MSM Spin Puts Defense-Rights Denyers in It’s Sights
The event coincided with a related gathering on the steps of the Michigan Capitol where a group claiming to support “common-sense (sic)” gun-control rallied. Most mainstream media coverage focused on this event and its speaker, Michigan State University shooting victim Troy Forbush. Forbush described how he was unable to deter the shooter with his words while unarmed. However, a few journalists included minimal coverage of the “March to defend Lives,” referring to defense-activists as “counter protesters.”
Defense Advocates Receive Some Coverage
Organizer Ryan Brennen was quoted in the Detroit News saying,
“Predators don’t want to go where there’s resistance. They want to attack people that cannot defend themselves,” Brennan said. “If they know that the only people on campus … with guns are going to be the criminal and the police officer that is probably 20-30 minutes away, they’re more than likely to attack those people.”
The event was also covered on Lansing area Channel 6 station WLNS which broadcasted Brennen saying,
“I don’t feel like these laws (measures) are common sense, whatsoever. I feel like it’s going to put more people in harm’s way. It’s going to reduce the people’s capacity to defend themselves, and I’m here to say, ‘no’ to all of it.”
Ryan Brennen also appeared as a guest on the 910 AM Superstation program “The Robert Ficano Show” on Sunday March 26th to discuss the protest.
The Lansing State Journal featured a photo (by Matthew Dae Smith) of 2006 Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate Gregory Creswell holding up a sign that read, “Criminals prefer unarmed victims.” The photo caption reads,
“Gun rights activist Gregory Creswell of the Libertarian Party of Michigan was one of about a dozen Second Amendement counterprotestors wielding signage Thursday, March 23, 2023, during the March for Our Lives rally at the state Capitol. The event was organized by the MSU chapter, in wake of the recent campus shooting rampage that killed three and critically injured five.”
Self-Reporting March to Defend Lives
Activists documented the event with their own recordings. They posted Ryan Brennen’s speech here. Another video featured other protesters and their comments: https://twitter.com/i/status/1639069375993921536
The organizer and most of the defense-rights activists are also members of the Libertarian Party of Michigan.
