This is an adapted excerpt from the Sept. 5 episode of “Morning Joe.”
On Wednesday, two students and two teachers were killed and nine others injured in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. According to authorities, the 14-year-old suspect, a student at the school, used an “AR platform-style weapon” during the shooting.
As we grieve the victims of this senseless act, sadly, it’s inevitable that we are going to find ourselves back in this place sooner rather than later — mourning deaths that didn’t have to happen.
There’s a difference between freedom and chaos. There can be gun rights advocates who are saying this is freedom, but this has just descended into total chaos.
Georgia is one of the most permissive states when it comes to guns. There are no background checks, which the majority of Americans want. There are no laws that require the safe storage of guns. In Georgia, gun owners are free to carry a concealed handgun — without a permit.
I remember my late, great father Kelly Jordan and his strong gun rights advocacy. He would always say, “More guns makes you safer.” But what happened on Wednesday at that Georgia high school is just another example that no, it doesn’t. More guns do not make us safer.
This is not freedom when it comes to gun rights. It’s just chaos.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
Elise Jordan
Elise Jordan is a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. She was a policy adviser to Sen. Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential campaign. During the George W. Bush administration, she worked in the White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting and at the State Department as a speechwriter.