On Monday July 4, a mass shooting took place during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
The shooting started about 15 minutes after the parade began. Seven people were murdered and at least 46 others injured.
As expected, Illinois Democratic Governor Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker held a press conference—joined by Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth and first responders—to apprise the public.
You can see the full press conference remarks by Governor Pritzker and Senator Duckworth here:
Pritzker stated:
"Our Founding Fathers carried muskets, not assault weapons."
"And I don’t think a single one of them would have said 'you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine'."
Disgraced former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly took exception to Pritzker's words.
Using his self-created online program he calls No Spin News, O'Reilly ranted against the Illinois governor.
\u201cBill O\u2019Reilly loses his mind after IL Gov Pritzker\u2019s press conference in Highlands Park after the shooting. \u201cYou won\u2019t stop crime, drug crime, drug gangs, because they are minority gangs!\u201d\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
O'Reilly raved:
"You, J.B., are not gonna stop loons, and you won’t stop crime, drug crime, drug gangs, because they’re minority gangs!"
"That’s why you won’t stop them! You phony!"
"You aid and abet this murder in Chicago every blankin’ day. You! Don’t be sanctimonious with me!"
But O'Reilly—who lost his job and standing after a six figure settlement over repeated instances of workplace sexual harassment—found few online supporters for his views.
Where was Bill O’Reilly’s performative outrage when 21 people were killed in Uvalde, Texas? Did he yell and scream at Texas’s Republican Governor Greg Abbott? pic.twitter.com/rLZ8VzfJ0r
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 6, 2022
\u201c@BettyBowers @RonFilipkowski His depends are chaffing?\nThat would make me cranky, there's just some things you don't go low budget on ya know?\nMayo, peanut butter, adult incontinence products...\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
\u201c@A_Division_Bell @RonFilipkowski I was just wondering the same thing! He's still around??\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
\u201c@__eidola__ @RonFilipkowski Thats exactly what I saw. \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
"Angry old white man shouts while pointing fingers at everyone but himself"
— Neal Rogers 🇺🇦 (@nealrogers) July 6, 2022
\u201c@GreenHombre @RonFilipkowski More like a suppository.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
\u201c@ogelgirl @RonFilipkowski Right? And he\u2019s quite gaunt and ghostly. Not a pleasant sight during my middle of the night doomscroll.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
\u201c@MrsNorthToYou @RonFilipkowski Sadly I could hear him either way.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
\u201c@AmoneyResists @RonFilipkowski\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1657069007
While many noted...
pic.twitter.com/yffCZ6dXCG
— Noble Prize in Sarcasm (@rewegreatyet) July 6, 2022
O'Reilly's non sequitur about Chicago and racial minorities is common rhetoric among gun rights advocates after every mass shooting by a White radicalized domestic terrorist.
Their whataboutism deflection is intended to distract the public from gun control efforts and accountability for individuals and organizations enabling or promoting White nationalist and White supremacist radicalism and incitement of violence.
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