are hearing that the gunman was armed with a long gun and an AR-15. Those have been weapons of choice in other mass shootings in America and it's worth noting the U.S. has had on average one mass shootings every month since the year 2009.
PETE WILLIAMS: Well, I'll leave that to the political folks on what the White House next steps might be. But back to the report of the D.C. police chief that there may be other shooters that they are actively searching for. We have a bit of new information about that, about why she said that...