THEN WHY ARE GUN MASSACRES NOW HAPPENING MORE THAN EVER HERE IN THE UNITED STATES?
“ ‘help them perform mass executions like today’s’ ” Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, December 14, 2012, http://on.today.com/11hdtmj. • “ ‘happening more frequently these days, it’s because that’s true’ ” Rachel Maddow, Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, December 17, 2012, http://nbcnews.to/11hdoiG. • “a total of 513 people have been killed in these attacks” Mark Follman, Gavin Aronsen, and Deanna Pan, “US Mass Shootings, 1982–2012: Data from Mother Jones’ Investigation,” Mother Jones, December 28, 2012, http://bit.ly/11hdxT2. • “3,696 people were killed in the United States by lightning” Susan Donaldson James, “Fiancée Killed by Lightning During Surprise Wedding Proposal,” abcnews.go.com, June 9, 2010, http://abcn.ws/11hdln3. • “ ‘in direct competition with . . . a Norwegian man who killed 77’ ” Bob Orr and Pat Milton, “Newtown Shooter Motivated by Norway Massacre, Sources Say,” cbsnews.com, February 18, 2013, http://cbsn.ws/100xPir. • “ ‘when subsequent years reveal more moderate levels’ ” James Alan Fox, “Mass Shootings Not Trending,” boston.com, January 23, 2013, http://bo.st/100y0u8. • “ ‘[M]ass shootings have not increased in number or in overall body count’ ” Matt Pearce, “2012 is Tragic, But Mass Shootings Not Increasing, Experts Say,” Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2012, http://lat.ms/100xQmC. • “there is even a slight decline in these types of killings” John R. Lott Jr., More Guns, Less Crime, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010), see also: Grant Duwe, Mass Murder in the United States: A History (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007). • “dropping from 43 total cases in the 1990s to 26 in the first decade of the twenty-first century” Matt Pearce, “2012 Is Tragic, but Mass Shootings Not Increasing, Experts Say,” Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2012, http://lat.ms/100xQmC. • “ ‘even if they do not address the particular issues of mass shootings’ ” Greg Ridgeway, Ph.D., “Summary of Select Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies,” National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, January 4, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hcPWb. • “mass killings an “epidemic”), without questioning their methodology” Follman, Mark, and Aronsen, Gavin, and Pan Deanna, “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America,” Mother Jones, February 27, 2013, http://bit.ly/LDEkVn. • “ ‘hard to defend’ or ‘not necessarily applied consistently’ ” James Alan Fox, “Mass Shootings Not Trending,” boston.com, January 23, 2013, http://bo.st/100y0u8.
NO MASS SHOOTING HAS EVER BEEN STOPPED BY SOMEONE ELSE WITH A GUN.
“ ‘Not a single one has ever been thwarted’ ” Piers Morgan, “Assault Weapons in America,” Piers Morgan Tonight, CNN, January 9, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hD.C.js. • “statistic of ’62 mass shootings’ ” Mark Follman, Gavin Aronsen, and Deanna Pan, “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America,” Mother Jones, February 27, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hdaIe. • “hitting nine of his fellow students and killing two” Wayne Laugesen, “A Principal and His Gun,” davekopel.org, October 15, 1999, http://bit.ly/Vh0wsp. • “thirty-six rounds still in his pockets,” Bill Cole and Terri Tabor, “Armed Teachers Critics Say Putting More Weapons in Our Classrooms Will Increase Violence—No Matter Who Carries Them,” Daily Herald Arlington Heights, March 10, 2000. • “he immediately opened fire, killing two teenage sisters” “Nobles and Knaves,” Washington Times, December 15, 2007. • “armed with a rifle, two semi-automatic handguns, and a thousand rounds of ammunition, he entered the church” Valerie Richardson, “Gunman Killed by Own Bullet, Not Volunteer’s; Web Rants Targeted Christians,” Washington Times, December 12, 2007. • “ ‘kill and injure as many of you [Christians] . . . as I can’ ” Valerie Richardson, “Gunman Killed by Own Bullet, Not Volunteer’s; Web Rants Targeted Christians,” Washington Times, December 12, 2007. • “ ‘she probably saved over 100 lives’ ” Patrick O’Driscoll and Oren Dorell, “Police Seek Link in Colorado Attacks,” USA Today, October 10, 2011, http://usat.ly/11hd4Am. • “fired several shots, wounding two students” Kristen Hayes, “Edinboro Teen Killer Sentenced,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 10, 1999, http://bit.ly/XqRGG8. • “James Strand, grabbed his shotgun, followed the boy out, and persuaded him surrender” Robert Moran and Susan Q. Stranahan, “Again Student Held in Slaying Andrew Wurst Is Accused of Killing Edinboro, PA, Teacher John Gillette and Wounding Three,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 6, 1998, http://bit.ly/11hd1V6. • “Terry shot him five times in the chest, killing him” J. Neil Schulman, “Perspective on Gun Control: A Massacre We Didn’t Hear About: Firearms in the Hands of Private Citizens Should Play an Important Role in Protection of the Public Safety,” Los Angeles Times, January 1, 1992, http://lat.ms/11hcZNd. • “a man entered the Player’s Bar & Grille in Winnemucca, Nevada” Associate Press, “Three Dead in Shooting at Winnemucca Bar,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 26, 2008, http://bit.ly/gJ6pC7. • “the man’s intention was to shoot ‘anyone in his line of sight . . . ’ ” “Gunman, Two Victims Die in Clackamas Mall Shooting,” kgw.com, December 11, 2012, http://bit.ly/11hcUZU. • “Meli didn’t fire right away, as he was concerned about missing the gunman” Mike Benner, “Clackamas Mall Shooter Faced Man with Concealed Weapon,” kgw.com, December 17, 2012, http://bit.ly/100y9Ok. • “There were estimated to be ten thousand people in the mall that day” “Gunman, Two Victims Die in Clackamas Mall Shooting,” kgw.com, December 11, 2012, http://bit.ly/100y9Ok.
REGARDLESS, IF WE REALLY WANT TO STOP MASS SHOOTINGS WE NEED TO BRING BACK THE ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN.
“ ‘and drums that hold more than 10 rounds’ ” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, “Feinstein to Introduce Updated Assault Weapons Bill In New Congress,” feinstein.senate.gov, December 17, 2012, http://1.usa.gov/100yccN. • “ ‘from Columbine to Oak Creek’ ” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, “Feinstein Introduces Bill on Assault Weapons, High-Capacity Magazines,” feinstein.senate.gov, January 24, 2013, http://1.usa.gov/100ydxz. • “Nothing we’re going to do is going to fundamentally alter or eliminate the possibility of another mass shooting” Hunt, Kasie,“Biden: New Gun Controls Likely Won’t End Shootings,” NBC News, 31 January 2013, http://nbcnews.to/100yh0e. • “she references a part of a 1997 study” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, “Stopping the Spread of Deadly Assault Weapons,” feinstein.senate.gov, accessed March 7, 2013, http://1.usa.gov/100ykt4. • “ ‘caused a reduction of 6.7% in gun murders’ ” Jeffrey A. Roth, Christopher S. Koper, William Adams, and others, “Impact Evaluation of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994,” (report, The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1997), http://bit.ly/100ylx9. • “ ‘and local initiatives that took place simultaneously’ ” Jeffrey A. Roth, Christopher S. Koper, William Adams, and others, “Impact Evaluation of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994” (report, The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1997), http://bit.ly/100ylx9. • “ ‘we found no statistical evidence of post-ban decreases’ ” Jeffrey A. Roth, Christopher S. Koper, William Adams, and others, “Impact Evaluation of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994” (report, The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1997), http://bit.ly/100ylx9. • ’ ”[W]e cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence’ ” Christopher Koper with Daniel Woods and Jeffrey Roth, “An Updated Assessment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence, 1994–2003,” (report, National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice, Jerry Lee Center of Criminology, University of Pennsylvania, June 2004), http://1.usa.gov/100ypNc. • “ ‘rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban’ ” Christopher Koper with Daniel Woods and Jeffrey Roth, “An Updated Assessment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence, 1994–2003,” (report, National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice, Jerry Lee Center of Criminology, University of Pennsylvania, June 2004), http://1.usa.gov/100ypNc. • “ ‘the assault weapon ban did not have an effect on firearm homicides’ ” Greg Ridgeway, Ph.D., “Summary of Select
Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies,” National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, January 4, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hcPWb.
YOU ARE SO OUT OF TOUCH: EVEN THE MOST CONSERVATIVE MEMBER OF THE SUPREME COURT THINKS WE SHOULD BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS.
“Scalia does not believe that the right to bear arms is absolute” Evan Puschak, “The NRA and its ‘Tyranny Hypotheticals,’ ” tv.msnbc.com, January 23, 2013, http://on.msnbc.com/11hcNgT. • “ ‘And it’s not very controversial that that’s the case’ ” Rachel Maddow, Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, January 11, 2011, http://nbcnews.to/10jJxav. • “the sort not ‘in common use’ by the public can be regulated or banned” Ian Millhiser, “Rick Perry Falsely Claims an Assault Rifle Is Unconstitutional,” thinkprogress.org, January 15, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hcKS7. • “ ‘we do not undertake an exhaustive historical analysis today of the full scope of the Second Amendment’ ” District of Columbia, et al., Petitioners v. Dick Anthony Heller, 478 F. 3d 370 (D.C. 2008), http://bit.ly/IBGaj. • “ ‘[T]he Second Amendment does not protect those weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes’ ” District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), http://1.usa.gov/11hczGu. • “is certainly not ‘in common use’ by the public” District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), http://1.usa.gov/11hczGu. • “There are about 4 million AR-15 rifles in America” Doug McKelway, “Dems Ramp Up Push for Assault Weapons Ban, Face Headwinds from States,” foxnews.com, February, 28, 2013, http://fxn.ws/100Fb5D. • “82 percent of new handguns manufactured in the United States are semi-automatics” U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Firearms Commerce in the United States 2011, (Washington, D.C. 2012), http://1.usa.gov/100Htl8.
NO CIVILIAN NEEDS A MILITARY STYLE WEAPON.
“ ‘threatening our law enforcement officers’ ” President Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President on Preventing Gun Violence in Minneapolis, MN,” Press Secretary, White House, February 4, 2013, http://1.usa.gov/100HwNO. • “ ‘to kill large numbers of people in close combat are replicated for civilian use’ ” Tommy Christopher, “Sen. Dianne Feinstein Holds Press Conference to Introduce New Assault Weapons Ban,” mediaite.com, January 24, 2013, http://bit.ly/100HyoW. • “ ‘It’s a military-style weapon’ ” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, December 18, 2012, http://nbcnews.to/11hcvqg. • “ ‘how they gather information to make ‘well-informed’ decisions’ ” Paul H. Thibodeau, Lera Boroditsky, “Metaphors We Think With: The Role of Metaphor in Reasoning,” PloS One 6, No. 2 (February 23, 2011), http://bit.ly/100HCFk. • “ ‘it is much easier to justify why one is against control than it is to justify why one is against safety’ ” Jonathon Schuldt, “ ‘Gun Control’ of ‘Gun Safety’ the Battle Is Already Under Way,” newswise.com, January 22, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hcwud. • “Biden on gun safety: No more excuses” Lucy Madison, “Biden on Gun Safety: No More Excuses,” cbsnews.com, February 27, 2013, http://cbsn.ws/11hcsdX. • “Debate over gun safety, rights comes home to Oakland County” Bill Laitner, “Debate Over Gun Safety, Rights Comes Home to Oakland,” Detroit Free Press, February 26, 2013, http://on.freep.com/100HDJq. • “Gun Safety Advocates Force NRA Backed Democrat Out Of Congressional Race” Igor Volsky, “Gun Safety Advocates Force NRA Backed Democrat Out of Congressional Race” thinkprogress.org, February 18, 2013, http://bit.ly/100HF3P. • “Biden Presses Senate Democrats to Support Gun Safety Agenda” Jennifer Steinhauer, “Biden Presses Senate Democrats to Support Gun Safety Agenda,” Caucus blog at nytimes.com, January 31, 2013, http://nyti.ms/100HFRz. • “Chicago officials push for new gun safety legislation” Karen Jordan, “Chicago Officials Push for New Gun Safety Legislation,” abc.go.local.com, February 11, 2013, http://bit.ly/100HINf.
YEAH, BUT IF YOU MODIFY ONE, IT BECOMES FULLY AUTOMATIC.
“ ‘These are killing machines. They are machine guns’ ” Piers Morgan, “NRA: Put Armed Guards in Schools,” Piers Morgan Tonight, CNN, December 21, 2012, http://bit.ly/11haWIP.
I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY ANYONE WOULD NEED A SEMI-AUTOMATIC IN THEIR HOME.
“ ‘unleash hundreds of shots in a matter of a few minutes and slaughter innocent Americans’ ” Piers Morgan, “Gun Control in America; Aurora Families Speak Out,” Piers Morgan Tonight, CNN, December 17, 2012, http://bit.ly/11hckv3. • “ ‘The intruders were met with armed resistance’ ” Tovin Lapan, “1 Dead, 3 at Large in Home Invasion at Apartment Complex,” Las Vegas Sun, December 24, 2012, http://bit.ly/11hcgLR. • “A home invasion robbery left one intruder dead and three other intruders injured” Leticia Ordaz, “3 Wounded, One Intruder Dead in Sacramento Home Invasion,” kcra.com, December 23, 2012, http://bit.ly/100HLbW. • “A woman and her boyfriend arrived at her home to find several armed men inside” “Intruder Killed Inside Home,” ProNews Channel 7, ABC, http://bit.ly/11hciDp. • “three men entered a home to commit a robbery” Mike Morris, “Home Invasion Suspect Killed in Gunfight at DeKalb Apartment Complex,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 19, 2012, http://bit.ly/100HR3k. • “four people tried to break into the home of James Truman” “Home Invasion Suspect Shot by Homeowner in Boardman,” foxyoungstown.com, December 15, 2012, http://bit.ly/100HXaV. • “firing ‘multiple rounds’ at three intruders who broke into his home” Brooke Edwards Staggs, “Elderly Man Shoots at Intruders,” Victorville Daily Press, December 8, 2012, http://bit.ly/11hcanq. • “Three armed men broke into a house on a Monday morning” Harry Harris and Katy Murphy, “Gunfire during attempted home invasion prompts lockdown at Oakland middle school,” San Jose Mercury News, December 3, 2012, http://bit.ly/100I1aK.
I’VE HEARD THAT YOU PLAN ON DEFEATING THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES MILITARY WITH YOUR ASSAULT RIFLE.
“ ‘Being able to kill U.S. soldiers’ ” Joe Scarborough, “.@3storybooks This is the survivalist argument that lies at the heart of the assault weapon defense—Being able to kill US soldiers.” January 15, 2013, 8:05p.m., Twitter post, https://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/291395640905310208. • “ ‘which puts you in the difficult position of having to argue tyranny hypotheticals’ ” Jon Stewart “Grand Theft Semi-Auto—Coming for Your Guns,” The Daily Show, Comedy Central, January 17, 2013, http://bit.ly/10jDVNp. • “ ‘not hyperbole if you believe the gun radicals’ philosophy about guns’ ” Rachel Maddow, “You and me and the 82nd Airborne,” Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, January 14, 2011, http://on.msnbc.com/10jE0R4. • “ ‘killed 55 people, injured almost 2,000, led to 7,000 arrests’ ” “April 29, 1992: Riots Erupt in Los Angeles,” history.com, accessed March 3, 2013, http://bit.ly/11hcbry. • “ ‘It’s downtown Baghdad’ ” “Governor: Evac Superdome, Rescue Centers,” foxnews.com, August 20, 2005, http://fxn.ws/10jE6bu. • “ ‘The looting is out of control. The French Quarter has been attacked’ ” “Governor: Evac Superdome, Rescue Centers,” foxnews.com, August 20, 2005, http://fxn.ws/10jE6bu. • “a man had a gun stuck in his face” Greg Wilson, “Man Pulls Gun in Gas Line, State Troopers Deployed at Stations as Tensions Boil in Sandy’s Wake,” foxnews.com, November 02, 2012, http://fxn.ws/10jEbM9. • “ ‘You see the worst in people at a time like this’ ” Greg Wilson, “Man Pulls Gun in Gas Line, State Troopers Deployed at Stations as Tensions Boil in Sandy’s Wake,” foxnews.com, November 02, 2012, http://fxn.ws/10jEbM9. • “down with a handgun holding a maximum of seven rounds (which is now the limit in New York)” Jessica Alaimo, “In Gun Law, Cuomo Mandated Something That Doesn’t Exist,” democratanD.C.hronicle.com, February 28, 2013, http://on.rocne.ws/10jEgQa.