Daily Beast: Debate Moderator Should Grill Mike Pence on Indiana Murders

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

In the run-up to Tuesday night’s Vice Presidential debate, The Daily Beast is suggesting VP candidate Mike Pence should be grilled on Indiana murders.

This suggestion is a reaction to Donald Trump’s decision to point out the “almost 4,000” people been killed in Chicago during President Obama’s two terms.

While The Daily Beast seizes on gun crime in Indianapolis, they compare murder rates – rather than actual number of murders – to make their argument on gun violence even slightly analogous to Chicago. Moreover, they use numbers from last year, where Chicago homicides were far lower than they have been in 2016, to make their case.

In other words, instead of comparing Indianapolis’ 144 murders in 2015 to Chicago’s 468, The Daily Beast compares the cities’ 2015 murder rates: 16.9 per 100,000 in Indianapolis, 16.7 per 100,000 in Chicago. Again, however, this completely ignores the fact that there have been 564 murders in Chicago so far this year, according to the Chicago Tribune (and it is only October 4).

Nevertheless, The Daily Beast contends that Pence ought to be called out for signing a bill that allows concealed carry permit holders to keep guns in their cars in school parking lots for self-defense and also “for arranging for the National Rifle Association to train the Indiana National Guard in carrying concealed weapons.”

The Daily Beast is also critical of Pence’s actions which “legalized sawed-off shotguns,” but they fail to note that his actions simply brought Indiana into line with federal law: that people who wish to own a sawed-off shotgun have to go through an extensive background check–including photographs and fingerprints–and have to pay $200 for a federal tax stamp.

While calling for Pence to be grilled on Indiana gun violence, The Daily Beast inexplicably points out that Gary, Indiana used to be “known as the murder capital of America.” That changed on Pence’s watch and even The Daily Beast admits one cause behind the drop in homicides is that “criminals [in Gary] have joined the exodus for better opportunities elsewhere.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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