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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Setting the Record Straight: Adam Lanza Did use the Bushmaster AR-15

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  December 27th, 2012 at 08:12 PM  | 

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The media did a horrible job getting its facts and figures straight during and after the tragedy in Connecticut. Gun control advocates have seized on a lot of information and ignored a lot of information in an effort to push their agenda.

But I’m seeing gun rights supporters do the same. Most troubling, over the past week on radio filling in for Neal Boortz I’ve heard from dozens of callers, tweeters, Facebook friends, and email correspondents assuring me that Adam Lanza never used the AR-15 in his possession. Most people linked to a video purportedly showing the police retrieving the AR-15 from Adam Lanza’s car after the incident.

I don’t blame these people for getting the facts wrong. The media caused a lot of the misinformation in their rush to cover the story. But as the nation begins to set policy (or not) based on this random act of violence, we should all have our facts straight.

The fact is, Adam Lanza used a handgun to take his own life, but he relied on the Bushmaster AR-15 to kill most of the victims. He did use that gun. You don’t have to believe me. Believe Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance:

The primary weapon used in the attack was a “Bushmaster AR-15 assault-type weapon,” said Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance.

Let’s keep to the facts, not the grainy videos on YouTube purporting to show what is not true.

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  • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

    I am with you 100% on this, Erick. During the early reporting of this incident, I heard no fewer than five separate “journalists” report that the bushmaster never left the trunk of his mother’s car until the police retrieved it, yet we know now that that was not the case. Until we can cure the lazy stream media of their blathering of misinformation, no one will ever have his/her facts straight, because the “journalists” can’t get their facts straight.

  • DerKrieger

    To me it’s not a relevant fact. But unlike your average Liberal I’m not driven by emotion. Lanza’s use or not of an AR in no way should impact my right to own one, attention Dianne Feinstein!, and I sure as heck would never register myself as an owner of one with the ATF should something so draconian actually become law.

    Unless Lanza somehow got hold of an actual fully automatic rifle then WHAT he used shouldn’t be much of a factor in his evil. As we all know the Left is just using this incident to go after our guns. All of them.

  • rasspo

    They are ridiculous Erick. MSM also claimed that it was only a minor incident at first, that there were two shooters, that the shooter was Ryan Lanza, that Nancy was killed at the school, that she worked at the school… I am so sick and tired of them, they are so eager to blame anything and everything but themselves. Anyone who has time should watch this clip, starting at 1:43 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezlFNTGWv4).

    Instead of asking others to act different why doesn’t the MSM start with itself. I have some suggestions:
    Stop plastering the picture and name of the shooter everywhere after the incident.
    Stop interviewing his friends and relatives. I don’t care what he was like in high school. I don’t care that he was bullied or goth or a loner or lived a ‘sad’ life.
    Stop analyzing the attack like it was some football play. Stop putting out timelines and ‘indepth analysis’.
    Stop analyzing the killer and his motive. There is none. This isn’t a jealous lover killing his ex, or a shooting during a robbery or revenge or greed. There is no motive, period.
    Stop glorifying the event and please stop glorifying the killer.

    These people are no different than the nuts who jump of famous building or bridges. They want attention, they want to be a victim and have as many people as possible focus on their death and ask ‘why’. Why did he do this? Unfortunately the MSM is more than happy to oblige. If we want to reduce the frequency of these horrific events in the future then let’s start by taking away some of the incentive. Lets start by having a self-imposed media blackout on all details relating to the killer.

  • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

    Unfortunately, we are a society of voyeurs, each of whom thinks he’s Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Jessica Fletcher all rolled into one. The media makes money by feeding that voyeurism, and sandwiching it between commercials for Cialis and Flomax.

    The best thing that we can do as consumers of their product (news), is to turn off the television or switch to another channel when they start their “analysis” (and there is a reason that the first four letters of analysis are A-N-A-L).

  • retiredcoach

    It is heartwarming to see so many people trying to support the families in Newtown. But,I must say that most of the gifts,candles,flowers and wreaths are all simply- “symbolism over substance”.

    The tragedy has happened. It was horrific! Now look for and deal with the reasons!

    Evil is out roaming all around us. Much of it is found in the culture of- “Do your own thing”, “If it feels good do it”or “There are no absolutes”

    The movies of Hollywood,violent video games,criminal entertainment TV,and yes,rap music- available for the youngest to watch and experience-all contribute mightily to the culture of immorality and acceptance of criminal acts! Then we have those in the shadows that slink around on their own,un-noticed,or at least they are endured in their odd sick mentalities!

    Finally we try to blame the weapon (of which there are millions) and rarely take a hard look at the person’s behavior and attitudes about right and wrong and good and evil!

    There are ABSOLUTES and good and right morals! They are based on a loving God who created this universe and set down the laws for proper living in a civilized society! When people know that there is punishment for evil and immoral acts- they make the effort to resist those acts. If they have no standard values and beliefs in a God who will punish those acts-we have horrific criminal tragedies!

    The first actions that families,members of the community, and the general public engendered were to seek God’s comfort and solace with their prayers. Would that more of them had been asking for God’s support,guidance and direction and lived His values in their everyday lives.