The GVP Report - April 3, 2012 |
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Protect Minnesota held several rallies to show solidarity with the family of Trayvon Martin. State gvp groups CeaseFire PA, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, and Stop Handgun Violence examine "Kill at Will" laws in their states.
NYC Mayor Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, "The gun lobby is writing our nation's gun laws. It's a disgrace. The result is that our children are being killed and our police offices are being killed." Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence, Those Pushing Extreme Gun Views Have Their Way With Legislators, looks at two "emergency" bills that promote gun possession in Maine.
Caroline Brewer, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, talks with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman about Florida's "Shoot First" law.
Arthur Hayhoe, Florida Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, discusses efforts to expose problems with Florida's "Shoot First" law with MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell.
I pledge to help prevent more innocent people from falling victim to gun-touting vigilantes. The America I believe in is a country that cares about its citizens. It doesn't tolerate guns falling into the hands of people who should never have them, and it doesn't unjustly excuse people who use guns recklessly. The outrages won't stop until we say no to the "any gun, anyone, anywhere" agenda and fight back against the NRA and their extremist allies.
43-year-old One L Goh was arrested in connection with a shooting at Oikos University, a small Christian university in East Oakland, California which serves the Korean community. A witness reported that the gunman had been a student in her nursing class and had been absent for months. He was in class Monday, then stood up in the middle of a lecture and started calmly spraying bullets randomly at students. |
Center for American Progress, 'Stand Your Ground' Law Leads to Trayvon Martin's Death: Legal Deadly Force Outside the Home Meets Racial Profiling, "The law shifts the burden of proof that defendants did not act out of self-defense onto the (often) deceased shoulders of their victims." And "allow individuals to act (with death force) on racist hunches about who is suspicious and who might harm them." Mike Lupica, New York Daily news, Pistol Was the Trigger: Trayvon Martin is Just Another Notch for the Gun Lobby. "The NRA is relentlessly working to make buying a gun as easy as buying a lottery ticket." The Downward Spiral, The "Gun Nuts" Finally Went Too Far. "The NRA's biggest problem is that it has been TOO successful. What can NRA lobbyists do when the politicians have become so cowed that there is no longer any realistic threat of serious gun control legislation being enacted?" Cenk Uyger, The Young Turks, interviews Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America. According to Pratt you can shoot a guy who's beating you, but you can't beat a guy who's about to shoot you. Bloomberg News, Florida Turns 'Gunshine State' After Years of Republican Control. While violent crime has decreased in the last ten years, gun-related fatalities have increased 35 percent. Violence Policy Center report, "Never Walk Alone" - How Concealed Carry Laws Boost Gun Sales, looks at how the gun industry exploits NRA-backed laws to sell new guns to old customers and to entice new ones. "Truly the greatest beneficiary of national concealed carry stand to be the gun industry."
Study from Notre Dame Associate Professor of Psychology James Brockmole, in upcoming issue of Journal of Experimental Psychology, finds that holding a gun makes you think others are too. Mark Karlin, Truthout, Murder Incorporated: Guns, the NRA and the Politics of Violence on the Mexican Border. Reports that "an iron river of guns flows across the border" and notes "Mexican Cartels are a profitable end market for US gun manufacturers and sellers." After being denied a gun purchase in Oregon when background check found history of mental illness, John Shick bought two handguns through a newspaper ad in New Mexico with no background check. He used the guns to shoot and kill one person and wound five others at Western Psychiatric Institute in Pennsylvania last month. New Hampshire state legislator Kyle Tasker dropped one of his guns on the floor at the start of House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee meeting. Tasker routinely wears two guns in a should holster to legislative meetings.
Several sites offer comprehensive overviews of the Trayvon Martin killing and subsequent events: New York Times: The Events Leading to the Shooting of Trayvon Martin. Mother Jones: The Trayvon Martin Killing, Explained. Huffington Post: The Trayvon Martin Tragedy. Salon.com: Why Rush Limbaugh and the Right Turned on Trayvon Martin.
Art on Issues, Guns in Restaurants/Bars: Establishment Owner Liabilities and Rights Infringement, looks at pending legislation in North Carolina to allow ccw in bars and argues that it not only violates bar owner's rights but also may potentially subject them to liability for any gun injuries.
Gail Collins, More Guns, Fewer Hoodies, "Whenever there is a terrible shooting incident somewhere in America, our politicians talk about everything except whether the tragedy could have been avoided if the gunman had not been allowed to carry a firearm." Nicole Brodeur, No Safety Training Required to Get Gun Permit, "Getting a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Washington state is as easy as buying a new set of tires. There's a bit of paperwork, and you may have to sit for a spell while they make sure your records is clean. But you can be out and packing in less than an hour." HBO "Real Time" host Bill Maher tells Dr. Drew that the Democratic Party bowing to the NRA on the issue of gun control made it possible for the "Kill at Will" laws. "This is what happens in American when one political party, in this case, the Democrats, completely rolls over on an issue, in this case, gun control." Jonathan Zimmerman, Where's the Trayvon Martin Petition About Gun Control?, "We need to ask whether any private citizen should be carrying a concealed weapon, and whether 'Stand Your Ground' measures make people trigger-happy. We need to think about the most common victims of our lax guns laws: African Americans."
Cliff Schecter, Unarmed and Dangerous? "Both ALEC and the NRA exist to support the whims and wants of privileged and largely white members of society, while disenfranchising, impoverishing and even allowing the Trayvon Martins of our society to be gunned down in cold blood. Racism is at their very core."
Strum, Ruger & Company, Inc. Gains on Fears Over Gun Control. The company, which manufactures and sells firearms in the U.S., rallied 114.7% in the past year based in part on fears President Obama would enforce stricter firearm regulations if reelected. The NRA has a new item in its online store: hooded sweatshirts with a special pocket designed to carry a concealed handgun. They sent out an email March 26th promoting the item and asking "Are you ready for a ccw hoodie?" Media Matters, Not Just "Kill At Will": ALEC Helps the NRA Push Guns on Campus. After adopting the NRA model legislation that would allow ccw permit holders to bring guns on college campuses, ALEC helped introduce the legislation in 23 states in 2011. Two states passed the bill. The bill was introduced in many states again in 2012. Supporters of 'Stand Your Ground' Laws in Iowa, Illinois Don't Back Down. Legislators who have introduced "Kill At Will" bills in Iowa and Illinois intend to keep pushing the bill, despite the national debate spawned by the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
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Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Any Gun, Anyone, Anywhere
Any Gun, Anyone, Anywhere
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