In the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, a number of news shows on ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS have allowed guests to misleadingly cite gun-friendly Texas's open carry and concealed carry laws to give the impression that El Paso Wal-Mart customers must have been well-armed when they were attacked, thus undermining arguments in favor of allowing customers to bring guns with them.
But these accounts ignore the fact that, in recent years, Wal-Marts In Texas have been criticized for limiting guns to permit holders, requiring even concealed carry holders to keep weapons in the open, and requiring its managers to confront all gun owners and demand to see their permits to avoid risking its liquor license, possibly putting significant numbers of gun-owning customers off from bringing their weapons.
Additionally, since the gunman's manifesto talks about trying to find a relatively defenseless target to attack, he might have been attracted by the total gun ban imposed by the Cielo Vista mall next door that was reportedly only a couple of minutes walk from Wal-Mart.
Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro brought up Texas's open carry and concealed carry laws without challenge in several appearances on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and NBC.
Additionally, CNN analyst Juliette Kayytem, MSNBC's Jim Cavanaugh, and MSNBC's Cal Perry portrayed the state's open carry law as a problem that would hinder El Paso police as they responded.
Cavanaugh even bizarrely claimed that before the widespread adoption of open carry laws, it was commonplace for potential gunmen carrying rifles to be intercepted by police before they could even make it across the parking lot to attack targets like restaurants as he blamed open carry for making potential victims wait until they are attacked before calling police.
