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Within the whirlwind of the news cycle the anti-Second Amendment refrain has already begun. CNN hosts and the editorial boards at many big newspapers are muttering the gun, the gun, as if the gun is responsible, as if the gun had an evil spirit that convinced this mannot a shooter as so many in the media will call him, but a killer, a would-be murdererto shoot members of Congress and their staff. As if an American freedom is causing some to do evil.

It is too early in this attempt at mass murder to know much about this murderer now confirmed dead, and identified as James T. Hodgkinson his mental state or why he chose to do evil. But it is not too early to see the heroism from Capitol Hill Police and others. It is not too early to see American goodness and even innocence for what it is.

At 7:15 a.m. Rep. Brad Wenstrup and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. Jeff Flake, and about two dozen others were at Simpson Field in Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C., to practice for the Congressional Baseball Game thats scheduled for June 15 at Nationals Park, a game that has been a tradition since 1909. They were getting ready to put politics aside and to come together again within an American pastime.

Early reports indicate that, from behind a dugout, shots began to shatter the early bright June morning. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise went down, shot in the hip, according to early reports. A congressional aide and two Capitol Police officers were also hit.

Many are already blaming the gun used or gun-rights in general, as if a long-held American freedom is to blame.

None of the congressmen or their staff members were armed. Sen. Rand Paul said that if Capitol Police werent there it would have been a massacre. This killer could have walked around unhindered if that were the case, as has happened too many times before in gun-free zones.

Police investigate a shooting scene after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice near Washington in Alexandria, Virginia, June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

The police were there because Rep. Scalise, being a member in congressional leadership, had a security detail.

The gunfight went on reportedly for a mad 10 minutes. The murderer had taken cover and the officers were likely, at least at first, only armed with their sidearms. Witnesses say Rep. Scalise dragged himself as far as he could away from the killer and toward people taking cover.

The police kept the killer pinned down and eventually took him out its not clear exactly how he was taken down.

Police man a shooting scene after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice near Washington in Alexandria, Virginia, June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

As soon as the police got the killer, Rep. Flake says he and Rep. Wenstrup, who is also a physician, ran onto the field to help Scalise, to apply pressure to his wound. Other physicians were soon on the scene as first-responders heroically rushed to the scene.

Now the analysis and the speculation has already turned political. Many are already blaming the gun used or gun-rights in general, as if a long-held American freedom is to blame.

Many in the media wont acknowledge that over 100 million Americans now legally own guns for sport or self-defense and that these people are largely safe and responsible.

They also arent likely to report that homicides are more likely to occur in areas with the strictest gun controls in place and they are unlikely to interview the women and others who have unfortunately had to rely on their right to bear arms to fend off attackers.

Police investigate a shooting scene after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice near Washington in Alexandria, Virginia, June 14, 2017. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

Right now, about 15 million Americans have concealed-carry permits to carry handgunsthis number has been rising fast. Studies show that these people rarely commit violent crimes.

In the aftermath of evil visited upon us like this, it is also easy to forget how good and safe America really is. Any foreigner who has visited Capitol Hill must have been surprised with just how open the city isWashington, D.C., is still often thought of as a big, small town. Congressmen largely walk the sidewalks without security details. If someone wants to meet their representative it can often be arranged. A visitor must simply pass through one security checkpoint in the congressional buildings.

Maybe some of that needs to change, especially in view of recent terrorist attacks, but American freedom is not the problem, but rather it is what we are fighting for.

Frank Miniter is author of "The Future of the Gun" & "The Ultimate Mans Survival Guide". His latest book is,is "Kill Big Brother", a cyber-thriller that shows how to balance freedom with security without diminishing the U.S. Bill of Rights.

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Scalise shot: What the Virginia attack should teach us - the Second Amendment is not the problem, in fact it can ... - Fox News

Breitbart News reported that five persons were injured when66-year-oldJames T. Hodgkinson opened fire on Republican House and Senate members who were practicing baseball. Rep.Steve Scalise (R-LA) and four others were injured in the attack. Hodgkinson was shot and killed by police.

SAF sent Breitbart News a statement on the attack:

Todays shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA), and others including an aide and two Capitol Police officers is the result of Democratic hate speech toward President Donald Trump and majority Republicans, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.

This hate speech that has been going on since Donald Trump was elected, said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. It gets their voter base agitated and this is what happens as a result. Is this just a coincidence this happened on the presidents birthday?

The gunman has been identified as James Hodgkinson of Illinois. A Facebook page belonging to the fatally-wounded suspect suggests that he was a socialist Democrat, and was a follower of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders confirmed that Hodgkinson was apparently a volunteer in his 2016 presidential campaign.

When liberal leftists support the assassination of President Trump on stage what do you expect to happen, Gottlieb stated. Hate speech and actions incite this kind of violence. It is time for Democrats like Reps. Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton and many of the talking heads at CNN and MSNBC to shut up.

SAF also observed:

Congressman Scalise and others at the field this morning were lucky to have the protection of courageous Capitol police officers, the good guys with guns who took down a bad guy with a gun, he continued. But what if they hadnt been present?

Congressman Mike Bishop of Michigan, who was at the baseball field, told a reporter, The only reason why any of us walked out of this thing, by the grace of God, one of the folks here had a weapon to fire back and give us a moment to find cover.

Maybe now the anti-gun rights Democrats will support everyones right to carry a firearm for self-defense, Gottlieb said. We are the first line of defense when it comes to personal protection from crazed individuals.

Breitbart News spoke with SAFs Alan Gottlieb about the calls for more gun control that have already been made in reaction to the shooting. He responded, Democrats should ban their hate speech, not our guns for self-defense.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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Second Amendment Foundation: Alexandria Shooting the Result of ... - Breitbart News

BELCHERTOWN Joe Arpaio, former sheriff of Arizonas Maricopa County who has styled himself Americas Toughest Sheriff, will be a guest speaker this weekend at a Second Amendment rally in town.

Arpaio, who turns 85 this week, will speak at Belchertowns 4th Annual Flag Day Second Amendment Rally, which starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Swift River Sportsman Club.

Dave Kopacz, organizer of the rally, said Arpaio will probably speak around noon, though the official schedule for the event is still in the works.

Arpaio is a Massachusetts native, born in Springfield. He became nationally known in the last 15 years for his hardline stances on immigration, for battling findings of racial profiling in his sheriffs department, and for his campaign to prove that President Obamas birth certificate was forged, which he continued to wage as recently as last fall.

After 24 years in office, Arpaio lost his latest re-election bid in November. His trial in federal court on a criminal contempt charge in connection with racial profiling is pending.

The Belchertown rally will also feature several other speakers, including Jeanette Finicum, the widow of Robert LaVoy Finicum, one of the occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon who was shot and killed during the armed standoff in January 2016.

Kopacz said he sees gun rights and property rights as connected. He believes the issues surrounding federal land use that came to a head in Oregon are similar to issues surrounding land trusts in Massachusetts.

We want to make sure we connect and parallel that with what is going on here, he said of the Oregon occupation.

Local Second Amendment activists will speak at the rally, too. Kopacz said both national and local speakers are important for the event.

I use the national guys to bring in the crowds, and the local guys to put them to work after, Kopacz said.

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Joe Arpaio, former Arizona sheriff, to speak at Second Amendment rally in Belchertown - Amherst Bulletin

Once again, anger coupled with a weapon has unleashed another strike against the heart of what we stand for as a society: democracy.

Again, heavily armed law enforcement, yellow police tape, along with shock, grief and tears are formidable reminders of the aftermath we as a society must deal with after another man with a weapon delivers another grim message.

This time, the gunman used a high-powered rifle to spray a reign of terror over Republican members of Congress while they held a morning baseball practice to get ready for the annual Congressional Baseball Game, a tradition since 1909.

When it was over, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., along with two Capitol police officers, Crystal Griner and David Bailey, congressional staffer Zach Barth and lobbyist Matt Mika all were wounded. Scalise and Mika were listed in critical condition as of Wednesday evening.

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The gunman, identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson III from Illinois, drives home how vulnerable we continue to be as a society of free will where the rights of people are paramount. The gunman was killed, but thankfully no others were. Lawmakers agree that but for the actions of Capitol police on the scene, the carnage could have been much worse.

According to the New York Times, Hodgkinson was distraught over the election of President Donald Trump and he was a supporter of 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

We have been down this road before and though the names of the wounded and the dead change, the message to the United States remains the same: there are too many guns on the streets of America and too many with the wrong fingers on the trigger.

But a division of opinions, even in a hot political climate, shouldnt bring harm to those delivering a message or those supporting it.

So much of what we are and do as a society depends on the trust and allegiance of our fellow man and the ability to walk amongst each other unencumbered. But with more than 300 million guns on the streets and too many in the hands of the wrong people more solutions are needed.

No angry gunman will destroy what we are as a society, nor our determination to continue forth with our values as a nation.

Trump said, in part, we are blessed to be Americans, that our children deserve to grow up in a nation of safety and peace, and that we are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good.

But to do that, Congress must come to grips with the difficulties of the Second Amendment and take action to tighten the nations gun laws.

Here in Connecticut, where we have some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, we are aware of that.

Every bullet that takes away another loved one or takes aim at another long cherished tradition, leaves us more disillusioned about our safety if Congress doesnt do something about the proliferation of guns.

Link:
Editorial: Congress must come to grips with difficulties of Second Amendment - New Haven Register

Steve Scalise speaks to the media after a meeting at Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York City. (Getty)

Congressman SteveScalise has been shot at a Congressional baseball practice near Washington, D.C.

Scalise was subsequently taken to theMedStar Washington Hospital Center, and ina statement, Scalises office said that he is currently undergoing surgery and is in stable condition.

Prior to entering surgery, the Whip was in good spirits and and spoke to his wife by phone, Scalises office said in a statement. He is grateful for the brave actions of U.S. Capitol Police, first responders, and colleagues.

The Alexandria Police Department says that the suspected shooter is in custody.

So who exactly is CongressmanSteve Scalise, the representative who was shot on Wednesday? Heres what you need to know about him.

Steve Scalise speaks to the media on May 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

CongressmanSteve Scalise is a Republican who was elected to represent Louisiana in 2008. Before running for Congress, he had served in the Louisiana state senate for four months and in the Louisiana House of Representatives for 12 years.

Scalise was elected in a special election to replaceBobby Jindal, who had become the governor of Louisiana. In the Republican primary, Scalise defeated a number of opponents includingTim Burns, and in the general election, he defeated DemocratGilda Reed with 75 percent of the vote.

In addition, Scalise serves as the House Majority Whip. He was elected to this position by his Republican colleagues in 2014. The New York Times described this as a rapid rise in Congress.

The turning point for Mr. Scalise, who is from Louisiana, was his come-from-behindwinin 2012 to become chairman of the influential Republican Study Group, edging out a candidate who was handpicked by the committees founders and past chairmen, The New York Times reported. The group, which has 170 members, has played a central role in pushing the Republican caucus to the right on economic and social issues.

As majority whip, Steve Scalises job is to ensure that members of the Republican party vote together on pieces of legislation. In that position, Scalise helped get the American Health Care Act passed in the House of Representatives.

Passing the American Health Care Act was about saving families who are struggling under the weight of a broken law that doesnt work, Scalise said at the time.

Donald Trump shakes hands with Steve Scalise during a meeting with the House Deputy Whip team at the East Room of the White House March 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

During the 2016 election, Congressman Steve Scalise was a supporter of Donald Trump. Unlike some Republicans, Scalise continued to support his partys nominee after the leakedAccess Hollywoodtape on which Trump could be heard bragging about grabbing women by the private parts.

Let me be clear, Donald Trump will do more to rebuild our middle class, get our economy moving again, strengthen our national defense, and appoint Supreme Court Justices who uphold our Constitution rather than rewrite it, Scalisetold The Advocate. Those are the reasons Ive supported Donald Trump for President and that is why I will continue to do so.

Scalise did call on Trump to apologize, which Trump did. However, Scalise said that he would not allow Hillary Clinton to become president.

Electing Hillary Clinton means continuing down the failed path of radical and divisive policies, a weaker military, and rising healthcare costs, or we can elect a president who will work with Congress to create jobs, grow a healthy economy, confront the increasing threats that we face from around the globe, and get America back on the right track, Scalise said.

Steve Scalise was a supporter of President Donald Trumps original travel ban signed in January.

ISIS has said they want to infiltrate a lot of these refugee programs and weve seen them carry that out in Europe, Scalise said. So we want to make sure that people who are coming into the United States arent being infiltrated by terrorist organizations and until that can be done I think this freeze from certain countries, where we cannot vet, makes a lot of sense.

Steve Scalise holds up a Make America Great Again hat during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol November 15, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

Steve Scalise served on Donald Trumps Second Amendment Coalition.

During the Trump transition, this was a panel of advisors who advised the president-elect on issues related to guns and the Supreme Court. According to The Advocate, Scalises name was added to the list along with 63 others.

Congressman Scalise has been a supporter of the second amendment for years, and he co-sponsored theFirearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act, which had the goal of removing restrictions oninterstate firearms transactions.

According to his website, Scalise also co-sponsored H.R.645, a bill to restore Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia. He has an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.

In January 2016, President Barack Obama signed an executive action on guns which included 10 provisions, such as one requiring more gun sellers to be licensed and forcing them to conduct background checks, according to The Washington Post.Scalise felt this was an overreach on Obamas part.

This is an attempt to try to bully and intimidate people from selling guns and from buying guns and goes around the laws that are already on the books, Scalise said on CNN. The President is not even enforcing existing law. Thats where he should focus, but frankly hes trying to change the subject and get away from the fact that he hasnt been able to defeat ISIS.

Scalise also said that these people who would be affected by President Obamas executive order are law-abiding citizens.

Look, these are law-abiding citizens we are talking about, he said. These arent criminals. The President wont even go after people who broke existing federal law. Why doesnt he do that? Why doesnt he focus on his job instead of trying to usurp the role of Congress and trump the constitution and the Second Amendment that is so sacred to our nations founding.

Steve Scalise speaks during a press briefing after a House Republican Conference meeting July 6, 2016 at the headquarters of Republican National Committee in Washington, DC. (Getty)

In 2014, a political blogger discovered that Steve Scalise 12 years earlier had delivered a speech at an event organized by the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, a white nationalist group founded by David Duke.

This revelation caused controversy, but Scalise said that he did not know about the racist nature of the group at the time.

I didnt know who all of these groups were and I detest any kind of hate group, he said. For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous.

Scalise said that he did not properly vet the event and that he only had one staffer at the time.

I had one person that was working for me, Scalise said. When someone called and asked me to speak, I would go.

The Louisiana congressman also said he regrets speaking at the event.

It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold, he said.

Steve Scalise and his wife Jennifer Scalise during a mock swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill January 6, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

Steve Scalise marriedJennifer Ann Scalise in 2005.

According to theTimes Picayune, the wedding took place at theSt. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. After the wedding, the two honeymooned in Europe.According to Politico, Steve and his wife are members of theSt. Agnes Catholic Church.

Steve and Jennifer have two kids, Madison Carol Scalise and Harrison Joseph Scalise. His son is a member of the Boy Scouts of America.

Steve Scalise has been shot at a Congressional baseball game. Since 2005, the Louisiana Congressman has been married to Jennifer Scalise.

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Steve Scalise: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know - Heavy.com