The location is about 150 miles east of Seattle.
The suspect, alleged to be a soldier high on mushrooms, began shooting randomly into the crowd and did not stop until he was confronted by a heroic police officer. Two people were killed, and three others were injured in the senseless attack.
Police detective Edgar Salazar is unquestionably a good guy. He stood up to the crazed shooter and neutralized the situation before any other innocents could be injured or killed.
But for one local media outlet, it is his pro-gun stance in a lawsuit that is the news of the day.
The Tri-City Herald headlined its breathless story with “‘Hero’ credited with shooting accused Gorge killer is plaintiff in WA gun rights lawsuit.”
In a world of responsible journalism, this fact is not a relevant part of the story. But for at least one newspaper, the constitutional convictions of a hero beg for further scrutiny.
According to the outlet, “Edgar Salazar of the Moses Lake Police Department is a plaintiff in the case along with five other individuals.” Another of the plaintiffs is listed as Guardian Arms, and the Herald noted that “the business license for Guardian Arms Training lists Edgar Salazar as owner.”
In other words, a sworn officer is also a defender of Second Amendment rights. Go figure.
The case involved, Guardian Arms v. Inslee, sought to end Washington’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” that was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on April 25. The law invoked an “emergency clause” and took effect immediately.
The lawsuit was filed the same day, and Guardian Arms is listed as the lead plaintiff along with others. Despite the clear infringement on the Second Amendment by House Bill 1240, the Thurston County Superior Court Judge sided with state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and turned back the legal attempt to block the egregious new law.
This came Thursday, just days after Salazar used his firearm to possibly save numerous lives at the music festival.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Seattle rejected a request for a preliminary injunction to block the new law from being enforced.
HB 1240 outlaws the “manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of any assault weapon” in the state. Its passage made Washington the tenth state along with the District of Columbia to ban these popular sporting rifles.
Several questions come to mind, but the primary one is why is the hero officer’s status as part of the lawsuit even news? At what point does that fact enter the reporting of him saving people from a crazed violent criminal?
It is noteworthy that the suspect allegedly used a handgun, not a so-called “assault rifle” as is now banned in Washington state. For that matter, these rifles are rarely used in crimes in the first place, though that hardly matters to the anti-gun crowd.
Could this reporting be an example of a writer disapproving of a stalwart defense of the Second Amendment and attempting to connect this act with the shooting of an armed suspect? If so, most reasonable citizens would draw the exact opposite conclusion.
Edgar Salazar is a hero, and not just for his actions at the music festival campground. He also applied his good name, time, and energy into a spirited legal action seeking to uphold the public’s constitutional rights. If the Tribune’s reporting intended to show otherwise, it missed badly.
