It’s not a surprise or shock to hear that mainstream media or other power brokers in the entertainment industry are continuing to push an anti-gun narrative. What’s been seemingly popping up more and more though is the stigmatization of legal firearm ownership and carry in entertainment. In a post-Bruen world, the goalposts have moved, and since what was once illegal or not reachable in certain jurisdictions – like Los Angeles – is now perfectly attainable, the progressive cabal has resorted to making social statements about perfectly legal activities. A recent episode of ABC’s “The Rookie” took a shot at law-abiding firearm carry.

First things first, I’ve never watched “The Rookie.” If you had to imagine what kind of TV this journalist/commentator watches, I can assure you it’s fairly boring and anachronistic – but not as bad as a lot of the garbage pumped out today. I’ve reached the age where I say things like, “back in my day…” So, “The Rookie” is not on my watch list, and I don’t even have basic cable TV. Maybe I have regular network television, but don’t care to know or look. I did, however, drop the $1.99 on season 6 episode 7 of “The Rookie,” to stream it, which aired just last week on April 30th, 2024.

“The Rookie” is an ABC crime drama that takes place in Los Angeles. The episode, “Crushed,” has the following description on ABC’s webpage for the show, “When two teenagers go missing, it is up to the entire team to find the girls and uncover the truth about their disappearance; Lopez and Harper search for the perfect nanny.”

Who are Harper and Lopez? They’re both police officers. And parents. As far as where else they fit in the dynamic of the show, who cares.

Why are two characters in search of “the perfect nanny”? Lopez fired her nanny towards the beginning of the episode because a gun fell out of the nanny’s purse. The way ABC set the stage made the nanny look like a rogue cowboy. A purse got moved and the gun fell out of it, not in a holster or anything.

If there were to be a complaint here, it’d revolve around ways a person could achieve responsible off-body carry. But that’s not how it all went down. “What the hell is a gun doing in your purse?” Lopez asked the nanny. She replied, “It's for protection. I have a permit.” Lopez declared, “Not in my house you don’t.”

The topic popped up two more times. Once during a dialogue between Lopez and a coworker – maybe Harper, but who cares – which is as follows:

Coworker: “..the way she brought a gun into your house.”
Lopez: “I know.”
Coworker: “With your children there…”
Lopez: “I know.”
Coworker: “And you're a cop.”
Lopez: “She knows.”

During the first instance, when the gun was found, and that second dialogue, paints the picture that cops don’t want law-abiding citizens to carry firearms. At no time did the topic of the manner of carry come up. Not at all. Just that the “licensed” individual had the audacity to have a gun. “And you’re a cop,” somehow makes the law-abiding – maybe irresponsible – gun owner even more bad? What’s Lopez being a cop have to do with any of this? Or is it because only cops are supposed to have guns?

One other part of the episode where the topic pops up is when a babysitter was found out to be leaving children unattended. The artful writers at ABC sewed together these plot elements with Lopez saying, “Can you imagine coming home to find your kids alone? Makes my nanny seem downright responsible.”

I’d be happy to argue about off-body carry and whether or not the firearm should have been in a holster of one sort or another. That’s a valid discussion to have. But, to reiterate, that’s not the gripe with the nanny having a gun. It was the gun possession…period.

The entertainment industry and the progressive gun-grabbing cabal, along with mainstream media, are conspiring to stigmatize lawful firearm carry. Instead of showing a responsible citizen carrying a firearm, they rather make the case that this lawful activity is just so frowned upon that the individual should not be entrusted to watch children. The background-checked licensed citizens are not to be trusted. Nor employed. Nor respected. They’re subhuman.

Brynn Malone and Natalie Callaghan, the writers of this particular episode, should tread lightly when stigmatizing the exercise of a Constitutionally protected right. After all, their occupation hinges around the exercise of the First Amendment.

Further, ABC president, Kimberly Godwin, should hear your opinions – if you have any – about this type of bigoted treatment of gun owners via negative portrayals and stereotypes. Except, thirty minutes prior to writing this, she announced she’s stepping down - in disgrace. Debra O’Connell is slated to take over, so maybe we should talk to her via ABC.

Seeing this kind of garbage is nothing new. I don’t suspect that things will change soon. It took decades for bigots to accept Brown v. Board of Ed and it may take decades for similar bigots to accept NYSRPA v. Bruen. Like the bigots during the civil rights battles of the 50’s and 60’s, the anti-gunners will be on the wrong side of history. 

I certainly won’t be tuning into any more episodes of “The Rookie” anytime soon. Not unless I get another tip about some nonsense that’s going to cost me another $1.99 to stream this trash. And while we’re discussing that, hat tip to my buddy Eric from the Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners for sending me this lead. If you did not buy me a pile of seafood at M & M Hunting Preserve and Sporting Clays during their Seafood Blast sporting clays shoot, I’d tell ya that you owe me a Tom.