The Patriot Post® · The Faux 'Toddler Gun Epidemic'

By Culture Beat ·
https://patriotpost.us/articles/45429-the-faux-toddler-gun-epidemic-2016-10-18

Those who advocate for stricter gun control and even gun confiscation know that preying on emotions plays a critical part in advancing their campaign. We see it every time there’s a mass shooting or domestic terrorist attack and even when accidental gun deaths occur. You’ll especially hear references to “think of the children,” which is a narrative the Left commonly uses to strengthen policy agendas. That narrative was supplied additional ammo last week by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

The anti-gun lobbying group posted a video warning, “Americans are shot by toddlers at least once a week.” The video then took a shot at the Republican Party in general: “It’s time we did something. We need to lock them up. Not the guns — that’s just un-American. The toddlers. Round them up, deport them, get them out of our country. And keep them away from our guns. Guns don’t kill people; toddlers kill people.”

The Brady Campaign is of course no stranger to inflammatory productions. In April it featured a video of Alice in Wonderland shooting herself in the face. In a follow-up, it was Peter Pan who took a bullet. With respect to the new ad, Brady Campaign president Dan Gross says, “This PSA is satire. But the public health crisis it calls attention to is anything but. Whether the trigger is pulled by a toddler, a convicted felon, domestic abuser, or terrorist, we have a problem in America with guns too easily falling into the wrong hands.”

Even if we accept the premise that gun deaths constitute an epidemic, the Brady Campaign falls short in advocating more gun control. Make no mistake: Standing on the coffins of children is an egregious stunt that’s intended to wholly eradicate the Second Amendment. Are there some parents who are careless in how they teach (or don’t teach) their children about guns? Absolutely. But that’s not a gun control issue. The reality is that the vast majority of lawful gun owners and their kin are safety literate. In fact, children who are taught how to properly use firearms save far more lives than the mainstream media cares to report.