Beginning August 26–the very day that WDBJ reporter Alison Parker was gunned down–her father, Andy Parker, made clear that he is dedicating himself to gun control and that he is sick of “coward” politicians who do not support more gun laws.
In just over four days he has gone from pushing to close so-called loopholes in background checks, to supporting the expansion of background checks, to supporting more regulations on gun show sales, to supporting the implementation of “gun violence restraining” orders throughout the country. Regarding the latter, he admits that gun violence restraining orders wouldn’t have saved his daughter’s life, but he is determined to push them anyway.
The push began on August 26 when Fox News’ Megyn Kelly gave Andy carte blanche to set forth his gun control desires. During the airing of The Kelly File, Kelly asked Parker to share his “message” and he said:
I’m not going to let this issue drop. We’ve got to do something about crazy people getting guns. And, you know, and the problem that you guys have is that — and I know it’s the news business and this is a big story. But next week it isn’t going to be a story anymore and everybody is going to forget it. But you mark my words, my mission in life — and I talked to the governor today. He called me and he said — and I told him, I said, I’m going to do something, whatever it takes, to get gun legislation to shame people, to shame legislators into doing something about closing loopholes in background checks and making sure crazy people don’t get guns.
Yet as Breitbart News previously reported, there are no “loopholes” in the background check system. Although Flanagan was admittedly angry and churning inside, there were no legal grounds on which to deny him a gun purchase. No one has come forward to show that he had a criminal record or had been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation or involuntary mental health treatment, so no criteria exists to deny him a gun purchase.
On August 27 he said he was willing to be the John Walsh of gun control–the very face of gun control in the same way that Walsh is the face of law enforcement’s efforts to catch America’s Most Wanted.
According to Huffington Post, Andy said:
If I have to be the John Walsh of gun control and — look, I’m for the Second Amendment, but there has to be a way to force politicians that are cowards and in the pockets of the NRA to come to grips and make sense — have sensible laws so that crazy people can’t get guns. It can’t be that hard.
Throughout August 27 and into the 28th Andy’s pledge for gun control expanded to include background checks on all purchases at gun shows.
Yet the impotency of gun control measures like background checks is demonstrable. For example, Vester Lee Flanagan–the man who shot Alison Parker–passed a background check for the Glock 19 he used in the attack.
Think about this list of attackers and alleged attackers, all of whom passed a background check for their guns–John Russell Houser (Lafayette), Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez (Chattanooga), Dylann Roof (Charleston), Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi (Garland), Jared and Amanda Miller (Las Vegas), Elliot Rodger (Santa Barbara), Ivan Lopez (Fort Hood 2014), Darion Marcus Aguilar (Maryland mall), Karl Halverson Pierson (Arapahoe High School), Paul Ciancia (LAX), Andrew John Engeldinger (Minneapolis), Aaron Alexis (DC Navy Yard), Tennis Melvin Maynard (West Virginia), Wade Michael Page (Sikh Temple), James Holmes (Aurora theater), Jared Loughner (Tucson), Nidal Hasan (Fort Hood 2009), Jiverly Wong (Binghamton), Seung-Hui Cho (Virginia Tech), Naveed Haq (Seattle), and Mark Barton (Atlanta).
And attackers who did not go through background checks–men like Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook) and Jacob Roberts (Clackamas Town Center)–stole their guns, so no amount of gun control would have stopped them.
Yet Andy is pushing to expand background checks to cover more sales and is dedicated to “shame” opponents into going along with him.
Mediaite.com reports that by August 30 Andy was pushing “gun violence restraining orders.” He admitted that an order “wouldn’t have saved Alison,” comparing the law to a seat belt that you put on when drive, “but there’s no guarantee it’s going to save your life.” Yet he said “gun violence restraining orders” are “something, and that’s the next step that [he’s] trying to accomplish.”
According to the Huffington Post, Andy believes his gun control push could prove dangerous, thus he is getting a gun for protection. Andy said he cannot “take any chances.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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