A Tragic Example of Ignorance

It certainly did not take long for me to get “plugged back in” to blogging. Less than two short days into the New Year, I am already fulfilling my New Year’s resolution. It was not coverage of the passing of former President Ford or the apparent back-tracking on “bipartisanship” promised by Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Democrats that got my ire up, however. It was something I heard on ESPN’s debate program Pardon the Interruption that made me shake my head in disbelief.

The topic was the tragic (and obviously senseless) murder of Denver Bronco defensive back Darrent Williams. As the segment began with the somber acknowledgement of his death, co-host Tony Kornheiser admitted upfront he knew little about the crime and little about Williams the man, thus setting the stage for the rest of his entirely ignorant comments. His sentiments were those of outrage that there are so many guns and so many people in America who can get them [I paraphrase].

Typical liberal speak and another not so veiled attempt to advance an antigun agenda by someone whom I think brings little to the table. (In my opinion, he was a terrible addition to Monday Night Football. Dennis Miller, for example, was much funnier and way more thought provoking.)

I, too, must say that I know little of the crime other than the small amount already reported. I know even less about Darrent Williams, other than what has been said about him since his passing. And I find it a tragedy of epic proportions that a man that is spoken of so highly was taken from this world at the hands of a criminal. However, I will not take the “too many guns” stance. Mr. Kornheiser shows his ignorance of firearms, firearms laws, the U.S. Constitution, and the ugly reality of crime in America. To blame the gun and not the perpetrator (now criminal) is the typical knee jerk reaction that constantly takes place whenever there is a tragic, high profile murderous shooting in America (but aren’t they all tragic?).

Guns are tools. They are tools that serve an unsavory purpose when in the wrong hands. I cannot disagree that in this case a gun was in the wrong hands. However, there are millions of law-abiding gun owners in America. Owning a firearm (unless legally prohibited from doing so for a specific reason) is a Constitutional (and individual) right. That is a debate for another day, though. But for a man like Mr. Kornheiser to have that, and only that, to say about this tragedy is ridiculous. I will go out on a similar limb to the one Mr. Kornheiser went out on; I am assuming that he does not like guns, is anti-gun in his political views (and likely very liberal), and I am certain he knows little about guns. To assume that he has rarely, if ever, fired a gun is probably a near certainty. But he quickly demonizes the firearm and not the criminal who pursued his victims, drew the gun, aimed it, and fired it, in this case very much at random into the vehicle Mr. Williams was in. I would think that any reasonable person might want justice against the perpetrator. But Mr. Kornheiser took the time to admit his ignorance of the event at hand and then took the time to demonize firearms. Again, a classic example of knee jerk reactionary thinking…convenient, but hardly intellectually honest.

I am a shooting enthusiast. I have never fired a gun to kill anyone, yet I understand the violent nature of the world we live in and I am honest in the admission that I would defend myself if my life were in danger. Does that make me a bad person or a criminal? I think not. Does everyone have to hold the same beliefs as me? Certainly, no. But until Mr. Kornheiser can find it in his heart to condemn criminals and support harsh penalties for those criminals, he should not immediately lash out at guns. My guess is, when the facts are in, it will be discovered that the perpetrator likely did not have a legal right to possess a gun due to prior criminal history or the like. That in and of itself is a crime and is a shining example of a law broken, yet a crime unpunished. But until the facts are in, the perpetrator is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Perhaps Mr. Kornheiser could extend that same presumption to “people with guns” in America. If he’d like to educate himself on firearms so as to never again appear so ignorant, I’ll even take him to the range one day so that he might learn about guns in the proper context. Anyone think he’d show up?