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California’s capital city has been rocked by two horrific mass murders in as many months.
In both cases, before the victims had even been identified, politicians like Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden grabbed for their gun control talking points. But the facts, once known, told a different story: radical "progressive" policies were a proximate cause of both tragedies.
On February 28, a deranged man murdered his own three daughters, along with their chaperon, during a supervised visit at a Sacramento church a few miles from the State Capitol. On April 3, outside a nightclub a few blocks from the Capitol, a gunfight broke out between rival gangs, leaving 6 dead and 12 wounded.
SACRAMENTO MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT RELEASED FROM PRISON EARLY WEEKS BEFORE TRAGEDY, HAS VIOLENT PAST
Six hours after the gang mayhem, Newsom weighed in from his Costa Rican vacation, blaming the "scourge of gun violence." That same day, President Biden seized the opportunity to tout his "comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy" and to "call on Congress to act" by passing a litany of gun-control measures.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in San Francisco on Sept. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
The church shooting prompted a similar chorus. Within hours Newsom labeled it "another senseless act of gun violence in America."
Other politicians immediately used the unspeakable tragedy to "push for common sense gun laws so that horrific tragedies like this stop." California already has the nation’s strictest gun laws.
SACRAMENTO MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT ORDERED TO BE PAID THOUSANDS BY COUNTY WEEKS BEFORE SHOOTING
Here’s what we now know. The killer in the church massacre was in the country illegally. Not only that, he had been arrested the previous week for assaulting a police officer – and ICE asked to be notified of his release. But ICE was never notified because of "sanctuary" policies that forbid coordination between law enforcement and immigration authorities.
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As to the gang killings, one of the suspects was a career criminal with a "violent and lengthy" rap sheet. In 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for domestic violence and assault. But thanks to lax sentencing laws, he was released earlier this year over the vehement objections of the district attorney.
Biden and Newsom’s use of these twin massacres as fodder for gun-control demagoguery is an attempt to fog up the very clear window they provide into failed immigration and crime policies.
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Recent polling shows that a large majority of Americans believe the problem of illegal immigration is getting worse, and for the first time in years, a majority of Americans say they worry "a great deal" about crime.
Republicans must offer actual solutions to these problems. Secure the border, retain Title 42, end sanctuary policies, restore real consequences for criminal conduct – and protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners from irresponsible politicians who would use them as scapegoats for their own failures.