7,500 children hospitalized for gunshot wounds each year

The GVP Report - October 29, 2013
In The News ► A new study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Childhood Gun Violence - Disturbing Trends, found over 7,500 children annually are hospitalized for gunshot wounds, including over 500 in-hospital deaths. There was a significant relationship between the percentage of household gun ownership and the percentage of gunshot wounds occurring in the home. ► The Daily Beast, People Are Using Instagram to Sell Their Guns ...and It's Mostly Legal. A simple search of Instagram reveals a web of semi-anonymous private and professional dealers who are advertising, negotiating, and selling firearms. ► Joshua Dubois, White House Spiritual Advisor, What President Obama Did In Secret in Newtown.  Two days after the Sandy Hook shooting, the President met with families of victims.  For hours, person after person received an engulfing hug then the President would sit and listen as parents told him about their lost beloved. ► Think Progress, Rhode Island May Join Growing Number of States Divesting From Gun Holdings. The state's general treasurer is pushing to sell the state's pension fund's holdings in equity funds that own stakes in a gun distributor. ► Metropolitan News-Enterprise, California Rejects Second Amendment Challenge to Assault Weapons Ban. The Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of California's ban on assault weapons. ► Attorney General Eric Holder, speaking at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference, warned that "active shooter" incidents rose dramatically in the last few years. In the past four years the total number of people shot and killed in these kinds of shootings is up nearly 150%. ► Wall Street Journal, Guns in the Parking Lot:  A Delicate Workplace Issue.  22 states have passed laws that limit property owners' ability to ban firearms in vehicles in parking areas. A 2005 study showed that workplaces that allowed guns were five times more likely to have a worker get killed on the job. ► USA Today, Woman Shot by Husband Begins Journey to Reclaim Life. Alisha Water was left paralyzed after her estranged husband shot her five times. Alisha and her family want domestic violence laws changed to include cyberstalking. Community Support ► Laura Shin, SmartPlanet, Can We Crowdfund Gun Control?  Gun By Gun is using crowdfunding to finance gun buybacks. The first campaign was launched in July and the first gun buyback was in August in San Francisco. ► Jeff Nisbit, U.S. News,Studying Gun Violence...Or Just Arguing About It. Hard statistics either don't exist, aren't current, aren't readily available or can't be researched nationally under the usual rules. There can be no harm in knowing how many people die each year from firearms and where those pockets of gun violence are. ► Monte Frank, The Guardian,Stand Against Stand-Your-Ground Laws. Do We Really Want to be a Nation of Dirty Harrys?  We have created a society where ordinary citizens can feel and act like Dirty Harry, and get away with it. And we give them immunity even when they are wrong, and when retreating and calling for the police would be a viable option. ► Josh Brodesky, My San Antonio, Mass Shooting Shouldn't Be New Normal. We don't have to accept shootings as part of normal life, or dismiss efforts to curb them as assaults on freedom. ► Gary Gately, Juvenile Justice Info Exchange, Turning Gun Parts Into Gardening Tools. The Children's Defense Fund and the Washington National Cathedral hosted a forum aimed at ending the epidemic of gun violence. ► Rabbi Joel Masbacher, NY Daily News, End The Paralysis on Gun Violence. 40% of the guns bought every year from manufacturers are purchased by the U.S. government. Taxpayers should use that leverage to insist guns only be purchased from manufacturers who agree to make some simple changes. ► Vicki Walker, Arizona Central, Lax Gun Laws Make Domestic Violence Worse. The presence of a gun in a domestic-violence situation makes it five times more likely that the woman will be killed. ► Effdot, Daily Kos, It's Time to Reframe the Debate About Gun Ownership in the U.S. Is there a civic duty for owning a gun? Once you realize the answer to this question is yes then smart policy can flow. It's time for us to take up the mantle of civics and citizenship again.  What the Gun Lobby is Doing ► Media Matters, Gun Researcher John Lott Offers False Firearm Statistics Days Before Congressional Appearance.  Lott falsely claimed that "over 99 percent" of individuals who fail background checks are law-abiding citizens, despite convincing evidence that the vast majority are prohibited by law from owning a gun. ►San Jose Mercury News, California Gun-Control Votes Trigger Recall Attempts. Emboldened by the recall in Colorado last month, California gun-rights activists will seek to recall several state legislators. ► Slate.com, Dallas Gun Rights Advocates Hold Rally at JFK Assassination Site. Although the organizers said they were well aware of the historical significance of the site where JFK was assassinated, they insist they chose the location because it was a high-profile space. ► Miami Herald, How the NRA's Role in Florida Extends Way Beyond Gun Lobbying. In addition to helping craft legislation, the NRA enjoys a role as a state-sanctioned gun educator.		Blogs Baldr Odinson, Ceasefire Oregon, More Pro-Gun Arming of Schools Despite Objections Shannon Watts, Moms Demand Action, Moving Forward on Guns, Without Congress Armed With Reason, Suicides: The Missing Movement Joan Peterson, Common GunSense, Teens and Real Guns: Teens and Toy Guns Josh Horwitz, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, What "Guns Saves Lives Day' Tells us About the Pro-Gun Movement Cathie Whittenburg, Ohh Shoot Blog, College student waiting for taxi hit by stray bullet, left paralyzed. Advocacy ► Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence took part in a community summit "God Before Guns". ► Protect Minnesota hosted a gun violence prevention summit. Sessions included policies in Minnesota and grassroots lobbying. ► More than 100 Seattle businesses have joined Washington Ceasefire's campaign and have posted signs proclaiming they are "Gun Free Zones" ► Andy Pelosi, Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, Outlook: The Assault on Campus Weapons Bans. ► Violence Policy Center and Moms Demand Action team up to promote the report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicides and bring attention to guns and domestic violence. ► Chicago students use art to speak out against gun violence as part of Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence's Student Voices Activist program. ► New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund's Annual Benefit & Silent Auction drew approximately 400 people. The event supports youth and community education programs. ► Gabby Giffords, Americans for Responsible Solutions, op-ed A New Model for Background Checks at Gun Shows. ► Ann Braden Gun Sense Vermont is promoting modest firearms legislation as a matter of public safety. ► Brady Campaign 2013 National Summit. Join with fellow advocates for three days of education, inspiration & empowerment. Nov. 11-13th. ► Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, What Can the Gun Policy Debate Learn from Cigarettes, Seatbelts, and Climate Change. Register now for the Nov. 14th forum. Take Action Sign the petition asking Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to not allow gun sales without a background check. Worst of the Week 56-year-old Michael Guzzo, of Phoenix, Arizona, shot and killed four of his neighbors and their two dogs before returning to his apartment and killing himself. Police believe the confrontation may have been touched off by loud barking. The victims were Bruce Moore, 66; his daughter, Renee Moore, 36; her husband, Michael Moore, 42; and Renee's son, Shannon, 17. There was no indication that Guzzo had a violent past.