GREENSBURG, Pa. — We live in an era of profound carelessness. Too many people don't want to know the entirety of a story, or worse yet, tell only part of the story they know.

Last month, Martin Palla, a police officer in Western Pennsylvania, learned this the hard way. Palla, who polices Rostraver Township, stood watching the “March for Our Lives” anti-gun rally in nearby Greensburg, dressed in a deep red flannel pullover jacket and khakis with his AR-15 slung over his shoulder and his dog by his side.

Photos of him quickly swept social media. Callers soon crushed the phone lines at his police department, taking critical police resources away from their duties to respond to the deluge.

The department immediately launched an investigation, which was thorough.

“Anytime a police officer does something that grabs the attention of the public, we have to investigate. While what he did should not reflect the police department, he has a right to legally protest,” said Greg Resetar, the Rostraver Township police chief.

“His job is not in jeopardy,” he said flatly.

In the spirit of Palla exercising his civil rights, a rally was held last Saturday in front of the same courthouse where the "March for Our Lives" protesters held their event last month.

A crowd just about equal in size attended the pro-Palla rally. The attendees were just as hopeful, just as passionate, just as patriotic as the “March for Our Lives" attendees.



Bill Perkins of Gibsonia, Pa. (left), stands with his wife, Marilyn Boulet, as they carry their AR-15 style rifles at a rally to support Martin Palla and gun rights on April 22 in the courtyard of the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg, Pa. (Justin Merriman)

But there were a few differences. The "March for Our Lives" rally was run by Voice of Westmoreland (a liberal activist group) and the Westmoreland County Young Democrats. The rally for Palla was organized by Brett Seroka, who lives two counties away and has never met the officer. According to his Facebook page, he just felt deeply motivated to show support for the officer and the Second Amendment.

A more striking distinction between the rallies: Pretty much everyone at the Palla rally was carrying, which is completely legal in Pennsylvania, an open-carry state.

The final distinction: There was no national media coverage of the pro-gun event.

[Opinion: Where's the media love for the pro-Second Amendment student walkout?]



Republican candidate for Congress Rick Saccone (pictured right) and his wife, Yong, join a rally to support Martin Palla and gun rights on April 22 in the courtyard of the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg, Pa. (Justin Merriman)

Everyone talked for days before and after the "March for Our Lives" event about the turnout. Everyone talked for days about Officer Palla and speculated about his intentions; however, few people talked about the swelling of support he received after the event that eventually led to the rally.

National commentators who objected to his presence at the earlier march didn't follow up to write about the fact that the investigation into him was thorough and the findings conclusive.

As with race, we have a very difficult time in this country discussing guns and gun rights. When we read, write, or consume stories about the importance of our rights, in particular the First or Second Amendment, we tend to read, write or consume stories that go only as far as our own biases do.

There are plenty of stories suggesting gun owners are changing their minds and embracing gun control. There are few stories about gun owners whose minds remain firm, never mind stories illustrating a thoughtful response as to why they stand firm.



Men sit along a wall holding their rifles at a gun rights rally on April 22 in the courtyard of a courthouse in Greensburg, Pa. Just about the same amount of people who attended the anti-gun rally last month attended the one supporting him; the attendees were just as hopeful, just as passionate, just as patriotic as the 'March for our Lives’ attendees. (Justin Merriman)

An informed public is a stable public. For most of the public aware of Officer Palla’s story, the saga ended as a gun-toting hillbilly was trying to intimidate young people, in turn earning an investigation.

What they missed is the rest of the story: His job is not at risk, he did nothing violating the terms of his job. The investigation was standard operating procedure. Finally, his story so moved the local public that they came from around the region to show their support, matching in intensity their support for the Second Amendment those that want to curtail it.

How are we to understand our country, if we only ever hear part of the story?