Mother of Audrey Hale SPEAKS! Norma Hale
BY LINCOLN BROWN
SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lincolnbrown/2023/03/27/breaking-multiple-fatalities-in-shooting-at-nashville-christian-elementary-n1681871;
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.
Multiple people are dead following a shooting incident at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Original reports from Fox News said that at least three children and two adults had died. That number rose to seven as more information became available. One officer sustained an injury in the incident. The Covenant School is a private Christian institution for children up to the sixth grade. The three students and three adults were taken by ambulance to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The victims were pronounced dead at the hospital.
Originally, it was not clear if one of the deceased was the shooter, although a later report from Nashville Metro Police confirmed that the shooter had been engaged by officers and was killed.
“Officers went to the gunfire. When they got to the second floor and saw the shooter, a female. There was a five-member unit that was on the second floor at the time,” MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron said. “We know at this point that this shooter is a female. Her identification isn’t confirmed. She had two assault rifles and a handgun. She entered the school through a side entrance and went from the first school to the second floor. By 10:27 a.m., the shooter was dead.”
It is not known if the female shooter had any connection to the school. NewsChannel 5 reports that the shooter is a 28-year-old Nashville resident. Her name has not yet been released.
The police department said that other schools in the Green Hills area were placed on lockdown or lockout as a precaution and that parents were notified of the situation. Area roads have been closed during the response to the incident. According to WKRN, ATF Nashville, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have responded to assist with the incident.
News Channel 5 had statements from officials and Tennessee’s congressional delegation:
Mayor John Cooper:
In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Our entire city stands with you. As facts continue to emerge, I thank our first responders and medical professionals.
Gov. Bill Lee:
I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant, & the @TNDeptofSafety & @TNHighwayPatrol are assisting local law enforcement & first responders at the scene. As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community.
Sen. Bill Hagerty:
Devastated and heartbroken about the tragic news at Covenant School. I’m grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions. I am monitoring the situation closely, and my office is in contact with local officials & available to anyone needing assistance.
Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton:
No harm should ever come to any child. At some point today, please take a moment to pray for the families impacted by this tragedy. As we continue learning more details, we appreciate law enforcement and first responders for their quick response neutralizing the threat
The House Democratic Caucus:
The House Democratic Caucus is praying for the children and their families who were shooting victims at the Covenant School. Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons says, “Our thoughts are with the families of the entire school community and surrounding neighborhood.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn:
Chuck and I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, and we stand ready to assist. Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected.
This is a developing story. PJ Media will have more information as it becomes available.
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Biden Swiftly Exploits Nashville Shooting to Push Gun Ban Demand
BY DAVE WORKMAN
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/03/biden-swiftly-exploits-nashville-shooting-to-push-gun-ban-demand/;
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.
Joe Biden moved quickly to exploit the Nashville school shooting and call once again for a ban on so-called “assault weapons.”
President Joe Biden wasted no time Monday to use the murders of six people at a private Christian grade school in Nashville, allegedly by a 28-year-old woman reportedly armed with two semiautomatic rifles and a handgun, to push his gun ban agenda.
She was killed by responding Nashville police officers. One NBC report identified the suspect as Audrey Hale.
Biden has been calling for a ban on so-called “assault rifles” for many years and used it as part of his presidential campaign three years ago.
The victims in Monday’s murderous rampage included three students and three staff members, according to Fox News. The killer apparently gained entry through a side door at the Covenant School. There were conflicting reports the female suspect may have once been a student at the school, but Nashville Police Chief John Drake was not certain what years she may have attended the private school.
The shooting comes at a time when Congress and state legislatures are battling over proposals to ban so-called “assault weapons.” Monday’s incident can only add fuel to that political fire. In one report, CNN noted that Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) also declared his support for banning semi-auto rifles and closing alleged gaps in the background check system.
All of these remarks were made even before police were able to find out much about the shooter or what her motive might have been.
In a separate report, Fox News confirmed Biden—speaking to a group of small business owners at a White House event—called on Congress to renew the ban “just like he helped pass in 1994.” Passage of that ten-year ban helped bring gun voters to the polls that year in huge numbers, throwing out more than 50 Democrat members of Congress and costing the party control of Capitol Hill for more than a decade.
Monday afternoon, police were only saying the female shooter was a resident of Nashville, but they were still not naming her.
By all accounts, police responded within minutes to the first call, and two of the first five officers on the scene engaged and killed the woman. She had made it all the way to the second floor of the school building after apparently entering through a side door.
Mass shootings by women are considered rare events. Typical mass shooters are male.
Not so rare, however, are efforts to exploit the shooting. In one strange event, reported by The Hill, a woman identified as Ashbey Beasley “took over a Fox News live stream” Monday, claiming to be a survivor of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.
USA Today noted that “Biden’s push to reenact a ban…has gained no traction in the Republican-led House and even faces an uphill climb in the Democratic-controlled Senate despite a series of gun shootings nationally.”
Nearly two years ago, the White House released Biden’s “comprehensive strategy” to “prevent and respond” to gun-related crime and “ensure public safety.” The high points of that package remain online today:
- Stem the flow of firearms used to commit violence, including by holding rogue firearms dealers accountable for violating federal laws;
- Support local law enforcement with federal tools and resources to help address summer violent crime;
- Invest in evidence-based community violence interventions;
- Expanding summer programming, employment opportunities, and other services and supports for teenagers and young adults; and
- Help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reenter their communities.
There does not appear to be a single thing in this plan about locking up armed criminals, nor does there appear to be anything in these points that might have prevented the Nashville shooting. Police have not yet said whether the suspect got the guns legally.
Writing at USA Today, columnist Rex Huppke declared, “Hang your Second Amendment.” He wraps up his column by declaring, “It’s the guns. It has always been the guns. And until we treat them like the deadly tools we know they are, it will always be the guns.”
So, the “blame the guns” chorus has already begun tuning up. Various messages on social media reflect this approach, while others want to spend more on mental health efforts.
Perhaps before blaming the gun, the suspect ought to be blamed. In this case, however, the suspect is already dead.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
