Sub-Topics 2003 2004 2005 2008 Also Try Community Development Gun Control Debate Safe Schools News Gun Control Law News and Facts (Jurist) Provides news on court cases related to gun control, as well as basic facts and statistics related to gun control laws. 6-01. Papers -Bloomberg Editorial: Six Ways We Can Stop Gun Madness (USA Today) "Sunday night, President Obama said he would use whatever powers his office holds to address this violence. He should begin immediately by sending a legislative package to Capitol Hill that the new Congress can consider and vote on as its first order of business when it convenes in January. The package should have three main elements:" "First, it should prohibit the manufacture and sale of the military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips that have been used in too many mass shootings, including in Newtown. The previous ban on assault weapons expired in 2004. While President George W. Bush supported reinstating it, Congress never acted." 12-12 -Editorial: Reducing Gun Violence Is Not About Looking into the Minds of Killers (CNN News) "What we do know, based on the best available scientific evidence on the link between violence and mental illness in populations, is that most violence is not caused by a major psychiatric condition like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression. Psychiatric disorder accounts for only about 4% of violent behavior, across the spectrum from minor to serious assaultive acts. And the vast majority of people with serious mental illnesses do not behave violently." "If research on patterns of violence in populations tells us anything, it's that no single thing causes assaultive behavior. Even when serious psychopathology plays a role, it is almost never a sufficient explanation. Other variables -- personal background characteristics and life experience, features of the social environment, substance abuse -- all may interact to make violent acts statistically more likely. That makes it complicated to explain and very difficult to predict actions on an individual level." "When we total up the contributions of all the risk factors with known links to violent behavior, most of it is left unexplained." "The present national moment of grief and soul searching should not become another occasion for oversimplifying the problem of gun violence and laying the blame on any one thing -- 'it's the guns' or 'it's untreated mental illness' or 'it's the information system' or 'it's the violent popular culture in society.' It may be all of those things. We need to address all of the variables and come up with smart evidence-based policies. Looking inside the killer's head should not be the first place to start." Also see Gun Control Debate. 07-12 -Editorial: The Gun Business Is Doing Well (Truth-Out.com) "The gun business in America is booming, despite the decline in households that own guns. As the Washington Post glibly noted this week, "The U.S. gun industry has been one of the brightest spots in the U.S. economy in recent years, even through the recent downturn. This year, it racked up $11.7 billion in sales and $992 million in profits, according to the research firm IBISWorld." Almost 17 million people applied for a background check to purchase a gun in 2012. More than 156 million people have applied since 1998." 12-12 -Gabriel Giffords Testifies to Congress on Gun Control (ABC News) "The hearing began with the dramatic statement by Giffords, whose congressional career was ended by a bullet wound to her head two years ago. Giffords, who is still showing effects from the wound, spoke slowly, enunciating each word carefully. The obvious effort gave the statement added force." " 'Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important,' she told the panel chaired by Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt." " 'Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous, Americans are counting on you. Thank you,' Giffords said before being helped out of the hearing room." 01-13 -Gun Control and Mental Illness (NBC News) "According to DJ Jaffe, executive director of the Mental Illness Policy Org, which advocates on behalf of the seriously mentally ill, all the talk of mental health and gun violence obscures a bigger issue – a nationwide struggle with how to care for the mentally ill." " 'Most of the things they’re discussing are totally irrelevant to helping people with serious mental illness,' Jaffe said. 'No one wants responsibility for the seriously mentally ill.' " 01-13 -Gun Lobby Following the Example of the Tobacco Industry? (EIN News) "While scientists have welcomed President Obama's efforts to restart gun-violence research, many say that passing even modest gun-safety measures will be an uphill battle." "That's because the gun lobby, researchers say, has followed a familiar and largely successful playbook: that of the tobacco companies." 01-13 -Investors Turn Against Gun Makers (ABC News) "Investors shunned some of the nation's largest gun makers Tuesday, putting up for sale the manufacturer of the Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle used in the Connecticut school shooting and worrying that the attack could soon bring stricter gun laws." 12-12 -Israel Rejects NRA's Guns-in-Schools Claim (CBS News) "Israel's policy on issuing guns is restrictive, and armed guards at its schools are meant to stop terrorists, not crazed or disgruntled gunmen, experts said Monday, rejecting claims by America's top gun lobby that Israel serves as proof for its philosophy that the U.S. needs more weapons, not fewer." "Far from the image of a heavily armed population where ordinary people have their own arsenals to repel attackers, Israel allows its people to acquire firearms only if they can prove their professions or places of residence put them in danger. The country relies on its security services, not armed citizens, to prevent terror attacks." "Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor spelled it out." "Because it is aimed at preventing terror attacks, Israel's school security system is part of a multi-layered defense strategy that focuses on prevention and doesn't depend on a guy at a gate with a gun." 12-12 -Marketing Links Found Between Violent Video Games and Gun Manufacturers (New York Times) "As Electronic Arts prepared to market Medal of Honor Warfighter, the latest version of its top-selling video game released in October, it created a Web site that promoted the manufacturers of the guns, knives and combat-style gear depicted in the game." 12-12 -NRA Demands an Armed Security Officer in Every School (NBC News) "National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre blamed Hollywood, video games music, the courts and more on Friday for creating a culture of violence in the United States." " 'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,' he said at a Washington press event, adding, 'With all the money in the federal budget can’t we afford to put a police officer in every single school?' " 12-12 -No Level l Trauma Centers for Chicago's South Side (CNN News) "One bullet hit Foster in her back." "There was a hospital only a few blocks away, but emergency services followed protocol. They took Foster instead to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, nearly 5 miles away. Advocate Christ is legally certified and better equipped to deal with trauma cases." "Although the experts say such Level I trauma centers, as they are officially known, give gunshot victims better odds, there are no such centers on Chicago's violence-plagued South Side -- a part of the city where some say they are sorely needed." "Foster didn't make it." " 'It's more than sad; it's really crushing,' said her cousin, Camiella Williams. At 25, Williams says, she's lost 20 people she's known to gun violence." 02-13 -Presenting Facts on Gun-Deaths Per Year Without Bias (CENGAGE) Provides the example of gun-control statistics from a source in favor of more gun control and a source against more gun control. One source uses statistics to compare people killed from firearms in the United States with the number killed in war to show that the numbers are similar. The other source shows how many children were killed from firearms to show that it is extremely unlikely that a particular child will be killed by a firearm. "To conclude, facts in dispute provide you as the researcher with an excellent opportunity to really show your skill as a researcher, not to mention your skill as a critical reader. By seeking out those sources which seem to provide facts within an unbiased framework (like certain government reporting agencies or fact books), by checking multiple sources even when you think you have found incontrovertible statistics, and by making sure you make evident to your reader what the sources of facts are (and then foregrounding when your sources do not necessarily provide identical facts), you can guard against being fooled by opinion masquerading as fact. In turn, you will not then perpetuate the bias by presenting your research to the reader as though it were indisputable fact." 07-12 -President Obama Presents His Plan for Gun Control (CBS News) "Setting the stage for what could be the most sweeping political battle over gun control in decades, President Obama today laid out a comprehensive package for reducing gun violence in America, a multi-part plan he says will not only 'help prevent mass shootings' going forward but also 'reduce the broader epidemic of gun violence in this country.' " 01-13 -Supreme Court Rules that Gun Rights Extend to All States and Cities (Time.com) "The Supreme Court ruled today to extend gun rights to every state and city." "McDonald v. Chicago, which was split 5-4 along conservative and liberal lines, expanded the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to individuals in states and cities. It’s a victory for gun rights advocates, who fought against local and state controls on firearms. It’s a major blow to the city of Chicago, which had banned handguns for the past 28 years in one of the country’s strictest gun policies. Now the city’s policy will be reviewed and likely overturned." 06-10 -Supreme Court Upholds Gun Rights (Washington Post) "The Supreme Court, splitting along ideological lines, today declared that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own guns for self-defense, striking down the District of Columbia's ban on handgun ownership as unconstitutional." "The 5 to 4 decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia represented a monumental change in federal jurisprudence and went beyond what the Bush administration had counseled. It said that the government may impose some restrictions on gun ownership, but that the District's strictest-in-the-nation ban went too far under any interpretation." 06-08 -Teacher Talks Armed Student into Stopping (CNN News) "The teacher stood in the classroom, face-to-face with his 16-year-old student, who was holding a shotgun." "Ryan Heber, 40, talked to the teen, trying to persuade him to end an armed assault in which one student had already been shot." 01-13 -Teacher's Fund Reviewing Firearm Holdings (ABC News) "The nation's largest teachers' pension fund announced Tuesday that it was reviewing its firearms holdings after determining that its investment in a gun maker was linked to one of the weapons used in last week's Connecticut school massacre." "The California State Teachers' Retirement System, which manages $155 billion in assets, was reviewing whether those investments comply with the fund's own social and ethical standards." 12-12 -U.S. Has Far More Gun-Related Killings Than Any Other Developed Country (Washington Post) "The United States has by far the highest per capita rate of all developed countries. According to data compiled by the United Nations, the United States has four times as many gun-related homicides per capita as do Turkey and Switzerland, which are tied for third. The U.S. gun murder rate is about 20 times the average for all other countries on this chart. That means that Americans are 20 times as likely to be killed by a gun than is someone from another developed country." 01-13 -Weapon of Choice Is Guns (NBC News) "Guns are used in about seven out of 10 murders in the U.S., according to FBI statistics. The weapons of choice are guns, 68 percent; knife, 13 percent; fists or feet, 6 percent; other, 6 percent; and unknown, 7 percent." 02-13 A Summary of the Gun Control Debate (Awesome Library) Provides a summary of key positions on the debate regarding gun control. Also provides comments from the Editor. 5-00. Checking for Gun Eligibility (FBI - National Instant Criminal Backgound Check System) Describes the provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act) of 1994, requiring criminal background checks for individuals applying to purchase a gun. 6-01. Dangers of Lead-Based Bullets Examined (CNN News) "Dr. William Cornatzer, a dermatologist and falconer, saw a presentation about the potential dangers of lead at a board meeting of the Peregrine Fund, a group devoted to conserving birds of prey. He decided to collect and test venison samples that were going to be donated to a local program for the hungry. About half of the 100 samples -- all shot by hunters -- tested positive for lead, he said. Food banks and shelters pulled the meat from their shelves after the report." 03-09 Deaths By Country, With and Without Firearms (GunCite) Provides a comparison of total violent deaths (homicide and suicide) by country, with and without firearms. GunCite is in favor of the availability of guns. A key factor, the percent of households with guns, was not available for about half of the countries. Guns and Children (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Provides basic suggestions. Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Guns - U.S. v. Miller (FindLaw) Provides a summary of the findings of U.S. v. Miller and concludes that it is unclear whether an "individual" or a "group" right exists for bearing firearms. The Miller case, which is the only U.S. Supreme Court case that clearly addresses the Second Amendment, made it clear that the protection to bear arms, under the Second Amendment of the Constitution, was only for "maintenance of a militia or other such public force." 5-00. Study Concludes That Attorney General Ashcroft Misrepresented the Second Amendment (Violence Policy Center) Provides an analysis of Attorney General Ashcroft's new policy and statements regarding the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Finds that Ashcroft's position is "inadequately researched, weakly constructed, and hopelessly biased." The Violence Policy Center is in favor of enforcing existing federal gun control laws. 9-01 Supreme Court Expands Gun Rights (Time.com) "McDonald v. Chicago, which was split 5-4 along party lines, expanded the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to individuals in states and cities. It's a victory for gun rights advocates, who fought against local and state controls on firearms. It's a major blow to the city of Chicago, which had banned handguns for the past 28 years in one of the country's strictest gun policies. Now the city's policy will be reviewed and likely overturned." 06-10

Arabic, Chinese-Simple, Chinese-Traditional, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese,   Index, New, Search Engines, Dictionary, Bookstore, Licenses, Email Us, About Us, Link to Us, Sponsorships, or Privacy Policy.