Moron Panahi runs interference for NSW Police over John Edwards incident

This week’s edition of “who are you and why do we care what you think about firearms” comes to us from Sky News’ mouthpiece Rita Panahi:

“But according to police Edward’s crime was carefully planned for months with the 68-year-old financial planner obtaining a firearms license last year in preparation for his evil act.The gutless coward then turned the gun on himself.

Olga was left to deal with the heartbreaking aftermath and despite receiving regular counselling, hospital care and having family, friends and neighbours who cared for her welfare she was found dead two weeks ago.

Edwards’ evil resulted in the deaths of three innocent lives. He killed Olga just as he killed the children, he killed her after subjecting her to the most horrific cruelty any mother can suffer.

A senior police officer called it a “slow murder”.

It’s hard to think what else could’ve been done to save Olga. Every mother I have spoken to about her death believes that it was a tragedy that was almost unavoidable. As a community we need to ask why was a man who was banned from seeing his own children after a bitter custody dispute, a man who had violent incidents in his past allowed to own firearms.

And why wasn’t Olga informed that he had obtained a firearms license and guns? Now, of course this crime could’ve been committed with another weapon but maybe those kids would’ve had a chance if Edwards wasn’t armed with a gun.

We need to do better to protect women and children who show great courage in fleeing abusive relationships. Or we’ll continue to hear about kids being killed by a parent who wants to punish their ex-partner in the most horrible way imaginable.”

Just more of the same ultracrepidarian, “think of the children” drivel. I’m sure you have a mortgage to pay Rita, but this is a farce. This is the same Rita Panahi who suggested earlier this year on 2GB on the Steve Price Show that the Australian Senate should be abolished because of the crossbench. She’s an LNP cheerleader par excellence, so no surprises there.

This is clearly just Newscorp continuing to run interference for NSW Police for their massive stuff up as well as hoping to capitalise on the tragic suicide of the mother earlier in the week. Fellow Daily Telegraph hack Shari Markson did this a few months ago.

There are only two parties that are to blame for the whole sordid affair: John Edwards, for taking the lives of his two kids and NSW Police for ignoring the clubs and issuing a Commissioner’s Permit. The clubs did their job and rejected Edwards, NSW Police didn’t do theirs – facts which Panahi conveniently leaves out in her emotional litany.

While the new online PTA system has been a step in the right direction (although PTA’s should be abolished completely) you can’t cut staff from NSWFAR and expect quality control to continue which leads to incidents like this.

Further, the weapon of choice for domestic violence in Australia is clearly knives, as evidenced from the ABS:

“In 2017, there were 126 victims recorded of FDV-related Homicide and related offences. The majority (83%) of FDV-related Homicides occurred at a residential location (105 victims). Almost two-thirds (65%) involved the use of a weapon (82 victims), most commonly a knife (40 victims).”

Mick Fuller and NSW Police need to harden up and own their mistake. You can’t cut services to NSWFAR, issue a Commissioner’s Permit and then cry victim and punish everyone who had nothing to do with it. It’s a weird cocktail of collectivist punishment, victim blaming and projection all mixed in together.

Sounds like Fuller has been taking his cues from Ian Stewart.

Even the notoriously anti-gun AMA stated emphatically that the suggestion of mental health screening was a complete waste of time and money:

This is the latest chapter in the anti-gun narrative in Australia. Domestic violence is now the new tactic and angle of the civilian disarmament brigade and we’ve seen several efforts to that extent so far. Good thing we have white ribbons, candlelit vigils and pieces of paper to stop that though.

This is also another timely reminder that Sky News truly is the home of the fake right. It may be right wing on some issues (and even that is questionable) but on topics like firearms the commentariat are just as much chock full of authoritarian bootlickers as anyone at the ABC or Domainfax.

Murdoch is not your friend.