Whether it is a report about the 16-year-old suspect in a deadly Seattle-area mall shooting or the shooting of a would-be teenage carjacker outside the home of a Supreme Court justice, there appears to be a uniform omission in all of the news coverage, which only helps to fuel the gun control agenda.

None of the reports provide an in-depth explanation of the laws already being violated by the teens involved. As a result, readers and listeners are left with the impression that “one more law,” which ultimately only affects law-abiding adults, is the solution to the problem.

Facing charges in Washington, D.C. for the attempted armed carjacking outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is 18-year-old Kentrell Flowers. He has been charged with carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a large-capacity magazine, according to the New York Post.

Not mentioned is that he was prohibited by law from having the handgun at his age because teens cannot get a license to carry in the District.

Amazingly, the Deputy U.S. Marshal who shot him at point-blank range didn’t kill Flowers. Perhaps the lawman needs more range time.

Emerging at the same time from the “other Washington” is the somewhat bizarre story revolving around the slaying of 13-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson at the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, a suburban community north of Seattle. Sixteen-year-old Samuel Gizaw has been charged as an adult in the case. He faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

While those charges should be self-explanatory, KOMO News—the Seattle-area ABC affiliate—could easily have noted that in Washington state, the suspect is prohibited by existing law from carrying a concealed handgun. Viewers frequently need to be reminded about existing laws that were adopted to prevent this sort of crime, and which evidently have failed, fatally. The establishment press never delves into that arena.

Gizaw allegedly drew a gun in response to being punched in the face by another teen, for who the fatal shot was meant.

This is where the story became an outrage. Gizaw was initially released on a $500,000 bond. At ten percent–$50,000 cash—that’s not chump change for anyone’s parents. His mother reportedly turned him in, and then after charges were announced, Gizaw was back in custody, and bail was set at $2 million. In Washington, teens are automatically charged as adults in such cases.

According to the Everett Herald, the confrontation which ended in then shooting started because of a “disrespectful comment” he allegedly made about a deceased friend of the other teens involved. Gizaw left the mall with friends and the gun has not been recovered.

Gizaw has entered a “Not Guilty” plea.

Meanwhile, authorities in Las Vegas have arrested three teens, including an 18-year-old identified as Doir Jenkins, in the slaying of another teen in May, according to KLAS News. The other suspects, 17 and 14, are believed to have been involved in the murder of a 16-year-old.

In Harrisburg, Pa., a 17-year-old identified as Tyjawan Hill is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and “firearms offenses” following an incident in which a 15-year-old was shot in broad daylight on a Harrisburg street. The suspect is being held without bail, according to WHTM News. Here, again, is a case where existing law addresses the situation, which is another omission by the media, which could help explain why no new laws are necessary to address the situation.

Down in Sanford, Fla., 16-year-old Christopher Bouie, Jr., was charged as an adult after allegedly wounding ten people at a party, according to CBS News. He faces five counts of attempted second-degree murder while discharging a firearm, and one count of firearm possession by a minor at the April 28 incident.

Again, no mention that existing law provides an adequate response to the alleged crimes, so there should be no reason for additional legislation in Tallahassee.

And, in Miami, an 18-year-old identified as Jeron Smith, is charged in the slaying of 15-year-old Damarion Bailey. At least the Miami Herald made it clear the suspect is no model citizen, having been charged with illegal firearm possession in April. He posted $7,500 bond on May 22. Smith’s mother is claiming he and the victim were friends, according to a local NBC affiliate.

There never seems to be an accompanying analysis of these crimes, and how the teens involved are already violating multiple existing laws even before shots are fired. It is never explained that gun control laws did not, and more importantly, cannot prevent mayhem by teen killers.

The laws are only good for prosecuting criminal suspects, not preventing any of the crimes. This seems to be roundly misunderstood by nearly everyone involved, except for the gun prohibitionists interested in sensationalizing the crimes and then exploiting the grief, and by the Second Amendment activists toward whom a deaf ear is turned by the media.

Something equally important, which rarely seems to happen, is a follow-up report about these crimes revealing the source of the guns involved. Are they stolen? Were they taken from then suspect’s home? Were they obtained from illicit sources “on the street?”

It is a cinch none of these guns were legally purchased by the teen suspects at a legitimate retail shop and none were purchased at gun shows; facts which are so rarely reported as to be non-existent.

Likewise, nobody bothers to mention that these teens could not possibly obtain a concealed carry permit or license.

If the listening or reading audience is made aware of these facts, it might cool public fervor for new and more restrictive laws which only encumber honest citizens.

But then, where would be the sensation be in that, for a media addicted to sensationalism in the interest of ratings?

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.