Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing  — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. Grab a cup of coffee and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication!

#1 – Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: ‘Good Samaritan’ Who Saved Indiana Mallgoers Is Denounced as No Hero — by Alex Parker 

So goes America’s divide over guns. For many advocates, if a firearm is used to do evil, it’s apparently the fault of the weapon. But if a gun is used to stop the act, that implement earns no points. Nor does the person who rightfully employed it.

…

As for the issue of a Good Samaritan, the biblical act was extolled because it saved a life.

Did Elisjsha do the same, many times over? You be the judge:

• The shooter was armed with a Sig Sauer 400M 5.56-caliber rifle.
• He had a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 5.56 on reserve in the restroom.
• A Glock 33 .357 pistol was on his person.
• He was armed with over 100 rounds.
• He’d been frequently practicing at a range for the past two years.
• He had resigned from his warehouse job in May.
• Police were told by family they believe he’d received a notice of eviction.

#2 – Former Trump COVID Honcho Birx Admits to Deceiving the White House and Just Making Stuff up to Push Her Personal Agenda — by Streiff 

This may or may not be true. If you read Birx’s bio, it is obvious that she was Fauci’s creature. She hitched her wagon to his star. He mentored her. The odds of her acting independently, and the odds of Fauci letting a molecule of power slip from his grasp, are slim. I think the nation would be unwise to arbitrarily absolve Fauci of his role in the COVID fiasco before a jury has returned a verdict.

Birx deliberately deceived and lied to President Trump and his advisers.

Shocking, right? The idea that a privileged and entitled liberal with a terminal case of god syndrome would deceive people to get her way, I mean, smack my ass and call me Sally; what will happen next?

#3 – Biden Gets Mocked as Saudis Sweep the Leg out From Under His Claims — by Nick Arama

“We had a good discussion on ensuring global energy security and adequate oil supplies to support global economic growth,” Biden said. “That will begin shortly. And…I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen. The Saudis share that urgency and based on our discussions today, I expect we’ll see further steps in the coming weeks.”

Notice that doesn’t say much of anything — it doesn’t announce any deal for more oil. There was no concrete step made — or he would have announced it. All he ended up saying is he hoped there would be “further steps” — which isn’t anything.

But the Saudis even crushed that, sweeping the leg out from under Biden’s claim, making it clear that there were no concrete “further steps.”

#4 – Watch: The View’s Sunny Hostin Accidentally Tells on Gun Grabbers in ‘Good Guys With Guns’ Rant — by Sister Toldjah

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to comprehend that there is and should be no “but” in these situations. If the good guy with a gun (civilian) hadn’t acted Sunday, more people would have died. Period. If a good guy (civilian) hadn’t acted in Missouri over this past weekend after a disturbed individual targeted stores for robbery, the perp would have hurt more people. If a good guy with a gun (in this particular case, police officers) hadn’t acted at an elementary school in Alabama in June when a deranged person repeatedly attempted to enter the school through locked doors and windows, students, teachers and administrative staff could have been hurt – or worse.

This is just further evidence that you can’t appease gun rights opponents (nor their allies in the MSM) no matter how hard you try. Even in a situation where lives are saved by a man who is lawfully carrying his weapon, there is a “but” there, because they simply can’t wrap their brains around the concept that American citizens have a right to use a gun to defend themselves and those around them.

#5 – Capitol Police Release Damning Facts, Slam DOJ Decision to Not Charge the ‘Colbert Nine’ — by Bonchie 

It’s also untrue that they were invited into the building on June 16th, which is the primary excuse given by the DOJ for not pressing charges. Their scheduled meetings were on June 15th. Further, contrary to the idea of them being unwitting, the group was specifically denied the credentials they requested for that next day and chose to illegally enter anyway. Ironically, it was a Democrat staffer who called the police on Colbert’s team because he was terrified by all the screaming and yelling going on.

The idea that there wasn’t enough evidence for the DOJ to at least charge them with misdemeanors is farcical. If this were a group of Republicans illegally entering the Capitol Building multiple times to harass Democrat congressional members, they’d still be in solitary confinement right now. Everyone knows it because everyone knows our justice system is a two-tiered joke. Being of the left in Washington, DC, is essentially a get-out-of-jail-free card.