September 16, 2013

The AR-15 Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle Was Used At Sandy Hook, Aurora, And Now The Navy Yard Shooting

EDIT: Early reports indicated an AR-15 was involved in the Navy Yard shooting. That turns out to be false, but it hardly changes anything. If Aaron Alexis was able to so easily kill 12 people without an AR-15, I don’t want to think what would have happened had he used an assault rifle (yes, that’s what it is). The amount of carnage possible even with less potent weapons lends even greater support to banning assault style weapons.

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April 28, 2013

Left, Right False Equivalence: Newtown vs. Boston

A false equivalence narrative has crept into the conversation after the Boston Marathon bombing. It goes something like this: The Left reacted to the mass-shooting in Newtown, Connecticut by saying “we have to do something,” and the Right reacted to the bombing at the Boston Marathon by saying exactly the same thing. On Newtown, liberals want a ban on assault weapons and expanded background checks. On Boston, conservatives want the surviving suspect classified an enemy combatant, suspending his rights as an American citizen, among other similar police state responses.

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April 22, 2013

Boston Marathon Bombing: Terror And Fear In America

Fear - photo by dryheadWith some reflection on the tragedy a week ago at the Boston Marathon, it’s clear America is still deeply scarred by the events of 9/11 over a decade ago. Why is it so clearly obvious to so many Americans that we should label last week’s bombing as a terrorist act, but not the Newtown school shooting? What is our definition of terrorism? Was Newtown not sufficiently terrifying? On the contrary, while many more people were wounded from last week’s bombing, last December’s school shooting saw many more fatalities. On that measure, we should consider the Newtown shooting to be at least on the same level as the Boston Marathon bombing, yet we do not, at least not from a perspective of public safety.

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April 2, 2013

Gun Laws: Nelson, Georgia to Newtown, Connecticut

The small city of Nelson, GA, population 1300, has passed a new ordinance requiring all residents to own a gun. Yes, you read that correctly. I speculate that at least one of the people responsible for this new law opposed the Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate,” on the grounds of freedom of choice and individual liberty. But when it comes to guns? You’ll buy one and you’ll like it, or else…

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February 28, 2013

Assault Weapons: No One Needs Those Guns

On Tuesday night, Rachel Maddow’s guests were the siblings of Newtown shooting victim Victoria Soto, who was a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Rachel asked Carlos Matthew Soto, brother of Victoria, what he would like to see congress change. “It would probably be the assault weapon ban. Just because, no one needs those guns,” said Soto. “There’s no reason to have them unless your military.”

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January 29, 2013

The Second Amendment You Say?

At a hearing before the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group in Hartford, CT, Neil Heslin faced shouts of “The Second Amendment!” as he delivered his testimony. Heslin is the father of 6-year old Jesse Lewis, a victim of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

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