BELLEVUE, WA – Marion County, Florida Sheriff Billy Woods was “absolutely right” Friday when he told reporters during a press conference about the arrests of two suspects in a triple slaying that the gun is not responsible, the people using it are, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“It’s deplorable that NBC News chose to describe Sheriff Woods’ remarks as a ‘wild rant’ against gun control when he responded to a question from a reporter,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “The sheriff is a career lawman, and he’s got more than enough experience to make the distinction between an inanimate object and an individual with an evil heart. If anyone is guilty of going off on a rant, it’s NBC News.”

During his remarks to reporters, and without prompting, Sheriff Woods observed, “There are individuals out there viewing, and (that) includes some of you (in the) media, who want to blame the one thing that has no ability or the capacity to commit the crime itself, and that’s the gun. These individuals committed the crime.” He also stated, “All the gun laws we got in place didn’t prevent it, did it? Neither will any new ones. Because here’s the fact: The bad guy is going to get a gun no matter what law you put in place.”

“Evidently,” Gottlieb said, “some in the media can’t stand the truth. When they quoted Sheriff Woods, some reports deliberately omitted his reference to the media among those wanting to blame the gun. The sheriff got it right, and the establishment media knows it. The terrible crime in his county which left three teens dead was committed by individuals, not a gun, and it is time for the anti-gun press and the gun prohibition lobby to admit it.”

According to Sheriff Woods, the firearm used in the crime was stolen, leaving Gottlieb to note, “the gun didn’t steal itself.”

“The fact that a stolen gun was apparently used in this crime simply underscores the sheriff’s remarks about the failure of gun control laws to prevent criminals, regardless of their age, from getting their hands on firearms,” Gottlieb stated. “As we’ve said before, America doesn’t have a problem with guns, it has a problem with criminals, and with a justice system that treats them like victims. Gun control proponents, including the media, need to put the blame where it belongs. Otherwise, they’ll be demanding Sheriff Woods and his colleagues should arrest guns instead of the people who misuse them.”