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Christians were targeted in the latest mass shooting in America, first by the killer and then by a malevolently dishonest media.

The city of Nashville is in mourning after the mass shooting of six locals, three of them children, at The Covenant School in Tennessee on Monday morning.

Among the victims are three staff members, all in their 60s, including Head of School Katherine Koonce, and Hallie Scruggs, the 9-year-old daughter of Rev. Chad Scruggs, who pastors the school’s church.

The Covenant School is a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, on whose campus the preschool-to-6th-grade Christian school is located.

Officers from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department have been praised for their bravery. Despite being shot at from the second floor when they arrived on site, Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo immediately ran upstairs and neutralised the shooter just 14 minutes after the first 911 call was made at 10.13am.

Transgender ‘Theory’ Behind Shooter’s Motive: Police

The killer has been identified as 28-year-old woman Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who has been confirmed as a former student at the school, and who recently started using male pronouns and the name ‘Aiden’ on social media.

Hale left a manifesto outlining her plans for the attack, including “a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place,” according to Police Chief John Drake.

Asked if Audrey Hale’s transgender identity played into her motive for the attack, Drake responded, “there is some theory to that,” but said details would have to wait as the investigation was still ongoing.

When questioned by reporters if the Covenant School shooting was a targeted attack, Drake replied, “It was.”

LGBT groups have since urged police not to make the shooter’s manifesto public. But Republican lawmakers such as Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett have called for the release of the document, arguing, “We need to know what was going through this person’s head”.

The police department has indicated it will eventually publish the manifesto, though not while the investigation is still open.

A Spate of Transgender Shootings

Gun control was the focus for progressive politicians in the fallout of the Covenant School shooting. However, critics of transgender ideology highlighted the increasing radicalism of the novel movement and the disproportionate number of recent mass shooters identifying as transgender and non-binary.

Snochia Moseley, a man who identified as a woman, was behind a fatal attack in Aberdeen, Maryland in 2018.

A 2019 mass shooting in Denver, Colorado was perpetrated by Maya McKinney, who was “transitioning” at the time of the shooting, and wanted to be known as ‘Alec’.

The LGBT nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs in 2022 was carried out by Anderson Lee Aldrich, who identified as non-binary.

Other commentators have speculated about the role that cross-sex hormones like testosterone potentially play in “male-typical mass violence” like Audrey Hale’s, which is normally very uncommon among women.

When Disagreement is Branded as ‘Genocide’

The bulk of criticism, however, was levelled against media-driven rhetoric accusing opponents of transgender ideology of “violence” and a “trans genocide”.

Joel Berry, Managing Editor of The Babylon Bee, tweeted, “If you keep telling mentally ill kids that people disagreeing with them is literal genocide, eventually one of them is going to pick up a weapon.”

“I have been telling you for a long time that left wing trans extremists are violent, dangerous people who have been made to feel absolutely entitled to say and do whatever they want,” warned Daily Wire podcaster Matt Walsh. “The deranged claims of ‘genocide’ are an open invitation to violence.” He said his strong remarks are based on repeated threats against his family by radical activists.

In less direct verbiage, veteran independent journalist Glenn Greenwald asked, “Who radicalized the Nashville shooter? What media outlets, pundits and politicians share and spread the murderer’s ideology?” He then observed, “This is the twisted game that’s played every time there’s a massacre that presents the opportunity to blame one’s enemies. It can’t be done selectively.”

Violence Incited and Condoned

The Covenant School shooting came just days after global media outlets sided with violent transgender protesters who assaulted Kellie-Jay Keen, a women’s rights advocate, during her visit to New Zealand. Even Kiwi Prime Minister Chris Hipkins refused to condemn the violence when prompted by reporters.

Australian Senator Lydia Thorpe likewise aggressively charged at Kellie-Jay Keen as she gave a speech in Canberra, but was restrained by police.

Meanwhile in the United States, violent rhetoric has grown increasingly common among progressive figureheads.

In a guest appearance on The View earlier this month, Jane Fonda suggested that conservative Americans should be murdered.

Left-wing commentator Cenk Uygur, the Arizona Governor’s Press Secretary Josselyn Berry, and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan have all come under fire for recent pro-transgender statements that critics view as veiled threats of violence.

The spotlight has also been on the Trans Radical Activist Network for promoting an upcoming ‘Trans Day of Vengeance’, which they still plan to hold in Washington, D.C. at the weekend, despite the recent shooting.

Senator for Missouri Josh Hawley told reporters that Monday’s shooting should be investigated as a federal hate crime, given the indication from police that the killer intentionally targeted people based on their religious affiliation and belief.

Corporate Media Blames Victims for Shooting

In the wake of Monday’s events, the American corporate media has published a string of scurrilous headlines implicitly blaming Christians, Republicans and critics of the transgender movement for Audrey Hale’s murder spree.

An MSNBC article, now stealth-edited to remove the offending headline, was originally titled, ‘6 are dead in Nashville. Let’s revisit how much the Tennessee GOP loves guns’.

“Drag shows and gender-affirming care for minors were banned in Tennessee this month, while assault weapons remain legal,” read a tweet from Newsweek.

ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran also implicitly blamed the attack on legislation recently passed in Tennessee banning the genital mutilation of minors.

Not to be outdone, NBC News contributor Benjamin Ryan suggested conservative news outlet the Daily Wire was to blame, tweeting, “Nashville is home to the Daily Wire, a hub of anti-trans activity by @MattWalshBlog, @BenShapiro, and @MichaelJKnowles.” He has since deleted the post.

Many major outlets deliberately hid Audrey Hale’s transgender identity from readers. Reuters even implied she was a Christian, tweeting, ‘Former Christian school student kills 3 children, 3 staff in Nashville shooting’.

Apparently overlooking the victimised Christian school community, NBC reported, ‘Fear pervades Tennessee’s trans community amid focus on Nashville shooter’s gender identity: “We were already fearing for our lives. Now, it’s even worse.”’

Summing up the dirty deeds of the legacy press, the Babylon Bee’s Joel Berry wrote, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the media take the side of a mass shooter.”

Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham similarly reflected:

Even so, the Word of God stands:

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-45a).