“The accused Gilgo Beach serial killer had a cache of more than 200 guns at his Massapequa home,” Fox News reported Monday. “He had an arsenal in a vault that he had downstairs. It’s concerning, regarding the guns being registered or legal or not, that’s something we’re still taking a look at,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison declared. “Anytime somebody has that type of arsenal we have some concerns.”
Why? Were guns used to kill the victims?
“While 10 sets of remains were discovered between Dec. 2010 and May 2011, investigators believe the first four — all of whom had been strangled — were killed by one person,” NBC New York reports.
So, guns are irrelevant to the crimes being investigated and are introduced here, without any corroborating data, to imply that collecting guns is abnormal and dangerous, or a potential indicator of a serial killer.
And if that’s true “anytime,” not just for the suspect, architect, and ostensible family man Rex Heuermann, it means anyone who has amassed a substantial collection of firearms poses “some concerns” for law enforcement. Either that or it means Commissioner Harrison has revealed himself to be a typical New York anti-gun (no gun for you) “Only One,” and Fox News continues its slide to become more like CNN.
Suppose firearms have any relevance to this story. In that case, it’s that the victims, all reportedly tiny women, were helpless to stop an attacker the size of the “6-foot-6 inches and 275 pounds” suspect, described by Harrison as on “ogre,” in another display of pre-trial prejudice. It’s curious how “progressives” rail against “sizeism” as a form of intolerance and discrimination but aren’t above public name-calling to gin up the mob to destroy the “ogre.” If, as determined by the evidence and after full due process, Heuermann is found guilty, such a term would apply based on his actions.
And suppose Harrison really wants to talk guns. In that case, the one thing, a self-defense gun, that could have acted as an equalizer in a physical confrontation between the victims and the accused attacker — and stopped a serial killer from adding to the body count – is impeded under New York “law.”
The narrative, as it’s being shaped by the government/media complex, is if you collect guns and are larger than average, you’re suspect. Now look for one other factor to be exploited by those who rely on ad hominem logical fallacies to score points:
“Surprise! Long Island serial killer a registered Republican,” National Zero crowed. “You are just floored by this, right?” And he’s not JUST a “Republican,” but his architectural firm “did some work for the Trump Organization … at Donald’s building at 40 Wall Street, Manhattan in 2018.”
Why bother with words like “accused” or “suspected” when there’s a mob to incite?
And the comments that follow, venting undisguised contempt for “conservatives,” demonstrate all that’s needed to incite lynch mob fury against any “heretics” who don’t embrace the full “progressive” agenda.
Note how many give their full-throated approval to Gavin Newsom and his “28th Amendment” designed to eviscerate the Second. And if what it takes is conflating gun owners with monsters, that’s exactly what the prohibitionists and their media cheerleaders will resort to.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.