End the Gun Epidemic in America Photo All decent people feel sorrow and righteous fury about the latest slaughter of innocents, in California. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are searching for motivations, including the vital question of how the murderers might have been connected to international terrorism. That is right and proper. But motives do not matter to the dead in California, nor did they in Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut and far too many other places. The attention and anger of Americans should also be directed at the elected leaders whose job is to keep us safe but who place a higher premium on the money and political power of an industry dedicated to profiting from the unfettered spread of ever more powerful firearms. It is a moral outrage and a national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed specifically to kill people with brutal speed and efficiency. Continue reading the main story But at least those countries are trying.
The Second Amendment Was Never Meant to Protect an Individual’s Right to a Gun In common with the other big rightward swerves by the Roberts Court, the 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller was an aggressive exercise in mendacity. By upending the well-established meaning of the Second Amendment, the Court made the country less safe and less free. It did this under the guise of a neutral and principled “originalism” that looks to the text as it was first understood back in 1791 by the amendment’s drafters and their contemporaries. Heller’s 5–4 majority decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia and joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito, was less in sync with the founding generation than with the top priority of a powerful interest group closely aligned with the Republican right. The decision declared, for the first time, that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to a gun, at least for self-defense in the home. We may be approaching another moment of reckoning.
How Often Do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show Photo More than one a day. That is how often, on average, shootings that left four or more people wounded or dead occurred in the United States this year, according to compilations of episodes derived from news reports. Including the worst mass shooting of the year, which unfolded horrifically on Wednesday in San Bernardino, Calif., a total of 462 people have died and 1,314 have been wounded in such attacks this year, many of which occurred on streets or in public settings, the databases indicate. It is impossible to know whether the number of such shootings has risen in recent years because the databases go back only a couple of years. Nonetheless, the stream of shootings this year — including an attack last week on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado that left three dead and a shooting in October at a community college in Oregon that left 10 dead, including the gunman — has intensified the debate over the accessibility of powerful firearms. Continue reading the main story Dr.
10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down By cutting off federal funding for research and stymieing data collection and sharing, the National Rifle Association has tried to do to the study of gun violence what climate deniers have done to the science of global warming. No wonder: When it comes to hard numbers, some of the gun lobby's favorite arguments are full of holes. (This article has been updated.) Myth #1: They're coming for your guns. Fact-check: With as many as 310 million privately owned guns in America, it's clear there's no practical way to round them all up (never mind that no one in Washington is proposing this). Yet if you fantasize about rifle-toting citizens facing down the government, you'll rest easy knowing that America's roughly 70 to 80 million gun owners already have the feds and cops outgunned by a factor of around 79 to 1. Sources: Congressional Research Service, Small Arms Survey Myth #2: Guns don't kill people—people kill people. Myth #3: An armed society is a polite society. Myth #7: Guns make women safer.
Brooke Baldwin: There's been a shooting ... again I know it's my job as a journalist. But in situations like these, I'm getting sick of speaking the words "active shooter situation." I've been covering too many of them. Brooke Baldwin I happen to be sitting in the anchor chair during two crucial hours of the day -- when kids are in school, when people are at work, when mad killers tend to strike. And you know something? It starts with a few reports coming into CNN. That voice is almost always that of my trusted executive producer Eric Hall. And just like that, it's my job to remain calm even though -- deep down -- just like you, I am furious. And then just like that -- the teleprompter goes blank. Secure the perimeter, get bystanders to safety, locate the shooter... or shooters. Media sites always spotlight what time each channel broke the news. I know we journalists have a reputation for being cynics. Opinion: San Bernardino: A horror that affects us all
This Film Could Change How the Right Wing Feels About Guns Evangelical Pastor Rob Schenck was a radical anti-abortion activist who hadn't put too much thought into gun rights. But rattled by a mass shooting at Washington's Navy Yard, something inside him shifted; he soon began to question gun culture from a moral standpoint and later preached about the human cost of gun violence instead. His pivot drew the attention of filmmaker Abigail Disney, grandniece of legendary entertainment mogul Walt Disney. "[Schenck] ended up being such an eloquent man and a deeply thoughtful and sweet person, which was not what I expected when I first met him." Mother Jones spoke with Disney about her family's relationship with the NRA, her friendship with Schenck, and how the documentary shaped her own views on the polarizing gun debate. Mother Jones: At the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival this summer, you mentioned you had a completely different documentary in mind. MJ: That original idea delved more into your own family background. AD: That's right.
One map that puts America's gun violence epidemic in perspective The United States owns way, way more guns per capita than the rest of the world. And the best research on gun violence suggests that's probably contributing to our homicide problem — as exemplified by Wednesday afternoon's horrific shooting at the Inland Regional Center, a social services office for people with developmental disabilities, in San Bernardino, California. Here's a map of firearm ownership around the world, using 2012 data compiled by the Guardian. The United States has nearly twice as many guns per 100 people as the next closest country, Yemen — 88.8 guns per 100 as opposed to 54.8 in Yemen: (The Guardian/Phillybdizzle) Now, gun ownership doesn't translate directly to more homicides. But when you compare the United States with nations like Britain and Japan, it becomes clear that firearm ownership contributes to America's murder problem. "More guns are associated with more homicides across industrialized countries" Data from inside the United States suggests the same thing.
How They Got Their Guns Dec. 2, 2015 Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, husband and wife, were suspected of killing 14 people at a holiday office party in San Bernardino, Calif. Four guns were recovered: a Smith & Wesson M&P assault rifle, a DPMS Panther Arms assault rifle, a Smith & Wesson handgun and a Llama handgun. Over several years The F.B.I. found evidence that Mr. Oct. 1, 2015 Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, killed nine people at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, where he was a student. 2008 Mr. Dec. 14, 2012 Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed his mother in their home, then killed 26 people, mostly children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., using a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle and a .22-caliber Savage Mark II rifle. 2009 Mr. Aug. 5, 2012 Wade M. 1994 While in the Army at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Tex., Mr. July 20, 2012 James E. March 2012 Over four months, Mr. Jan. 8, 2011 Jared L. 2007 Mr. April 3, 2009 Before the shooting Mr.
Infographic: A look at gun deaths and permits - Occasional Planet A person in New York is less likely to die by a gun (murder, suicide, or accident) than in Missouri. Are the behaviors of a person so divergent according to where they live, or could the differences in gun laws play a part? (I’m a Missourian myself, so I can attest that the state isn’t filled with violent gun-toting miscreants.) Infographic found at Bobbi Clemons (28 Posts) Bobbi Clemons is an an activist, pseudo-educator, and sometimes writer whose passion for all things geeky rivals her love of Norway. Vince Vaughn’s Eye-Opening Comments On Edward Snowden & Gun Control GQ magazine recently interviewed Vince Vaughn, and you might be wondering why we’re talking about it here at CE. These types of interviews rarely yield information more significant than a celebrity’s favourite food or brand of jeans, but this time around, things were a little different. Vaughn made some pretty powerful statements about two topics that are encouraging the masses to put their thinking caps on and question the world around them. One of the topics was Edward Snowden, and the other was gun control. It’s great when a celebrity uses their reach to give voice to real issues, and this seems to be turning into a common trend, as many others are doing the same on various different topics that deserve some serious attention. Here’s what he had to say about Edward Snowden: Edward Snowden is a hero. More On Edward Snowden Vaughn’s comments are (in my opinion) pretty great. John F. Many people are still waking up to the fact that government secrecy goes far beyond surveillance.
Mo. rep files bill requiring gun sales to mimic abortion restrictions ST. LOUIS (KSDK) – Following the latest mass shooting in California, gun control is already raising debate ahead of Missouri's next legislative session. Several lawmakers have filed bills addressing the topic. While some Republicans are pushing to allow guns on college campuses, one local Democrat wants it to be as difficult for Missourians to buy a gun as it is to get an abortion. "Americans basically are sick, we're sick to our stomachs," said Missouri Rep. Stacey Newman, (D) Clayton. Newman's bill would require someone to wait 72 hours to get a firearm, after requesting one. "This is a bill I filed to point out the hypocrisy in terms of how far our state is willing to go in terms of restricting a legal medical procedure, and yet the same time we should be applying those same restrictions in terms of firearms," said Newman. On the other side of the issue, two state senators have filed bills easing gun restrictions on college campuses.
What is Switzerland's gun culture like? - Quora Republicans, Guns and Abortion The presidential race has degenerated to the point where I am going to attempt to cheer you up by talking about abortion and guns. And state legislatures. We do not, as a nation, devote a whole lot of attention to what happens in state capitols, although I personally enjoy those fights about selecting an official rock or state muffin. In recent years, one of the most popular activities in many legislatures has been finding new ways to expand the right to bear arms in places like schools (Utah) or bars (Tennessee) or airports (Georgia). “For instance, there would be a 72-hour waiting period,” said the sponsor, Representative Stacey Newman. Missouri has piled so many unnecessary requirements on abortion providers that it’s down to one clinic in St. Most Missouri lawmakers regard themselves as pro-life. “It was one way to get people’s attention,” she said. Nobody thinks her bill is going to pass — or even get a hearing in the Republican-dominated legislature. We live in hard times, people.
AUSTRALIA’S GUN BAN – The Astounding Results You Won’t Believe! Gun Control – Watch What Happens When Guns Are Banned “If gun control worked, Washington D.C. and Chicago would be the safest cities in your country. They are not. In the following commentary Alan Lund reviews the crime history of Australia since the 1996 Gun Control Legislation and the direct results of the Gun Ban to answers the question: “Does Gun Control Really Work?” With all the media induced frenzy over gun control, the 80,000 Million Mommies, and the President’s various plans surrounding the issue, I have to say that in reality gun control really does work. “The bans were not limited to so-called “assault” weapons or military-type firearms, but also to .22 rifles and shotguns. In spite of government statistics that sometimes support the gun ban as being effective, private research as well as the Australian people tell a different story. “Who compiles, edits, and releases the statistics in Australia? VIDEO: AUSTRALIA’S GUN BAN – The Astounding Results You Won’t Believe! Comments