Chuck Norris defends shooting survivor who says CNN censored him

A teen survivor of the Florida school shooting believes armed U.S. teachers and veterans can protect America’s school kids from would-be killers – an idea proposed by action star Chuck Norris five years ago – but the student said CNN blocked his effort to discuss the issue in a town-hall event this week.

And now Norris has something to say about it – calling the teen “a young man with great character and fortitude” and saying CNN should have highlighted the shooting survivor’s concerns.

Colton Haab, a Junior ROTC student who helped fellow students seek shelter at Stoneman Douglas High School, made headlines Thursday when he told reporters CNN wouldn’t allow him to talk about the issue at the Wednesday evening town hall.

“I expected to be able to ask my questions and give my opinions on my questions,” Colton Haab, a Junior ROTC student, told WPLG-TV. “CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions, and it ended up being all scripted.”

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Initially, Haab said, CNN asked him to write a speech and come up with his own questions.

He had been prepared to ask about school safety and proposals that schools allow teachers and veterans to act as armed guards for students, a suggestion offered by Norris five years ago and again this week, in an exclusive WND column.

Haab said CNN rejected his questions, so he decided not to go to the townhall.

“I don’t think it’s going to get anything accomplished,” he said. “It’s not gonna ask the true questions that all the parents and teachers and students have.”

CNN claims Haab isn’t telling the truth. CNN Communications tweeted Thursday, “CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night’s town hall, nor have we ever.”

CNN’s Vice President of Communications and Digital Partnerships Matt Dornic told the Daily Caller that the network had given Haab an opportunity to talk about arming teachers rather than giving a speech. CNN said Haab chose not to reframe his remarks.

“Despite CNN’s explanation, the network did in fact let multiple participants deliver lengthy remarks [that] went beyond the pale of simple questions,” the Daily Caller reported.

Colton appeared Thursday night on Fox News and reiterated to Tucker Carlson: “Originally, I had thought that it was going to be more of my own question and my own say. And then it turned out to be more of just a script. And [the producer] had actually said that over the phone, that I needed to stick to the script.”

In exclusive comments to WND, Norris said:

Colton Haab, a Florida Junior ROTC student, is a young man with great character and fortitude!

In my [Feb. 19] column, I specifically asked, “And which one of our fine law enforcement or military personnel (in any branch) wouldn’t consider it their greatest duty and honor to take a paid or volunteer shift as a guard in front of our schools protecting those precious souls?”

The question still stands.

Progressives are on the warpath to restrict free speech and guns, and they even tried it with Colton Haab. Thank God, Colton was not afraid to stand up to suppressors of free speech. Rather than suppress Colton’s freedoms and solutions, CNN should have elevated and highlighted them.

Our friend and NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre explained it well on Thursday as he addressed CPAC, when he said no matter what political persuasion you are, “We share a goal of safe schools, safe neighborhoods and a safe country.” He also reminded us that “evil walks among us.”

We are the protectors while they are the predators. Survivors like Colton want to protect kids from school shootings, while the federal government and other progressives open our kids to harm’s way and restrict safety measures by keeping our schools as gun-free zones.

That is also why LaPierre said about those enemies of the people: “What they want is more restrictions on the law-abiding. They want to sweep right under the carpet the failure of school security.”

Thank God there are still young men like Colton Haab who realize suppression in any form is just a return to life under the British Crown. And if we’re going to protect the children across this land, we’re going to have to call up the reserves and do it ourselves instead of waiting on Washington.

Norris – an Air Force veteran himself – raised his idea of having teams of active and retired law enforcement and military members and veterans serve as posted guards at schools across the nation in his 2013 series on reducing violent crime in the U.S.:

Part 1: “Israel: America’s model for reducing violent crime”
Part 2: “Do gun bans actually curb violent crime?”
Part 3: “Reducing violent crime in the U.S. from the inside out”
Part 4: “Reducing violent crime in the U.S. from the inside out”