What do you do when your ideas stink, your message has been debunked and there is a negligible return on your investment in the gun control agenda?

For anti-gun Democrats facing this dire situation, the answer is to deflect. Leftists and their allies utilize stories that titillate and joust for attention to keep Americans focused away from any good news. So much bad information presented all of the time means that we are less likely to scrutinize what is written for accuracy or bias. In fact, study after study shows that readers seek information sources that confirm what they already believe. In light of this, it is of the utmost importance that media, the so-called Fourth Estate, hold itself to the highest of journalistic standards in all reporting—online, in print and on television.

Someone has not yet gotten the memo, because The Washington Post is at it again, this time attempting to create a connection between a Missouri radio shock jock and the senseless shooting of Republican Congressmen at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va. As Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., fights for his life, recently returning to the intensive care unit for more surgery to deal with infection, Peter Holley has undertaken the herculean task of connecting openly left-wing shooter and Bernie Sanders supporter James T. Hodgkinson to the so-called right-wing political world.

Leftists and their allies utilize stories that titillate and joust for attention to keep Americans focused away from any good news.

So, what would trigger a writer at The Washington Post to make such a wildly inaccurate and easily disprovable assertion? Because deflecting to gun control didn’t work. When news of the shooting hit the media, a few offered up the same tired and ineffective gun control talking points: Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe even struck out with, “93 million Americans a day are killed by guns!” He later corrected himself, but thankfully the gaffe was enough to negate his entire statement. Other gun control activists tried to pile on but were summarily dismissed when it was pointed out that Capitol Police officers used guns to stop the rampage, taking fire themselves while saving countless lives in the process.

Considering the level of demagoguery constantly dumped upon gun owners, NRA members and anyone who supports the Constitution, perhaps we should come to expect this level of poor reporting. But what is driving it? Could it be the successes that President Donald Trump has created for Americans? So far, the president has reconstructed and repaired the bonds with our allies in Saudi Arabia and Israel, while demanding that NATO members get up to speed on their financial obligations. President Trump is utilizing strong language to deter illegals from entering our southern border, lowering illegal entries by 70 percent and saving American taxpayers untold millions of dollars in the bargain. The appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court has already yielded beneficial rulings that hew to a strict constitutional line. The president also pushed the Keystone pipeline through, and has signaled to businesses at home and abroad that America is open for business once again. The market has responded accordingly.

Considering the level of demagoguery constantly dumped upon gun owners, NRA members and anyone who supports the Constitution, perhaps we should come to expect this level of poor reporting.The president also spoke in person to the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings in Atlanta, assuring members and gun owners that he will never permit the Second Amendment to be infringed. These developments, many of which satisfy campaign promises, should be covered in full by the media. Yet they are largely ignored.

There is one other possible reason for the obsessive deflection—the fear of what is happening silently, legally all over America. More people than ever are buying firearms and getting trained and certified to carry concealed firearms for defense of themselves and others. The latest report puts that number at more than 14.5 million—up substantially over the last few years. Add to that the knowledge that under a Trump administration, there is a serious possibility that national Right-to-Carry reciprocity could become the law of the land. Adding further insult to injury for gun-grabbing leftists is the normalization of America’s love of safety through gun ownership.

Yup. Deflection is the tool of choice for leftists—what else have they got?

Stacy Washington is a decorated Air Force veteran, Emmy-nominated TV personality and host of nationally syndicated radio program “Stacy on the Right,” based in St. Louis. She loves God, guns, and is a member of the NRA, obviously.