Very first, tentative thoughts on the CNN Broward County town hall

Per my post about it yesterday, I genuinely and fervently prayed that this event would be constructive, open people's eyes and hearts, soften the lines of demarcation between the various camps.

So much for that.

Five years ago, we started to get alarmed that every day on US college and university campuses, the atmosphere resembled Columbia University in the spring of 1968. University of Missouri, Dartmouth, Yale. Really, one could see the way being paved even earlier. Conservative speakers were ducking thrown pies during the Bush 43 years.

Now it's filtered down to the high-school level.

Here's what Dana Loesch had to face while attempting to make her case:

Here’s her question in full:

Alright. Dana Loesch, I want to know that we will support your two children in the way that we will not — you will not. The shooter at our school obtained weapons that he used on us legally. Do you believe that it should be harder to obtain the semi-automatic and weapons — weapons, and the modifications for these weapons to make them fully automatic like bump stocks?

Showing true class, Loesch ignored Gonzalez’s smear and instead turned the other cheek by complimenting her “for standing up and speaking out.” She also firmly denounced the well-known conspiracy theories and attacks on the students (ex. Gateway Pundit) because “I don't think that anyone should deny you your voice or deny you your position because you are young.”

Loesch was booed seconds later, but — nevertheless, she persisted. 

“Now, I want to answer your question and I want to be allowed the opportunity, which is why I am here, to talk and have this discussion with you all and answer these questions. This is why I came down here. I don't believe that this insane monster should have ever been able to obtain a firearm. Ever. I do not think that he should have gotten his hands on any kind of weapon,” Loesch continued.

She added that, on behalf of the NRA, its millions of members do not believe that the gunman or anyone who was “crazy” should be able to purchase a gun.
She added that she was “fighting for my kids” and “all of you because I don't want anyone to ever be in this position again” and, to the rising boos, she correctly emphasized that it’s “not federally required for states to actually report people who are prohibited possessors, crazy people, people who are murderers” to the NICS database.

After enduring a slew of new jeers, Loesch told the NHL arena crowd to “let me answer the question”twice and “[y]ou can shout me down when I'm finished, but let me answer Emma's question.” It was here that someone shouted, “you’re a murderer” at the top of their lungs. Once again, Tapper did nothing to call out this behavior.

Loesch again showed class by not walking off stage but instead continuing to call out CNN for not covering this need to expand what’s reported to the NICS.
The “murderer” chants returned later in Loesch’s appearance while she was again attempting to seek common ground on background checks:

LOESCH: We had three lawmakers on this stage and only one of them hinted at reinforcing the background check system. It is only as good as the records submitted to it. Only one of them even got anywhere close to mentioning that. We have to have more than 38 states submit records. That's number one. 

HECKLER #1: Murderer! 

HECKLER #2: You’re a murderer!

HECKLER #3: Murderer!

LOESCH: Number two, we have to develop better protocol to follow up on red flags. This individual — this monster carrying bullets to school, carrying knifes to school, assaulting students, assaulting his parents, 39 visits in the past year. That should never have been allowed to get that far[.]

I still stand by what I said about Dinesh D'Souza's tweets. They were disqualifyingly insensitive. Their message was not even. close to being the main point at the time.

But now these kids have had the opportunity to participate in the great cultural conversation about a phenomenon that put them in genuine danger. And they handled it abysmally.

Fifty short years ago, a dean would have been on hand to yank those hecklers out of their seats by the shirt collars and scream to them, "Where did you get the idea that that is appropriate?"

Ordered liberty is the essence of the American experiment. If the "ordered" part is beyond shoring up, we're all in the kind of danger the little blank slates short on historical perspective but long on feelings at Stoneman Douglas High School were in the day the bullets were flying.

As I say, these are my initial, tentative thoughts. The above-excerpted account is all I've read so far this morning. But I wanted to weigh in before I exposed myself to a bunch of filtered lenses.

It is so very late in the day.