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Nashville school tries to block shooter’s manifesto. Why?

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The Covenant School in Nashville was the site of a horrific atrocity. That’s not even a matter of debate. Anyone who tries to claim it wasn’t is too delusional to waste your time on.

We might have different takes on what happened, but we know and agree that it did.

What we also know is that the killer wrote a manifesto outlining what they planned and why. The public has been clamoring for it. We want to see inside the mind of a mass killer and see if we can figure out what makes people do these kinds of things.

The school, however, is trying to block the release.

Over the weekend, the Covenant Presbyterian Church and associated Covenant School filed a motion to block the public release of the manifesto of the transgender shooter who attacked the school, court documents revealed.

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Monday court filings revealed that the Covenant Church requested that the court prevent the documents from being released to the public, citing privacy concerns.

The motion, filed against the Tennessee Firearms Association, and another filed against the Nashville Police Association stated that the manifesto “may include and/or relate to information owned by Covenant Church,” such as “schematics of church facilities and confidential information” regarding employees.

The church claimed the manifesto’s release could “impair or impede its ability to protect its interests and the privacy of its employees.”

A judge is scheduled to hear the church’s motion on Thursday.

I’m one of those who have wanted to read the manifesto. While many of us have suspicions as to the killer’s motives, I want to see for myself what the killer said. I want to know what was going on in that sick and twisted excuse for a mind.

So part of me hopes the manifesto is released.

However, the school in question has concerns, and I can’t dismiss them out of hand. After all, could this manifesto be used as a blueprint for Nashville Part 2? Could this reveal information that would be bad for the students and staff?

Then there’s what isn’t said, which is why another part of me hopes we don’t see the manifesto. That’s the part familiar with the idea of social contagion.

Basically, the premise is that the more we cover these kinds of things, the more they happen. It’s similar to when we see a rash of suicides anywhere. The first one happens, then the coverage and discussion plants the idea in other minds and you see more and more.

There’s a good chance that social contagion accounts for much of what we’ve seen over the last few years.

Releasing the manifesto would increase the coverage of Nashville, thus potentially leading to still more mass shootings elsewhere. Even if Nashville never sees another, there could be actual ramifications for releasing the manifesto that will cost lives.

That said, is there a middle ground?

For example, ignoring the whole social contagion thing–which may or may not be an issue–could a redacted manifesto be released to the public? Remove anything related to security or any mention of specific people related to the school and release the rest so as to alleviate security and privacy concerns, but still share the motivations of this demented monster.

Then we all get something out of this.

I honestly don’t know what the answer is. I just know that we need to figure something out and do it soon.

Catholic bishop calls for new gun control after Nashville

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In the United States, the First Amendment expressly bars any establishment of a national religion. This has been described–not in the Constitution, but well after it was ratified–as the separation of church and state.

However, a lot of faiths like to delve into politics, particularly gun control.

We’ve seen so-called faith leaders repeatedly quoted advocating for the restriction of our Second Amendment rights, all while enjoying the benefits of the First Amendment protections–including the right to worship as one pleases.

Now, a number of Catholic bishops in Tennessee are calling for gun control as well.

The Catholic bishops of Tennessee joined more than 130 religious leaders in the state Tuesday in calling on Republican Gov. Bill Lee and the Legislature to enact tighter gun restrictions including “extreme risk” or “red flag” laws.

The letter comes less than a month after a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville in which a former student shot and killed three current students and three staff members.

“As faith leaders, we encourage you, our elected leaders, to take steps that will help protect our kids and our cherished individual rights,” says the April 17 letter, which was signed by Bishop Mark Spalding of Nashville, Bishop David Talley of Memphis, and Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville.

In the letter, which was led by a state coalition calling for firearm restrictions, Voices for a Safer Tennessee, three requests were made of lawmakers and the governor.

These requests were for an assault weapon ban, restrictions on handguns, universal background checks, and a red flag law.

All I can think is, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

See, I get that the bishops and other faith leaders may think guns are bad, but I find it more than a little ironic that people who will use the Constitution to protect their ability to practice their faith would be so quick to try and gut another part of the Bill of Rights.

Take a look at the many anti-gunners who are also anti-religion. Do you really think that if they were to successfully pass the kind of gun control these bishops want, they’d just leave the rest of the Bill of Rights alone?

Or is it far more likely that they’d use such restrictions to justify additional restrictions on other rights down the road?

Only a fool would think that they’d live him alone after gutting the rights of others, and it seems these bishops are, in fact, fools.

Further, none of the things they’re advocating for would accomplish anything. Colorado Springs wasn’t prevented by a red flag law. Virginia Tech wouldn’t have been prevented by an assault weapon ban. Most mass shooters pass background checks and your garden variety criminals aren’t inhibited by universal background check laws. I don’t know what kind of handgun regulation they want, but it’s also unlikely any such regulations would do much of anything except make life harder for law-abiding folks.

They’re demanding laws for the sake of demanding them, but they should be wary.

If they get the world they’re demanding, it’s only a matter of time before they’re the ones under the proverbial hammer.

Tennessee’s GOP governor wants gun control

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People get rattled after a mass shooting. It’s worse when someone you know is among the dead. When you’re someone who supports gun rights, it can be a gut-check moment, to be sure.

So calls for gun control following Nashville aren’t surprising. It happens and will continue to happen.

One coming from the Republican governor of Tennessee, though, is a little different.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order to tighten background checks on Tuesday, marking a victory for gun reformers in the GOP-controlled state.

Lee also called upon the state legislature to pass a “red flag” law that will make it easier to remove guns from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.

“I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law,” Lee told reporters in Nashville, according to The Tennessean. “A new, strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population.”

Lee’s call for reform comes after a lone shooter killed three children and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville on April 3.

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The executive order mandates government offices and law enforcement to report all relevant criminal and court mental health information to the state instant background check system within 72 hours of receiving it. The order also gives the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 60 days to submit a report detailing ways the current background check system could be improved.

I don’t have a massive issue with the executive order–this is information that would be input anyway, Lee is just demanding it done faster–but I don’t think Lee has thought through the red flag law.

Then again, I can kind of get why he’s not thinking. After all, it’s been reported that Lee knew a couple of the victims in Nashville. Finding out that people you know and care about have been gunned down by a maniac trying to do nothing but rack up a high body count can absolutely destroy you.

You want answers. You feel like you need to rethink everything, and we’ve got a media that will be happy to tell you what to think.

The problem is that while the shooter had “emotional problems,” there’s not necessarily any reason to believe that their parents would ever have thought to get a red flag order against her, among other things.

Further, the previous issues with red flag laws still exist. There are still due process concerns. There’s still the fact that a red flag order may take a gun from a dangerous individual, but it still leaves that individual out on the streets to find some other way to create an atrocity.

Those problems don’t go away simply because a Republican governor is the one asking for a red flag law.

Lee is serving a second term now, which means he’s not eligible for reelection, so it’s unlikely he’ll suffer ramifications from his call. Yet those lawmakers who follow his lead may well find their political careers come to an abrupt end.

After all, this is Tennessee.

You can get away with this in a state like Colorado or Oregon. You can’t necessarily survive politically in Tennessee by voting for gun control.

My hope is that this is an aberration, a call made out of grief rather than a deeply-held belief that red flag laws are good things. We’ll have to see, though, won’t we?

Nashville police talk response, illustrates key point

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It wasn’t that long ago when a lot of headlines claimed that Uvalde police failed to enter Robb Elementary School due to fears over the shooter’s AR-15. This was, of course, taken as evidence that we should ban so-called assault weapons.

In Nashville, though, something different happened. While the killer also had an AR-15, the police responded very differently.

The heroic police officers who stopped a gunman at a Nashville Christian school March 28 have spoken out about their response, telling reporters they entered the school “without hesitation.”

Six people were killed when the shooter, Audrey Hale, entered The Covenant Christian school in Nashville and opened fire with two “assault-type” rifles and a handgun. Within minutes, Nashville Police entered the school and subdued the shooter, saving the lives of countless potential victims.

“We’ve trained for incidents like this for years, with the thought that if it ever happened we would not hesitate,” Nashville Metro Chief of Police John Drake told reporters. “We would go in and we would do whatever was needed for the safety of those involved.”

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When Englebert heard gunshots, he told reporters he “couldn’t get to it fast enough” as he searched for a staircase, understanding that the shots were coming from the second floor. Englebert revealed that when he “found himself at the front of the stack” he realized he wasn’t wearing rifle-grade body armor for protection.

Now, let’s compare the shootings in Uvalde to Nashville for a second. Uvalde resulted in 21 innocent lives taken while Nashville resulted in six.

That’s six too many, we can all agree, but what a difference an appropriate police response can make, isn’t it?

And Englebert had ample reason to delay, not wearing sufficient armor, and he didn’t. He went in and put the threat down.

While many still want to fixate on the kinds of firearms used or the laws surrounding them, time and time again we see that the secret to minimizing the impact of these shootings isn’t a new law restricting people’s freedom, it’s having a quick and aggressive response.

Police were on the scene and engaged the shooter within minutes in Nashville. In Uvalde, it was 1 hour and 14 minutes. How many lives would have been saved if the cops in Uvalde had responded similarly to those in Nashville?

Yet let’s also look at a couple of other shootings that had a quick and aggressive response.

First, let’s look at White Settlement, TX.

In that instance, a killer decided to try and shoot up a church service–churches being a favorite target of these knobs for some reason–and it didn’t work out for him. A volunteer working security at the church put a round in his head within mere seconds. The death toll not counting the human-shaped filth? Two.

Then we have Greenwood Park Mall. In that case, the goblin decided to shoot up a shopping center, another popular target. The problem with that plan was that an armed citizen put the killer down quick, fast, and in a hurry. The death toll, again not counting the shooter? Three.

It seems like a quick response from the police is good, but having an armed individual there on the scene is better.

The police in Nashville should be commended for how well they did their jobs. I take nothing away from them. They did it and did it quickly.

Yet when someone is there on the scene, the death toll is greatly reduced. It’s a blip on the radar, then quickly buried by whatever celebrity news the media thinks is more important.

The issue isn’t access to guns–the Nashville shooter had a handgun and could have killed just as many people with it, for example–but having armed people in these places ready and willing to respond.

Tennessee delaying any gun control measures until 2024?

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Following a deadly mass shooting, people get emotional, especially when it touches them in some way. Believe me, I know.

Right now, nerves are raw in Tennessee. Six people are dead, three of them children. That’s going to rattle some folks.

Yet rattled lawmakers tend to make for bad, poorly thought-out laws. That’s why I like what I’m seeing from Tennessee right now.

Any legislation regarding stricter gun control could be postponed until next year. It comes in the wake of The Covenant School shooting that forever changed the lives of six families.

The Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Tuesday to postpone any and all firearms legislation until 2024.

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It comes as Governor Lee has said he supports some form of a red flag law, as long as it does not violate Constitutional rights. His focus would be on keeping firearms from dangerous people, but now that legislation may not have the chance to be up for discussion this year because of the vote.

Of course, Democratic lawmakers aren’t thrilled with this. It’s not because they think failing to do something now will cost lives, though they might claim as much. The problem is that they know if they postpone gun control until next year, people won’t be as wound up and emotional, thus less interested in Doing Something (TM).

Creating a bit of a buffer so that people can approach legislation rationally is hardly a bad thing. If it’s a good idea now, it’ll be a good idea in 2024.

The problem with gun control measures is that they’re never good ideas in the first place. If they were, they wouldn’t need raw emotion for passage in so many places. So a delay works against them and proponents of those laws are going to be bent out of shape because of it.

Well, deal with it.

The truth is that gun control advocates have long been able to strike while emotions are hot and damn any and all consequences for that. Being told to hold on for a bit is really just pulling them short and jerking a knot in them, metaphorically speaking, of course.

Tennessee doesn’t need gun control. They don’t need a red flag law or any other such measure. What happened in Nashville was awful, but the truth is that even if you eliminated guns, you wouldn’t eliminate mass murders.

What we need to do is start trying to figure out why people do this instead of just pretending that guns are cursed magical items from a roleplaying game that somehow makes people into homicidal murder machines. We’re not going to get that by pretending gun control is the answer, though.

So, my hope is that we’ll soon see more states at least consider such delays following mass shootings. Even if you believe gun control is good and necessary, waiting until we can coldly and rationally evaluate such legislation shouldn’t be a huge issue. I get that you wouldn’t want to do that, but it doesn’t mean you couldn’t.

The fact that this push has to happen now, though, tells you a lot about gun control.