'60 Minutes' Uses Anguish of Newtown Victims' Families to Push Gun Control

On April 7, CBS News’ 60 Minutes paraded the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting before Americans. This shameless politicization of an unspeakable tragedy had one objective–to build support for more gun control.

The program was replete with references to how these families would be meeting with Congress on Capitol Hill on April 8 to try to do what they did in Connecticut last week–convince lawmakers to ban “high capacity” magazines and require universal background checks. 

The families of Adam Lanza’s victims were understandably grieved as they appeared on the show. Sadly, that appeared to be CBS News’ goal from the start, as the segment opened with descriptions of how “Newtown is now synonymous with unimaginable tragedy.” The emotional toll on the families was further highlighted in describing “the December day [on which these families] lost a son, a daughter, or wife, when a dark young man with dark dreams awoke, murdered his mother, and drove to Sandy Hook Elementary school.”

From there, 60 Minutes immediately began discussing the success these families had in pushing Connecticut lawmakers to pass “high capacity” magazine bans and universal background checks last week in the state. It was announced that the families will push “for the same [laws]” in Washington on April 8.

“High capacity” magazine bans and universal background checks will not prevent another Sandy Hook Elementary-style crime. These measures will only apply to law-abiding gun owners, all of whom were sickened by Lanza’s crime, but none of whom want to give up their ability to defend their own lives and the lives of their families because of it.