At the close of his December 2 Hardball program, Chris Matthews insisted that today's fatal mass shooting in San Bernardino, California was part of a national "pattern." This, of course, was despite a full accounting of what precisely happened and despite early indications that the shooting was rather unlike most spree shootings which involve mentally-disturbed lone gunmen.
But of course, Matthews was not so much concerned with those matters as with advancing the narrative that there is a pressing need for more federal gun control laws, and his gun-control activist guest Mark Glaze was eager to make that case.
Watch the relevant video below:
Video: @hardball_chris: there's a "pattern" to mass shootings. Gun control advocate with him agrees. #exposethebias pic.twitter.com/JJ0V6FgR4F
— Ken Shepherd (@KenShepherd) December 3, 2015
MSNBC
Hardball
December 2, 2015; 7:58 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: There you can see the cameras are set and the microphones are set there for all the various organizations who are covering this. Of course, this is one of those stories that has grabbed the nation's attention. This is not a local story. It's become a pattern. Mark? It's a pattern now.
MARK GLAZE, gun control advocate: It's an absolute pattern and it's one that's been accelerating for reasons that are complicated, except the fact that Congress refuses to do anything about it. But here's a way how it's local.
MATTHEWS: Have you noticed that the conservatives are all saying, we're going to pray for the victims? Which is fine.
GLAZE: We're all going to pray for the victims.
MATTHEWS: But that's not really about their role.
GLAZE: Step two, if you're a policymaker after you give your regards and your sympathies is to actually do something about it. And they know what to do. We know what's effective, they don't do it because they're afraid of the gun lobby...
