(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Contact: Marty Langley, 202-822-8200 x109, mlangley@vpc.org Washington, DC–A Florida mass shooting that resulted in the murder of four women, an innocent 17-year-old gunned down by a 61-year-old man in a case of mistaken identity, [...]
(We are pleased to post the following op-ed from Josh Sugaramann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center. Mr. Sugarmann’s commentary was originally published in the Gazette Extra on June 12th). By Josh Sugarmann WASHINGTON — EDITOR’S NOTE: The writer is addressing the question, Does the open display of firearms at protest rallies threaten to [...]
(We are posting the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). These are actual pictures of the shooting as it occurred FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 11, 2010 CONTACT: Marty Langley, 202-822-8200 x109, mlangley@vpc.org At Least 65 Innocent People Have Been Killed in Recent Mass Shootings Involving Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Washington, DC–Gerardo Regalado, [...]
According to a news brief on the New York Times on June 2: Federal authorities are investigating the origin of one of the largest gun seizures ever on the Mexico border: a cache of 147 assault rifles with banana clips and bayonets discovered in a truck being driven down a residential street in Laredo on [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 CONTACT: VPC Press Office, 202-822-8200 x110, press@vpc.org Washington, DC–States with higher gun ownership rates and weak gun laws have the highest rates of overall gun death according to a new analysis by the Violence [...]
Proponents for “openly carrying” loaded guns in public revealed their true colors in Arizona on May 30th. Neo-Nazi members and racists showed up at a peaceful immigration rally carrying loaded handguns and rifles and said their weapons were not for show and would use them if necessary. Such threatening hate speech is beyond the pale [...]
According to Milwaukee ABC (WISN) Channel 12 reported on May 26th: MILWAUKEE — A gun rights activist is free from jail and is still allowed to carry a gun despite charges that he shot two men. Jesus Gonzalez was released from jail on a $100,000 cash bond. He’s not allowed to have contact with the [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 27, 2010 Contact: Marty Langley, Violence Policy Center, 202-822-8200 x109, mlangley@vpc.org Washington, DC—Arrests for murder and a murder-suicide are among the new incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders detailed in the May update of Concealed Carry [...]
(Photo by David Molnar / The Republican. As his father, Sean Connery snaps a photograph, left, Devin Connery of Lunenburg, fires a Heckler & Koch Universal Machine-Pistol at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo sponsored by the Westfield Sportsman Club and C.O.P. Firearms and Training on Sunday. According to the Associated Press on May [...]
David Corn of Mother Jones posted a strong critique of President Obama’s complete lack of leadership on supporting a ban on military-style semiautomatic assault rifles. Corn’s piece on May 21, is a must-read. David Corn When Mexican President Felipe Calderon addressed the US Congress on Thursday, he called for the United States to reinstate the [...]
According to a local ABC News station on May 3rd: Authorities say a Maryland man killed himself after buying a shotgun and ammunition at a central Pennsylvania gun show. The York County coroner’s office says the unidentified man purchased the gun Saturday morning during a show at the York Expo Center, then took it outside [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2010 MEDIA CONTACTS: CSGV: Ladd Everitt, (202) 701-7171, leveritt@csgv.org ROOT: Kenny Barnes, (202) 431-6646, kennysr@rootinc.org NRA Has Deliberately Misled Congress About Substance of D.C.’s Current Gun Laws Washington, D.C.—Yesterday, U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Contact: Marty Langley, Violence Policy Center, 202-822-8200 x109, mlangley@vpc.org Washington, DC–Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 152 private citizens (including 15 shooters who killed themselves [...]
The Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence — a project of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence — held a press conference at Children’s Memorial Hospital on April 12, 2010. We strongly urge you to watch some of the video clips from that press event. IL State Rep. Harry Osterman: Background Checks Save Lives Dr. [...]
Ed Schultz slammed Fox “News”, right-wing zealots, and gun extremists for peddling conspiracy theories that President Obama is “disarming” Americans of their guns. In fact, as Schultz points out, President Obama received an “F” on a report card from the Brady Campaign on the President’s policies with respect to the gun issue. Watch Video:
(We are pleased to post the following guest commentary from Mark Karlin, editor of BuzzFlash.com on April 21st). BUZZFLASH EDITOR’S BLOG BY MARK KARLIN The politically charged gun movement in America that began when right wing ideologues took over the NRA in the ’70s (in what was called “The Revolt at Cincinnati”) has been pathological [...]
(Photo from ‘open carry’ gun protest in Virginia, April 19th 2010) GunGuys.com Editorial It is deeply disturbing that gun proponents chose the solemn 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing to organize anti-government rallies and urge attendees to carry loaded handguns and assault rifles in public to demonstrate their anger at the Obama administration and [...]
The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence posted the following video from the “open carry” gun protest at Fort Hunt, Virginia on April 19th, the 15-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing — proof of the sheer extremism of the “open carry” movement.
(People pause at a memorial for victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting in Blacksburg, Va. Friday marks the third anniversary of the shootings, where 32 people plus the shooter died. Jeanna Duerscherl/The Roanoke Times/AP). On April 16th, the Christian Science Monitor quoted Andy Pelosi, Director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, about [...]
(We are pleased to post the following guest commentary from Cathie Whittenburg, Director of New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Send comments or questions to necpgv@gmail.com). Patriot – A person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interest. Paranoid – Exhibiting or characterized by baseless and extreme fear or distrust [...]
On April 10th, Columbus, Ohio’s NBC Channel 4 covered an ‘open-carry’ gun protest on the steps of the state capitol:
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus). For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Pelosi, 914-629-6726, andy@gunfreekids.org John Johnson, 319-389-7382, johnwjohnson@mchsi.com (April 15, 2010, New York) – Three years ago on April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, armed with two semiautomatic handguns and several hundred rounds of ammunition, [...]
(On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 a.m., an explosion ripped through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla. At the time, it was the worst terrorist attack ever undertaken on American soil. The blast killed 168 people – 19 of them children – and injured hundreds). (We are pleased to post the [...]
According to Cleveland’s local Fox News Channel 8 on April 14th: CLEVELAND – Matthew Warmus, the man accused of shooting and killing a parking lot attendant over a parking spot Friday night, made his first court appearance Tuesday morning. Cleveland Police say Warmus shot parking lot attendant David Williams,27, three times, after the two got [...]
According to the Huffington Post on April 14th: Four people–including three children–were fatally shot early Wednesday and two others were critically injured when a family member from out of state showed up at the South Side home and began shooting–reportedly because “Allah” told him to kill his family. About 4:25 a.m., police responded to a [...]
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart posted a must-see video on April 12th, about the “open carry” handgun movement, including an interview with Paul Helmke, the President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. WATCH DAILY SHOW VIDEO The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Open Carrier Discrimination www.thedailyshow.com [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence). BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 Contact: Peter Hamm, 202-289-5792 Washington, D.C. – The Starbucks Coffee Company allows customers to carry guns, yet prohibits employees from having weapons in Starbucks stores. [...]
(We are pleased to post the following guest commentary from Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center. Mr. Sugarmann’s essay was originally posted on the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence’s “Insights” section on its website). March 10, 2010 Since its inception, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) has approached gun violence as a broad-based [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence). For Immediate Release Contact: Thom Mannard (312) 341-0939, cell (847) 997-3020, tmannard@ichv.org ISRA Uses Lobby Day to Press For Dangerous Carrying Concealed Weapons Law That Threatens Public Safety (March 10, 2010, Chicago) – The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence [...]
According to TPMMuckaker on March 3rd: A Louisiana sheriff plans to arm volunteers with shotguns, riot shields, batons, and a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a “war wagon,” as part of “Operation Exodus,” a program to provide security in the event of a terrorist attack or civic unrest. “It’s a calling,” he says. The office [...]
According to the Hartford Courant on Feb. 23rd: MANCHESTER – — Two men armed with handguns, apparently hallucinating after a drug binge, opened fire on imaginary attackers early Monday, and police say it’s a miracle no one was hurt. The drama began to unfold about 12:20 a.m. when Manchester police received a 911 call from [...]
(We are pleased to post the following guest commentary from Mark Karlin, editor of BuzzFlash.com). Once our National Parks were a refuge of nature and tranquility, but that part of the American Dream just got shot full of holes by the NRA. Attached to the so-called credit card reform bill that went into effect on [...]
According to the Associated Press on Feb. 24th: LITTLETON, Colo. — The gunman was walking through a middle school parking lot and taking shots at students with a hunting rifle as terrified teenagers ran for their lives. He had just wounded two students and seemed ready to unleash more violence when a math teacher named [...]
The Washington Post’s editorial on Feb. 18th, accurately says it all: “If Virginia lifts gun-buying limit, get ready for mayhem.” IN A RARE moment of gun law sanity, Virginia enacted a bill 17 years ago limiting the purchase of handguns to one a month. Almost immediately, the numbers of guns traced to Virginia that were [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence). For Immediate Release Contact: Thom Mannard, (312) 341-0939, tmannard@ichv.org Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence Remembers the Victims, Survivors and Families Affected By Valentine’s Day Shooting Rampage that Killed 5 Students and Wounded 16; Advocates Call for Renewed Effort to [...]
According to the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 8th: State Trooper Jason Melson guards the Texas Capitol in Austin after a Jan. 21 shooting on the steps outside the building. Lawmakers in firearm-friendly Texas are embroiled in a debate over how to make the state Capitol safer: get rid of guns or encourage even more. [...]
(We are pleased to post the following “Insights Column” from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence). ICHV Insights Column by Garrett Evans Garrett Evans was wounded and survived the massacre at Virginia Tech University in 2007. He later graduated from the university and now lives in Chicago, where he frequently speaks about gun violence to [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Contact: Mandy Wimmer, Communications Associate, 202-822-8200 x110, mwimmer@vpc.org State’s Black Homicide Victimization Rate of 36.36 Per 100,000 is Nearly Seven Times National Overall Homicide Rate of 5.30 per 100,000 Washington, DC–Pennsylvania leads the nation [...]
TPMMuckraker posted an article on Jan. 22nd about just how extreme right-wing activists have become, including a call to form a militia armed with fully automatic machine guns and military weapons to protect citizens against “the government.” A group of nearly 200 “extremely concerned citizens” in a small Montana county are demanding that local leaders [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 CONTACT: Mandy Wimmer, Communications Associate, 202-822-8200 x110, mwimmer@vpc.org At Least 51 Innocent People Have Been Killed in Recent Mass Shootings Involving Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Washington, DC–Christopher Bryan Speight, the 39-year-old man who allegedly [...]
According to the Associated Press on Jan. 20th: APPOMATTOX, Va. – A gunman suspected of killing eight people before disappearing into dense Virginia woods and firing on a police helicopter surrendered at sunrise Wednesday, ending an overnight hunt by dozens of law enforcement officers. Christopher Speight, 39, approached officers at the scene of the shootings [...]
The New York Times wrote an editorial on Jan. 18th chastising America’s political leaders, including President Obama, for failing to stand-up to the gun lobby and pass an effective ban on semi-automatic assault weapons. The result of this “political cowardice” is that criminals are arming themselves with more lethal and powerful weapons, including semi-automatic military-style [...]
Spotlight: Keep Guns Off College Campuses Visit the Campaign To Keep Guns Off Campus Web Site. In Response To Glenn Beck, Watch ABC News 20/20 Report “If I Only Had a Gun” That Demolishes the Myth That Armed Students Can Stop an Attack. AZ: Gun Lobby Wants To Force Loaded Handguns On College Campuses – [...]
Stephen Colbert satirized the NRA on his show last night on Jan. 13th, along with Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards. It’s a very funny segment. The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
(We are pleased to post the following news alert from the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, an affiliate of the Freedom States Alliance). Bishop Timothy Clarke of First Church of Columbus will preside over the fourth monthly interfaith prayer vigil to remember homicide victims and their families. The vigil will be Sunday, January 17 at [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Violence Policy Center). For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Contact: Mandy Wimmer, Violence Policy Center, 202-822-8200 x110, mwimmer@vpc.org Washington, DC–Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 108 private citizens (including 13 shooters who killed themselves [...]
On Jan 3rd, Think Progress posted an unsettling video of Tea Party activists in New Mexico who openly carried loaded guns and assault weapons as a threat against “the government” and President Obama. Nearly 350 right-wing protestors crowded a New Mexico town’s busiest intersection yesterday to protest President Obama’s supposed anti-gun agenda and the “government [...]
(We are pleased to post the following guest commentary from John Woods, an advocate and a leader of Students for Gun-Free Schools). I am a representative in Student Government at The University of Texas at Austin. I’m also uniquely positioned to discuss the issue of firearms and classrooms as an alumnus of Virginia Tech: I [...]
(We are pleased to post the following press release from our partners, the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus). (Over 90 colleges, universities and associations in 23 states have signed the resolution to keep guns off college campuses). For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Pelosi, 914-629-6726, andy@gunfreekids.org John Johnson, 319-389-7382, johnwjohnson@mchsi.com (December 4, 2009, New York) [...]
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