Former Rare Staff
David Frum, a CNN contributor and and senior editor at The Atlantic, was heavily criticized on Wednesday morning, after Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) was shot and wounded at a baseball field outside Washington, D.C. Scalise and other elected officials, including Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Senator Jeff Flake (R-Az.) were practicing for the annual congressional baseball game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. A shooter opened fire on the group, including their staffers, and several members of the United States Capitol Police. Five people, including Scalise, were wounded before the shooter was neutralized.
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In the wake of the shooting, many commentators and pundits took to Twitter to express their condolences to the victims and families, trying to make sense of the day’s tragedy. One of those was pundits was Frum.
Virginia:
No background checks
No licensing
No registration
No permit req’d for concealed carry of long guns
Open carry long guns & handguns— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 14, 2017
“Virginia: No background checks No licensing No registration No permit [required] for concealed carry of long guns Open carry long guns & handguns,” Frum wrote on Twitter.
RELATED: House Republican Steve Scalise and aides shot at Congressional baseball practice
Frum was quickly criticized for his comments. Many believed that it was wrong for him to politicize an event, as information about the incident was still lacking. Others felt that his comment wasn’t accurate and began fighting him on the specifics.
We seem to dread that we’ll offend the gods if we seek to prevent the plagues that regularly ravage our villages. Prayers instead!
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 14, 2017
“We seem to dread that we’ll offend the gods if we seek to prevent the plagues that regularly ravage our villages. Prayers instead!” Frum later added. He also drew a comparison to a deadly fire in England that had occurred hours before the shooting.
There was a terrible fire in London.. Would any British person say in the aftermath “this is not the time to discuss fire safety?"
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 14, 2017
“There was a terrible fire in London.. Would any British person say in the aftermath ‘this is not the time to discuss fire safety?'”
As Frum continued tweeting, his colleagues in academia and media begged him to stop.
https://twitter.com/jpodhoretz/status/874974525989019650
“Seriously, David, wait an hour before you start wagging your finger and delivering a lecture,” John Podhoretz of the New York Post wrote.
