The second portion of CNN’s town hall/mob promoting gun control on Wednesday night featured Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and, on cue, it was brutally hostile towards Loesch. Along with repeatedly being heckled by students and other attendees as a “murderer,” Stoneman Douglas student Emma Gonzalez questioned Loesch’s motherhood.
Loesch rarely could get a sentence out before being booed or heckled and only sparingly did moderator Jake Tapper call for civility or quiet. Gonzalez asked the first question to Loesch at 10:19 p.m. Eastern and began with a claim that, while well with Gonzalez’s First Amendment right, it was shameful and ugly.
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[.]
All told in the Loesch and Israel portion, there were six audience questions from the left, two from the center, and one from the right.
To see the relevant transcript from the CNN Town Hall on February 21, click “expand.”
CNN Town Hall: Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action
February 21, 2018
10:19 p.m. Eastern
EMMA GONZALEZ: 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?
DANA LOESCH: Well, first off, Emma, I want to applaud you for standing up and speaking out. And for anyone who has ever criticized you or any of these students up here, including people who have been on my side of this issue, I don't think that anyone should deny you your voice or deny you your position because you are young.
GONZALEZ: We want to thank you for that.
LOESCH: I was a very politically active teenager and I'm on this stage as a result of that. Think of how far you all could go as a result of voicing your beliefs. [CROWD HECKLES] Now, I want to answer your question [CROWD BOOS] 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. That's number one. This individual was nuts and I, nor the millions of people that I represent as a part of this organization that I'm here speaking for, none of us support people who are crazy, who are a danger to themselves, who are a danger to others getting their hands on a firearm. And we have been, for over 20 years, and I have been screaming about this, which is why I'm here, because I have kids and I'm not just fighting for my kids, I'm fighting for you. I'm fighting for you. I'm fighting for all of you because I don't want anyone to ever be in this position again. I want everyone to think about this for one second, and this goes right into your question. Do you know that it is not federally required for states to actually report people who are prohibited possessors, crazy people, people who are murderers? [CROWD HECKLES] No. We've been actually talking about that for a long time. [CROWD HECKLES] Let me answer the question. Let me answer the question. You can shout me down when I'm finished, but let me answer Emma's question.
STUDENT HECKLER: You’re a murderer.
LOESCH: It is not federal law for states to report convictions to the NICS system. It's not federally mandated. That's the big question and I wish that this network had also covered this more, as other media networks would have covered it. [CROWD BOOS] [CROWD HECKLES] That's a huge -- wait a second! Wait a second!
GONZALEZ: You guys, if I can't hear her statement, I can't come up with a rebuttal. Please.
LOESCH: Wait a second. Do you guys want to stop mentally insane individuals from getting firearms? [CROWD HECKLES] [CROWD BOOS] Yes? They have to be in the system, if they are convicted. You can convict them, you can adjudicate them mentally unfit. If a state does not report it to the National Crime Information Center, when you run that form, this individual passed — this madman passed a background check. How was he able to pass a background check? [CROWD HECKLES] He was able to pass a background check because we have a system that's flawed. [CROWD HECKLES] The Sutherland springs murderer was able to pass a background check because the Air Force did not report that record.
(....)
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 and I don't have the authority or the resources to follow up on that. If you want to give me the authority and resources, I'll follow up on those red flags. [CROWD HECKLES] But I don't have that authority to do so. This is why we have to start asking these questions. [TO TAPPER] I want to see your network ask these questions. I want to see these headlines in the media more. [CROWD HECKLES] We have to follow up on protocol and why are the states not complying with this law?
