Being shot at doesn’t make you an expert on ending gun violence

Las Vegas Review-Journal

by Victor Joecks

Being a shooting victim doesn’t make you an expert on ending gun violence. But you wouldn’t know that from watching CNN.

It’s been a week since a monster killed 17 people at a Florida high school. The calls for gun control have been reflexive and ambiguous, but the media have found a new mouthpiece — shooting survivors.

“Students seize control of gun debate” blared a MSNBC caption. An organization portraying itself as being made up of students announced a March 24 rally in D.C. and other cities called “March For Our Lives.” Some students say they won’t return to class until gun-control “legislation has been passed.” Videos of shooting survivors calling for gun control have gone viral.

Interviewing shooting survivors makes for compelling television, but it’s a horrible way to conduct a reasoned debate. Experiencing a tragic event doesn’t transform you into an expert, in the same way having a brain injury doesn’t make you a brain surgeon.

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