CeasefireUSA: The GVP Report - February 17, 2015 |
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► ► A new report from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, The Truth About Kids & Guns: 2015, finds that unsafe access to guns in the home is a leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens. Every day, 48 children and teens are wounded or killed by gunfire. ► 75 percent of Texas police chiefs responding to survey oppose open carry of handguns. The survey was in response to a bill before the Texas Legislature. 90 percent of respondents said that if open carry passes, a license should be required. ► Missouri gun deaths surpass vehicle deaths in 2013, part of national trend. Motor vehicle deaths have long been the leading nonmedical cause of death across the country. Latest federal data shows, in Missouri, firearms proved more deadly, and by a wide margin - 880 to 781. ► New concealed weapons Idaho law costs state colleges $3.7 million. With the new law that allows gun on campuses, schools are forced to enhance security. Idaho college campuses will have to pay for that with existing funds. ► Number of Illinois concealed carry applicants significantly lower than projected. There were 91,651 active applications for ccw permits in 2014, the first year ccw permits were allowed. The number is about four times lower than what was estimated. Nationwide, only about 3% of the population has a ccw permit. ► Sandy Hook 'truthers' are abusing victims of the tragedy - but one family is fighting back with a creative legal maneuver. Family members of Victoria Soto, a first-grade teacher killed in Sandy Hook, have applied to trademark her name to prevent conspiracy theorists from misusing it on social media. ► Apple's App Store is now enforcing a policy requiring game developers to remove images of guns from their App Store screenshots. Multiple developers have reported that Apple rejected games if they use screenshots that show people holding guns, or being maimed or killed. ► Street violence stole his smile, but Marcus Norris is getting it back. In 2006, when Marcus was 9-years-old, he was struck in the upper lip by a stray bullet that ripped through the wall of his Chicago apartment. Now, thanks to Youth Guidance donations, he will get the dental work he needs to replace his missing teeth. "I want to just see how it feels to smile again," he said.
► ► Philip Gourevitch, The New Yorker, The Chapel Hill Massacre Blues. Getting blown away by a neighbor just because he's pissed of at you for some ridiculous reason has become the equivalent of a natural disaster in our country, with our gun culture. We're being told to believe that the vigilante killing of three young Americans is socially and politically meaningless. ► Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho, Editorial, The NRA's Imperial Grip on Idaho. Lobbyists hold outmoded power in Idaho, thanks to an amateur Legislature with almost no staff. Special interests write the bills. Legislators just carry them. ► New York Times Editorial, Concealed Carry's Body Count. The Violence Policy Center's gathering of just some of the hard facts of gun deaths at the hands of licensed shooters should be received as an alarming check on all the swagger about the woeful phenomenon of more citizens packing more guns. ► ► Jef Rouner, Houston, Texas Press, How my 5-year-old daughter reacted to seeing her first open carry demonstration. I do not understand why the 2nd Amendment should mean that I have to drive my family through a militia on a Sunday afternoon in a safe neighborhood simply so a few Texans can live-action roleplay with live ammo. My kid is right. It's just stupid. ► Danny Westneat, The Columbian, Vancouver, Washington, Legislature's gun ban smack of hypocrisy. If it's so obvious that guns have no place in the statehouse, how is it any less obvious in local city and county council meetings? ► Kenyan McDuffie, Washington Post, I am outraged. You should be, too. Everyone should be livid when a minor is murdered, regardless of our socioeconomic status or how far we live from the tragedy. The indifference of adults to the plight of our youth only perpetuates the culture of violence. ►
► Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced the 'concealed-carry reciprocity' bill. that would create a lowest common denominator that makes the weakest state requirements for carrying a loaded, hidden gun in public the law of the land. ► Open-carry activists not so open about criminal past. There's a reason some of the loudest activists want Texas to do away with handgun licenses. Their past crimes mean they can't get one. ► The NRA's diabolical new plan for killing gun laws. The gun lobby is targeting cities and towns with massive legal fees. Under a new Pennsylvania law, the NRA can sue PA towns and cities and expect them to pay its costs if it wins. |
► Paul Schmitt, New Mexicans for Gun Safety, speaks in favor of a state bill to require background checks at guns shows. ► Newtown Action Alliance joins Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to announce the re-introduction of legislation that would ban large capacity ammunition magazines. ►Tom Mauser, Colorado Ceasefire, speaks out against a bill that would allow guns in public schools. ► Heather Martens, Protect Minnesota, criticizes state gun laws after a straw purchase that armed a convicted felon.
► Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence held a presentation to focus on the impact of gun violence on individuals, families and communities. ► Gun Sense Vermont supporters wore green at a public hearing to show their support for a proposal to require background checks on gun sales between private parties.
16-year-old Jason Hendrix, of Corbin, Kentucky, is believed to have shot and killed his mother, father and his younger sister before driving from Corbin to Maryland where he was killed in a shootout with police. Police found a 9mm handgun, two .38-caliber pistols, a double-barreled shotgun and a backpack full of ammunition in his car. Police reported that Hendrix had told friends he had found his dad's guns and was mad that his parents had taken his computer rights away. Another daughter was away at school at the time of the shooting. |
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Trading guns for education
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Guns can change the way you think
CeasefireUSA: The GVP Report - February 3, 2015 |
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► ► Violence Policy Center, States with Weak Gun Laws and Higher Gun Ownership Lead Nation in Gun Deaths. Analysis of 2013 data finds Alaska and Louisiana have the highest gun death rates in the nation, while Hawaii and Massachusetts have the lowest. ► The gun that was used to wound two New Hope, Minnesota police officers had been auctioned off by the Duluth Police Department. The gun had been confiscated by the Duluth Police, then sent to an online auction site where it was bought by a straw buyer for the shooter. ► ► AlJazeera America, Guns in Schools: Psychologists say defense measures could traumatize kids. Schools are still the safest place for children. Metal detectors and security guards have been shown to increase students' fear of crime and cause them to feel less safe at school. This report is part of a seven-part series examining the issues surrounding school shootings. ►Missouri and Kansas lawmakers propose anti-gun violence bills. In a rare show of bi-state and bi-partisan unity Rep. Stacey Newman, a Democrat from MO and Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Republican from KS, will present legislation to focus on domestic crimes and gun violence prevention. ► ► Virginia state Senate panel advances gun violence prevention bill. Two days after rejecting a bill that would prohibit gun possession for anyone convicted of stalking, assault and battery or sexual battery, a Senate committee reconsidered and approved an amended version of the bill. ► TSA seized a record 2,212 firearms from carry-on luggage in 2014. 83% of the guns were loaded. Guns included an assault rifle with two loaded magazines discovered at DFW and a 94-year-old man with a loaded .38 caliber revolver clipped to his belt at LGA.
► ► Daily Kos, Rep. Robin Kelly introduces H.R. 224 and the NRA doesn't like it one bit. The bill would require the U.S. Surgeon General to submit to Congress an annual report on the effects of gun violence on public health and the status of actions taken to address such effects. ► Melissa Harris-Perry Show, Do open carry laws make people less safe? Panelists discuss a Florida case involving an African American man who was tackled to the ground for carrying a gun even though he had a permit and whether open carry laws make people more or less safe. ► Vox.com, 10 Things I Wish People Understood About Suicide. Suicide is often impulsive. If the impulse is thwarted, and the person survives, they overwhelmingly report being glad they lived. Physical and conceptual barriers to suicide have been shown to work. ► Sputniknews.com, Hip-Hop organization wants Google to stop showing gun ads on rap videos. The Hip-Hop Chess Federation wants Google, YouTube and U.S. Concealed Carry Association to stop ads for guns and gun paraphernalia to selections frequented by teens in general and minority youth specifically. "There must be higher standards of ethics." ► Slate.com, The Myth of the Good Guy With A Gun. The NRA is wrong: Owning a gun is far more likely to harm you than protect you. The evidence overwhelmingly shows that guns leave everybody less safe, including their owners. ► McGill International Review, Who Do You Protect?: Police Brutality and Gun Control. There should be a clear separation of labor: those who fight crime and those who create a safe environment. Leave the gun slinging to those who are specially trained for it while the regular police make sure everything else is under control. ► Greeley, Colorado Tribune,Arming school staff is a dangerous answer to a serious problem. It is not worth the risk of increasing the odds of someone getting shot at Frontier Academy for the unlikely chance a staff member could stop a crazy person brandishing a gun. ►
► Bill would allow Texas teachers to kill students. A Texas state rep has introduced a bill that authorizes instructors to use deadly force in defense of the educator's person or in defense of students. Teachers would also have the right to use deadly force in defense of school property. ► A new Alaska Republican wants gun control for EPA agents. The senator wants to ban police officers who work for the Environmental Protection Agency from carrying firearms in an effort to start "to limit the federal government in terms of some of its power and authority, but also in terms of oversight." ► Proposed firearm bills in Nevada would do away with the need for a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon, allow guns on college campuses, and do away with the current requirement that Las Vegas residents register their handguns. |
► Shira Goodman, CeaseFirePA, asks Philadelphia City Council to keep measure that prohibits people subject to protection-from-abuse orders from gun possession. ► Americans for Responsible Solutions, So Congress wants to get something done? Here are 10 ways Congress can reduce gun violence. ► Toby Hoover, Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, Lake school board muzzles gun violence prevention voices. ► Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Virginia Senate votes down guns in schools, moves forward with background check bill. ► Colleen Daley, Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, Illinois is losing its battle with gun violence. Here's how to change that. ► Lawdragon recognizes Jonathan Lowy, Brady Campaign legal director, among top 500 lawyers in America. ► Miranda Viscoli, New Mexicans for Gun Safety, Let's close gun show loophole in New Mexico. ► Center for American Progress, How Gun Violence Affects Women in Nevada ► New Yorkers Against Gun Violence appoints Hudson Valley coordinator to assist with outreach, education and advocacy efforts.
► Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Gun Law Trendwatch: A roundup and analysis of the latest state firearms legislation. ► Washington Ceasefire brings the smart-gun debate to Seattle. Techies and activists gather to discuss the next big step in firearm safety.
22-year-old Jerquan Dickson, of York, Pennsylvania, was arrested for allegedly shooting a 15-year-old boy who hit his car with several snowballs. Dickson is accused of getting out of his car and chasing a group of children into an alleyway. One teenager was shot in the right arm and left thigh. His injuries were nonlife-threatening. Dickson was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. |
