Parkland Parent: Ban Gun-Free Zones, Not Suppressors

Andrew Pollack, father of Parkland, Florida, shooting victim Meadow Pollack, says lawmakers’ focus should be on banning gun-free zones, not suppressors.

Pollack’s observation comes as a ban on suppressors is being pushed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and other Democrats.

But Pollack notes that the overarching commonality in high-profile public shootings is that attackers strike in gun-free zones, where they know their victims cannot shoot back. They do this at schools like Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and Virginia Tech; at clubs like Borderline Bar & Grill and Orlando Pulse; and at movie theaters in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Aurora, Colorado.

Pollack addressed the Democrats’ focus on suppressors via a tweet Friday, in which he said: “Instead of banning silencers, how about we address the real problem… gun free zones! If maniacs decide they want to do bad things, gun free zones will fail 100% of the time. Silencers don’t protect the shooter. Gun free zones do!”

To Pollack’s point, Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera made clear officers found the Virginia Beach shooter by moving toward the sound of his gunfire.

It should be noted that other Democrats, like Sen. Mark Warner (VA), have responded to the Virginia Beach handgun attack by pushing an “assault weapons” ban.

Pollack also addressed that push, telling Breitbart News: “Just like with every shooting, anti-gunners insist on gun control in the weeks following. But notice after the Colorado STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting and the Virginia Beach shooting they did this without discussing the type of gun actually used in those attacks. That’s because the attackers in both instances used handguns, not a scary looking rifle. Not a single policy Democrats have proposed would have stopped what happened.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.