Firing Back: Bloomberg Out to End Gun Shows

This week marks a sad anniversary: notably it has been 11 years since the Columbine High School massacre. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” are trying to launch a full-scale assault on gun shows, including closing the “gun show loophole.”

There are a few problems with this, and for a matter of full disclosure this reporter had a cousin who was shot and wounded on that April day 11 years ago. But to tie Columbine to gun shows is unfair. First, there is little evidence that the shooters in this tragic event ever attended gun shows.

Columbine has been used far too often. It has been targeted by those who oppose video games – because the shooters allegedly played games such as Doom; it has been targeted by those who oppose certain types of music – because the shooters allegedly listened to that type of music; and of course movies and TVs were called into question – because the shooters watched video movies and TV shows. The two shooters also quoted from Shakespeare and spoke German – but even with potential “Nazi” obsessions no one is questioning teaching German in America, and there is no question that Shakespeare could be considered dangerous speech.

 And yet gun shows, which the shooters may not have attended is what Bloomberg goes after while evoking a tragic event in American history.