Introduction — Feb 15, 2018

At this stage I’m not calling into question what happened at America’s most recent mass shooting, near Fort Lauderdale in Florida. It’s still too early to say whether the gunman acted alone, or whether he was assisted.

However like other recent shootings, including the recent incident in Las Vegas, this provides more fuel for the gun control lobby. The following Metro article is an example.

Student calls Donald Trump a ‘piece of s**t’ after Florida high school shooting

Kate Buck — Metro Feb 15, 2018

A student who survived the Florida school massacre branded Donald Trump a ‘piece of shit’ after he tweeted about the atrocity in which 17 people died.

The young woman, identified only by her first name Sarah, replied to Trump’s message of condolence after the 18th American school shooting of 2018 – now one of the worst mass shootings in US history.

She is believed to be a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where students and staff were shot dead when a gunman carrying an AR-15 assault rifle stormed the school.

Her tweet – where she urged the president to introduce gun control measures instead of platitudes – has gone viral.

While Mr Trump said he sent his ‘prayers and condolences’ to the families of the dead, adding: ‘No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.’

Sarah replied: ‘I don’t want your condolences you fucking price (sic) of shit, my friends and teachers were shot.

I don’t want your condolences you fucking price of shit, my friends and teachers were shot. Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again. https://t.co/UZPgcPoPUX

— sarah (@chaddiedabaddie) February 14, 2018

‘Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers.

‘Prayers won’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again (sic).’

Continues …

Comment — Feb 15, 2018

I hate to sound cynical but how do we know that this tweet was in fact sent by a classmate of those killed? We have no way of confirming that they are who they claim to be. So they could indeed be an advocate for gun control who is masquerading as a classmate of those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

We have no way of knowing and the Metro makes no real attempt to find out beyond claiming:

“She is believed to be a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Fort Lauderdale, Florida…”

Only a few years back real journalists would have tried to establish who sent the tweet so as to track them down and interview them. After all, the Metro does claim that whoever sent the tweet was a “survivor” of the shooting so you would think that they would have more to say.

But no, if they are “believed to be a student” at the same high school and if it fits in with the drive for gun control that’s enough.

Apart from the gun control lobby the Anti Defamation League is also moving to exploit the incident. According to the ADL, the suspected gunman, Nikolas Cruz had ties to “white nationalists”.

So apart for more calls for gun control we may soon see a crackdown militia groups, particularly “white nationalists”. Ed.