The Bubble: Stop reporting on mass shootings, conservative says

William Cummings | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Florida school shooting victims remembered as 'hero,' 'baby girl,' 'sweet angel' A beloved coach. A senior headed to college on a swimming scholarship. These are the 17 fatalities of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Each week, USA TODAY's OnPolitics blog takes a look at how media from the left and the right reacted to a political news story, giving liberals and conservatives a peek into the other's media bubble.

This week the debate over how to prevent mass shootings again split largely along party lines after 17 people were killed by a former student Wednesday at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

Many on the left argued that the obvious solution is gun control, particularly restrictions on high-capacity semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. Commentators on the right said more gun laws aren't the answer, instead calling for more armed staff in schools

Last week:: Nunes memo as 'thin as Trump's coif,' liberals say

Liberal bubble: 'Mass shootings are a national security threat'

There is a "collective failure to see the existential threat posed by guns to Americans," said Phillip Carter in Slate. "As long as it remains easy for malicious people to acquire weapons like those used in Parkland, Las Vegas, Orlando, or San Bernardino, Americans will die by the dozens."

Our country spends hundreds of billions of dollars on an intelligence and military capability to protect Americans from external threats, both real and projected. We do quite little to protect Americans at home from the very real threat of guns—a threat which took an average of 42 lives per day in 2017. Framing matters. Presenting guns as a law enforcement issue has not catalyzed an effective response; describing gun violence in public health terms has illustrated the scope of carnage, but also not generated a sufficient societal response. Perhaps presenting gun violence as a national security threat will finally galvanize America to act.

'We will be the last mass shooting': Florida students want to be the tipping point in gun debate

Conservative bubble: 'Courage is a cornerstone of gun culture'

"Every single time America is rocked by a mass shooting, the insults come raining down: Conservatives and Republican politicians who oppose new gun-control laws aren’t just wrong, they’re cowards," said the National Review's David French.

French said it is "one of the worst aspects of the modern gun debate" that Republicans oppose gun control not out of "conviction but out of craven compliance" with the NRA and its campaign contributions.

In fact, those making the argument either don’t know or don’t care about the extent to which courage is a cornerstone of gun culture. After all, what good is a firearm if a law-abiding citizen doesn’t have the courage and self-discipline to use it in self-defense or in the defense of his family and neighbors? Countless permit holders don’t just take the time to get carry licenses, they spend hours at the range. They take classes. They aspire to be brave.

More: Trump visits Florida shooting victims, vows to tackle 'mental health' issues

Liberal bubble: 'What thoughts? What prayers?'

"In our heart of hearts, we know that 'thoughts and prayers' won’t do," said The Washington Post's Colbert King.

But instead of taking action, "we thank the brave first responders. Denounce and jail the shooter — if he is still alive. Hold prayer vigils. Conduct serial funerals. Bury the dead. And, as a nation, stop right there, ignoring the cancer of mass-casualty attacks invading every corner of our national body."

As long as Trump has a grip on Congress and the NRA has his back, the AR-15 — the weapon used by the Parkland shooter — is safe. The American people can loosen that grip, and can also stand down the NRA. We have an opportunity and the means by way of the voting booth. Goodness knows, we have the motive.

More: No, there have not been 18 school shootings already this year

Conservative bubble: Stop reporting on mass shootings

It's not the Second Amendment that needs to be reined in to stop the wave of American mass shootings, Rebekah Jorgensen said. It's the First Amendment that needs an edit.

"Yes, that’s right. Stop letting these mass tragedies dominate the news cycle for entire weeks. Stop leveraging grief to try and force Congress’s collective hand. Stop bickering, virtue-signaling, and trying to figure out conspiracy theories and details," Jorgensen wrote in The Federalist.

Jorgensen graciously concedes that we shouldn't "blame the 24-hour news cycle for all mass shootings," but she does argue that if the news media would stop "weaponizing mass shootings for clicks" shooters seeking fame might be stopped.

Liberal bubble: Lift the ban on gun violence research

"Republicans and Democrats can reverse the maddening policy that has essentially shut down research on gun violence for the last 22 years," said the New Republic Emily Atkin.

The ban on funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known as the Dickey Amendment, should not exist, she said.

"If Americans had this research, Congress would have a clearer picture of what effective policy steps would be to prevent these sickeningly familiar mass shootings."

More: Shooting boosts bill to allow guns in Florida schools

Conservative bubble: Arm 'protectors of the innocent'

"America is not going to become gun-free" and "mental health-focused 'solutions' are incompatible with civil liberties" so "the fact is, evil people with guns must be stopped by good people with guns," concluded Newt Gingrich.

"Every school in America should have several teachers and administrators trained in firearms who are permitted to carry concealed weapons," Gingrich proposed on Fox News Opinion. "The number of these 'protectors of the innocent' in each school should be determined by the number of students."

Comparing it the Federal Air Marshall program, Gingrich said because they would not be in uniform and would carry concealed firearms "would-be killers would have no idea who might be capable of ending their threat by ending them."

More: Why active shooter drills didn’t help in the Florida high school shooting