They trotted out a would-be school shooter to push gun control. They said buying cold medicine is harder than buying an assault rifle. They even thought you could put a chainsaw bayonet on an AR-15. So, it’s par for the course when they mess up on reporting about gun politics. They still don’t know the difference between semiautomatic and automatic weapons. Now, they’re going off half-cocked covering these student protests in Tallahassee.
Protesters wanted to meet with Gov. Rick Scott, who wasn’t in his office. Obviously, he doesn’t have time to meet with these kids, or at least that’s what MSNBC’s Ali Velshi reported:
BREAKING: students are in the waiting area of FL Gov. Rick Scott’s office - after being told he’s too busy to meet with them - chanting “shame on you!”
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) February 21, 2018
Katy Tur, who interviewed the would-be school shooter, went even further, saying Scott was “refusing to speak” with the students. Oh, the outrage, folks, except Rick Scott a) agreed to meet with the protester as 5 P.M.; and b) was unable to speak with them when the cameras were rolling because he was at the funeral for one of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Via Free Beacon [emphasis mine]:
MSNBC host Katy Tur said Wednesday that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R.) was "refusing to speak" with students crowded outside his office calling for gun control, before reporting minutes later that Scott's absence was due to his attending a Parkland shooting victim's funeral.
[…]
They flooded the governor's office, and the governor is refusing to speak with these students," Tur said. "These are students from across Florida. They're students from Parkland … The survivors. It sounds like they're not being heard."
The woman with glasses Tur referred to, who had a "Guns Off Campus" sticker, then asked the students what they'd tell Scott if he was there. Tur apologized to viewers and said it appeared the woman was part of the student group, not a member of Scott's office.
Tur repeated some of the students' suggestions for Scott, such as "do your job" and "make a difference."
"They're asking the governor to do something about rifles, to do something about assault weapons, to stop looking into immigration so much, and to focus on what is the issue that they're there to talk about: weapons. Their lives," Tur said.
Six minutes later, Tur said Scott's office had called MSNBC to tell them he would be meeting with small groups of Parkland students for 20 minutes each at 5 p.m.
"Right now, he is not in the office. He is at the funeral, I believe, for a student," Tur said. "That's why he cannot meet with those kids right now.
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God almighty. Our national media are really beclowning themselves in this gun debate. This is sloppy-ass activism. Get your shit together, people. (h/t @Moj_kobe) pic.twitter.com/uDDqc4CSRt
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) February 21, 2018
Yes this is what he told NBC. He’s on his way back and will be meeting with them when he returns
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) February 21, 2018
Oh, it wasn’t just Republicans getting flak. State Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat, was trolled on social media for not being present for the failed vote to ban AR-15 rifles, which was put forward without notice. He later blasted his Democratic colleague in the legislature for playing procedural games. As a result, he missed the vote because he too was attending the funeral of Peter Wang, the JROTC student who sacrificed his life trying to get his classmates to safety. He was posthumously given an honorary acceptance into West Point for his acts of valor (via Tampa Bay Times):
Moskowitz was one of five Democrats recorded as not voting on the motion. He was attending the funeral service for Peter Wang, one of the victims of last week's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Moskowitz is a 1999 graduate of Stoneman Douglas and the school is in his district.
In a Times/Herald interview on Wednesday, Moskowitz said: "I didn't expect the Democratic leadership to expose one of their own members while I was at a funeral paying respects."
He also issued a statement.
“The decision to make a procedural motion to bring HB 219 to the floor was brought up with zero notice. The majority of Democratic members of our caucus were not aware that any motion would be made and several were not present on the floor.
“I was in my district attending Peter Wang’s funeral. Peter was a hero. He held the door open so other students could survive and it cost him his life. I know in my heart I was where I needed to be yesterday. Paying my respects to a hero.
For those of you confused and upset about yesterday — we are confused and upset too. When lives are at stake ‘procedural games’ are not the answer. Looking forward to working on BIPARTISAN gun reform & policy change on this issue. https://t.co/CRcvKZEXAp
— Amber Mariano (@ambermariano) February 21, 2018
Still, Moskowitz caught heat for missing a vote that everyone knew was going to go down in flames:
Rep. Moskowitz is getting grief for skipping
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 21, 2018
1) a procedural assault-weapons vote that
2) will not pass the FL Legislature and that
3) he didn’t know about because
4) he was at a funeral for a hero-constituent kid murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass-shooting https://t.co/o36fXtmioz
#ParklandStrong @MaryEllenKlas @CNN @jaketapper @MSNBC @fineout @richardcorcoran @politico @MarcACaputo @TheDaraKam pic.twitter.com/dRgEaxMUsb
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) February 21, 2018
Looks like u prefer the cameras (@vicenews interview and picture@the funeral) than doing your work and respecting the kids that travel to your place of work.. so bc you knew the outcome u prefer to do something else? Reminds me of the millions that didn't vote and got us Trump
— weralio (@weralio) February 21, 2018
I was at Peter Wangs funeral. A hero, who saved his classmates. I was where I needed to be. pic.twitter.com/mmM54Yaunu
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) February 21, 2018
But his classmates where in Tallahassee... At your place of work, where you didn't vote for what they are fighting for. I prefer their priorities, and their no excuses. Don't try to be more sensible than the affected ones, do your job supporting them with ACTION
— weralio (@weralio) February 21, 2018
Yeah, talk about going off the rails--and who attacks anyone for going to a funeral for the victims?
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