'Gunsplaining' and conspiracy theories: how rightwing pundits saw the Las Vegas shooting

[billh58]

-Snip-

When a massacre happens, rightwing pundits have work to do: they need to convince any waverers that easy access to semi-automatic weapons has nothing to do with mass-casualty shootings. They also need Republican legislators to remain aware that any moves to restrict access to guns will ruin their career.

Accordingly, rightwing pundits have evolved a series of standard responses to mass murder. Today we’ll look at five of them, all of which have been in evidence this week.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/05/las-vegas-mass-shooting-rightwing-pundits

A synopsis of the "standard" responses by right-wing NRA/ILA/GOA apologists:

1. The conspiracy theory

Conspiracy theory is now an ingrained response to mass shootings. If it was once a marginal pursuit, the “alt-right” surge and the election of a president who is himself an inveterate conspiracy theorist mean that these beliefs have a large audience and a new quasi-legitimacy.

As you would expect from highly influential radio show host Alex Jones, his website and radio show are canvassing the full gamut of conspiracy theories about the event. So far, Jones and his reporters have put forth a number of theories: that the shooter was targeting conservatives; that he was connected to Islamic extremism; that he was in league with anti-fascists.

2. Gunsplaining

Fussing over definitions and technical aspects of semi-automatic weapons is a good way to avoid questions about why civilians have them.

3. The double down

Some pundits calculate that the best form of defence is all-out attack. If events put trusty arguments in question, they figure, you can just reassert them at a higher volume.

In the first paragraph of Conrad Black’s latest ramble for National Review, he offers a potted version of what rightwing pundits say after every massacre: gun control won’t work, it’s politically impossible, and anyway it’s a local matter.

4. Deny, distract, delay

If all else fails, rightwing commentators can simply try to derail the entire conversation in the hope that eventually the news cycle will move on.

There are other right-wing "talking points," but you get the idea. The right-wing, Libertarian, Second Amendment absolutists and NRA/ILA/GOA apologists have no intention of ever addressing the gun violence epidemic in this country, and will go to great lengths and spend billions of dollars to counter common sense measures to solve the gun problem.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. And there is an influx of them after each shooting here at DU, they come here

for a specific reason, it is their job of course.

Hard to keep track, we have NRA agents who do that here and elsewhere, KGB or FSB agents who do similar, here and elsewhere.

Now the KGB agents who sign up here and post, who are posting here today in the obvious threads, usually dont get involved with guns on one side, they do the guns thing also but they do both sides, sow discontent.

[billh58]

4. The right-wing gun lobby

has been represented on DU for a long time, all the while protesting that they are "moderate" Democrats who are only upholding the Constitution.

The fact of the matter is that there is absolutely nothing in the Constitution or any of its Amendments which prohibits the sensible regulation of potentially dangerous activity, behavior, substances, or items.

[BigmanPigman]

6. I don't even stay in a discussion with them.

It is too fucking frustrating and they go on and on about BS with the 2nd amend and how one little semi automatic gun doesn't do any harm, blah, blah, blah.

[hibbing]

2. #2 is particularly annoying

I saw a post somewhere to the effect of, thank God my child wasn't killed by an assault rifle after someone gunsplained to them that the AR does not stand for assault rifle.


Peace

[enough]

3. Great article.

One more snip from the article >

HEARTLAND WHISPERING

This is a tactic often deployed by the higher-toned rightwing commentators, where it is solemnly explained that the left’s hopeless confinement to coastal enclaves means they don’t really know what’s at stake in real America. Any criticism of guns thereby becomes an attack on the communities where guns are owned.

A past master of this tactic is National Review’s David French. On Wednesday, he made the argument that, despite the NRA’s organizing and funding opposition to gun control, gun laws remain as they are because of the heartland’s adherence to American values.

End snip>

[Hoyt]

5. +100000. A bunch of white wing gun sites are saying most of shootings are by Democrats/liberals.

[billh58]

7. Sure they are...

Right after they finish bottling up the moonshine, and frying some roadkill for supper in the double-wide. Liberals are so predictable.

[ffr]

8. Yeehaw! Doesn't have ta have a brane to chute a gun.