A Modest Proposal for Political Etiquette Following Mass Shootings: NO Comment Until After the Last Funeral (And YES Erick Erickson Should Apologize)

I cannot believe the amount of commentary on the Oregon school shooting.  Of course I am horrified and appalled at the needless death and injury but I was dismayed at the comments.  Two examples:

President Obama immediately sought to promote gun control on the day the event occurred.  Here’s the story and video from Real Clear Politics.  No, Mr. President, we should not politicize this event.

But I am especially dismayed at Erick Erickson for this apparent response:

Our President is a Jackass

I sincerely hope this was a hacker.  I don’t allow that JA word in my home to be said by my kids.  And I thoroughly disagree with this President, I would not call him that word.  I admire and respect Erickson very much and I still do; we all make mistakes.  But Erick Erickson should apologize.

I propose a rule of political etiquette relating to events like this:  NO comment or calls for political action based on this until after the last funeral.  Let’s comfort the survivors and the families of those killed but not say anything political until after the funerals are over.  Then try to see if these events can be prevented.  (An adjunct to this rule is no recruitment or attempted recruitment of any victim for a gun cause on either side for 30 days after the event.  It’s bad taste.)