Monday, May 16, 2016

Katie Couric: ‘Specious Argument’ to Say Armed Good Guys Stop Bad Guys



Katie Couric: ‘Specious Argument’ to Say Armed Good Guys Stop Bad Guys
by AWR Hawkins 15 May 2016
During a May 13 appearance on NBC’s Today, Katie Couric said the claim that armed good guys stop bad guys is “just a specious argument.”

The journalist-turned-filmmaker was on the Today show to promote her upcoming gun control documentary, Under the Gun.

“There’s a very common expression out there that says the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Today host Matt Lauer prompted Couric. Lauer then used an anecdotal example of a concealed carry permit holder who was unarmed during the July 2012 Aurora theater attack and who believes that being armed would not have made any difference.

This particular concealed permit holder was dating Jessi Phillips, a 21-year-old woman killed in the Aurora attack. The concealed permit holder was interviewed for Couric’s documentary.


I thought that was one of the most impactful moments of the film. One of the first things they asked him, because he had a concealed carry permit but because he traveled from Texas to Colorado to visit Jessi he didn’t have his gun. One of the first things they asked is, “Would it have made any difference if you had had your gun?” He said, “Absolutely not.” There was so much chaos, they were trapped, more innocent people would have died.

Couric added that the so-called “good guy with a gun argument” is “perpetrated by the gun lobby, but most public health experts and gun safety experts say it’s just a specious argument.”

In other words, the effectiveness of armed citizens rests on the testimony of one concealed permit holder who does not believe being armed could have helped at Aurora. By seizing on this example, Couric overlooked the concealed permit holder who used his gun on June 19, 2015, to stop an attempted mass shooting in Chicago. She also ignored the concealed permit holder who stopped an attempted mass shooting in Ohio on July 26, 2015, the permit holder who stopped an attempted mass shooting in a Georgia liquor store on May 31, 2015, and the permit holder who ran toward the sound of gunfire and stopped an attempted mass shooting in a Philadelphia barbershop on March 22, 2015.

Couric’s approach also overlooks the good guy with a gun who ended the October 22, 2014, terror attack in Ottawa, Canada and the good guy with a gun who stopped the knife-welding attacker in a Taunton, Massachusetts mall on May 10, 2015–not to mention the myriad examples of good guys with guns who defend their families from multiple home invaders on a regular basis in the U.S.

Couric told Lauer during the same interview that a “silent majority” of gun owners want more gun control.

Couric’s documentary, Under the Gun, premieres Sunday, May 15 on Epix.

Katie Couric
Katie Couric is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a co-founder & advisory council member for the Stand up to Cancer, and a director at the Harlem Village Academies.

Note: Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), the Harlem Children's Zone, the Robin Hood Foundation, the Sundance Institute, and Human Rights First.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone, and William D. Zabel was his divorce lawyer.
Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation, a donor for Stand up to Cancer, Emma Bloomberg’s father, the founder of Everytown for Gun Safety, a co-chair for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the founder of Independence USA PAC, was a contributor for the Americans for Responsible Solutions, a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone, and a donor for the Robin Hood Foundation.
Everytown for Gun Safety is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” group for guns.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” group for guns.
Independence USA PAC is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” PAC for guns.
Americans for Responsible Solutions is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” PAC for guns.
Emma Bloomberg is Michael R. Bloomberg’s daughter, a director at the Bloomberg Family Foundation, and was the chief of staff for the Robin Hood Foundation.
Jeff Zucker is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation, and was an executive producer for the NBC Nightly News, an executive producer for Today, and the president & CEO for NBCUniversal.
John Chancellor was an anchor for the NBC Nightly News, and a host on Today.
Atiim Barber was a correspondent for Today, and is a leadership council member for the Robin Hood Foundation.
Tom Brokaw was an anchor for the NBC Nightly News, and a director at the Robin Hood Foundation.
Brian Williams was an anchor for the NBC Nightly News, and is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation.
Robin Hood Foundation was a funder for the Harlem Village Academies.
Katie Couric is a director at the Harlem Village Academies, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a co-founder & advisory council member for the Stand up to Cancer.
NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of NBC, and a partner with the Sundance Channel.
Robert Redford is a partner with the Sundance Channel, and the founder & president of the Sundance Institute.
Kenneth D. Cole is a trustee at the Sundance Institute, and married to Maria Cuomo Cole.
Maria Cuomo Cole is married to Kenneth D. Cole, and a trustee at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” group for guns.
William D. Zabel was George Soros’s divorce lawyer, and is the chair for the Human Rights First.
Kenneth R. Feinberg is a director at the Human Rights First, and was an administrator of victim payments for the 2012 Aurora (CO) theater shootings.
James D. Zirin was a director at the Human Rights First, and is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Mark A. Angelson was a director at the Human Rights First, and a partner at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013       
Newton N. Minow is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

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