Remember

Every year on this date, a somber anniversary rolls around which which we would all do well to never forget. It was on this day in 1970 when anti-war protesters at Kent State University were confronted by members of the Ohio National Guard. Thirteen seconds and 67 bullets later, more than a dozen of the [...]

Read this post »

Motivations.

Is a video of Floyd Lee Corkins admitting his exact motivations enough to connect the dots in this case? Via the Washington Examiner: Family Research Council (FRC) officials released video of federal investigators questioning convicted domestic terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins II, who explained that he attacked the group’s headquarters because the Southern Poverty Law Center [...]

Read this post »

Straight talk.

Via TPM, skip to around 0:45 below for what’s likely to be tomorrow’s manufactured outrage du jour. The thought process on this for gun-control fans will run this way, I think: By refusing to accede to the wishes of a sympathetic victim of gun violence, McCain’s being per se inappropriate and offensive, but for this [...]

Read this post »

Children.

As a society, our first task must be to care for our children — to shield them from harm and give them the tools they need not only to pursue their dreams, but to help build this country. That is how we will be judged. And in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, it’s [...]

Read this post »

Prevention.

The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., bloodiest attack of its kind in the nation’s history, stands as a possible tipping point after Washington’s decade-long aversion even to talking about stricter gun laws… It remains to be seen whether Sandy Hook will break the usual cycle of universal shock fading into political [...]

Read this post »

"Meaningful action."

Obama cited Scripture to call for healing, and said “we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.” He called the shooting a “heinous crime” against “beautiful little kids.” “We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years, and each [...]

Read this post »

Horror.

CNN reports the suspect is Ryan Lanza, a white male in his early 20s. He died in the school, but it’s unclear how he died. CBS News is reporting he’s from the Newtown area, his mother had been living in the area, and some students killed may have been students of his mother, who taught [...]

Read this post »

Narratives.

The other post was getting mighty heavy, so I’m adding new updates here. We’re learning more about the suspected shooter, Floyd Corkins II, of Herndon, Va.: (AP) WASHINGTON – A man suspected of shooting and wounding a security guard in the lobby of a Christian lobbying group had been volunteering at a community center for [...]

Read this post »

Hands off.

Not a new phenomenon, either. In fact, incredibly enough, support for gun control actually declined after the Tucson shooting last year: Not sure how reliable that Virginia Tech comparison is given the time lapse between the two polls but my strong hunch about the Tucson numbers is that they moved in the opposite direction you’d [...]

Read this post »

Reasonable regulations?

President Barack Obama called for a discussion in the wake of the 2011 Tucson shootings and again on Wednesday following the Colorado movie theater rampage. But Mr. Carney did not offer any specifics about his plans for pursuing the matter… White House officials have said they have no plans to get behind gun-control legislation, citing [...]

Read this post »

Misfires.

President Barack Obama said Wednesday the nation needs to start talking about tougher gun laws. That might be the end of the conversation. The White House offered no specific follow-up. Neither did congressional leaders, who say they have no plans to pursue legislation, which faces broad congressional opposition… Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, [...]

Read this post »

Misfire.

The head of the House Democratic Caucus said Tuesday that Congress should “absolutely” ban the sale of assault weapons in the wake of last week’s fatal shooting rampage in Colorado. Many Democratic leaders have been wary of making a full-throated push for such a ban since House Democrats were swept from the majority in 1994 [...]

Read this post »

Funny name, common sense.

The Colorado governor said this on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Sunday but it’s worth flagging a) because the utterly predictable gun-control discussion is ongoing and Hick is another guy with a less-than-utterly-predictable position and b) what are the chances you watched “Face the Nation?” And, because Hickenlooper’s a Democrat in Colorado, his absolute moral authority [...]

Read this post »

Control.

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Sunday said President Obama was committed to preventing gun crimes by relying on “existing law,” two days after a mass shooting in Colorado left 12 dead and dozens injured, sparking renewed debate about gun control… In a gaggle aboard Air Force One, en route to Colorado Carney struck [...]

Read this post »

Jumping to conclusions already.

At the risk of seeming callous by getting into the politics of the Colorado shooting, this has to be nipped in the bud by the President and other prominent liberals soon. Via Twitchy: Some Twitter users are speculating that the Aurora, Colo., shooter was inspired by comments made by Rush Limbaugh.  The shooting occurred at [...]

Read this post »

Horror.

Tragedy in Aurora, CO. There are conflicting reports on the number of dead, but it’s at least 12, and probably rising, with some reporting as many as 15: A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into a crowded movie theater in suburban Denver theater at a midnight opening of [...]

Read this post »

Thoughts and prayers, please.

One second, my Twitter feed was filled with quotes from Eric Holder at the Fast and Furious hearing. The next second, it was filled with prayers for #vatech. According to breaking news reports, a police officer has been shot on the Virginia Tech campus. The suspect has been described as a white male in gray [...]

Read this post »

Crack-up.

He couldn’t even hold it together for an hour in court. At least one of the doctors testifying to his competency described Jared Lee Loughner as a paranoid schizophrenic, a courtroom source told CBS News… Loughner, dressed in a khaki prison suit and sporting bushy, reddish sideburns, was removed from the hearing after an outburst [...]

Read this post »