White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest admitted Aug. 28 that the president’s plan to aggressively regulate people’s ability to defend themselves would not have stopped the live-TV shooting of WDBJ-TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward.

The planned background checks “would not have applied in this particular case,” he acknowledged.

The gunman, Vester Lee Flanagan, passed a background check when he purchased the gun he used to kill his two former co-workers. The Washington Times reports that he bought two guns from a “Virginia [gun] dealer.”

Flanagan claimed the two victims deserved to be shot for supposed racism, and he also slammed other media colleagues for supposed dislike of gays. However, his claims likely were politically fashionable rationales for a suicidal act of non-political viciousness.

Despite his admission that the president’s plan would not have stopped Flanagan, Earnest still pushed President Barack Obama’s plan to regulate self-defense. “The White House has never suggested that one piece of gun legislation would prevent all gun violence in the U.S.,” he said.

Andy Parker–father of slain reporter Alison Parker–has pledged to start pushing for “gun violence restraining orders” in Virginia, although he admits they “would’t have saved” his daughter from Vester Lee Flanagan.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.