After the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly a year ago, the anti-gunners were quick to get on their soap boxes and blame the gun. And why not? Even the sheriff whose office was responsible for the public safety said it happened because we need more gun control.
Rewind. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel blamed lack of gun control. So it must be true, right?
Of course, we knew better from the get-go, but the exhaustive study about the shooting now bears us out. Not only that, but even the Florida Sentinel has come around to see the case for what it is, and the paper’s editorial board now admits that incompetence at the sheriff’s office was the largest contributor that allowed the accused gunman to walk into a building while heavily armed.
NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch made the point in the immediate aftermath of the shooting that law enforcement officials were called 39 times about the suspect, with threats to kill students being one of the concerns. And he had a history of assault—not just school brawls, mind you, but beating up one of his parents. And still, Israel sat idly by, saying the concerns were unfounded.
The findings were so strong that even Cameron Kasky—one of the students formerly involved in touring the country to call for gun control—has tweeted that Israel has got to go.
It’s about time. Too bad the sheriff and his lack of commitment to keeping his community safe stayed under the radar for so long.
