Connecticut has passed sweeping gun control legislation. I stand up and applaud the bipartisan effort it took to pass the sweeping legislation. Again I will reiterate that gun control laws will not stop every single act of random violence. Instead, the purpose of the legislation is to try to decrease gun violence in the United States; specifically, in this instance, in Connecticut.
1. It has bipartisan support. Certainly more Democrats than Republicans supported the bill, but the vote in the state House was 105 to 44, with 40 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats voting for it. Earlier, the Senate voted with only 2 of the 22 Democrats opposing the law. Nearly half of Connecticut Senate Republicans voted for the measure.
2. It expands the state’s assault weapons ban. Connecticut already has an Assault Weapons Ban in place, but the new law will add over 100 new types of guns to the banned list. Among these is the Bushmaster AR-15 gun, which is what the Sandy Hook gunman used in his horrific killing spree. People who already own such weapons will be permitted to keep them, but must comply with new registration standards. (more…)
By ecthompsonmd|2013-04-05T21:25:39-04:00April 4th, 2013|Mass Shooting|Comments Off on Connecticut Passes Sweeping Gun Control Legislation
1. Making background checks universal. Obama wants every single gun owner to go through a proper background check, so that it can be determined whether they have a criminal history or diagnosed mental illness. He wants Congress to close the gun show loophole that allows people at gun shows, and private buyers of used weapons, to avoid getting checked. He will also, through executive action, urge private sellers to conduct background checks, even if they aren’t mandatory.
2. Improving state reporting of criminals and the mentally ill. While all states are required to report to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) people who should not have access to guns, some states are sluggish about putting the data into the system. Obama will put more money into the hands of the states so that they can improve their reporting systems, and issue stronger guidelines to let states know when they should report people. Obama will also, through Presidential Memorandum, work to make sure agencies are regularly entering data into NICS.
3. Banning assault weapons. This is likely the most difficult battle Obama will undertake. He wants to reinstate the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which outlaws military-grade weapons, like the AR-15 used by Newtown gunman Adam Lanza and by Aurora Theater gunman James Holmes. Obama wants Congress to pass the ban, and close some of the loopholes identified in its 1994 iteration.
4. Capping magazine clip capacity at 10 bullets. A military-grade weapon is dangerous, but so are its accessories: Obama proposes banning all extended magazine clips that hold over 10 bullets. Huge magazine clips allow a gunman to fire off hundreds of rounds without having to stop, even once, to reload. The high-capacity magazine ban was also part of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.
5. Purging armor-piercing bullets. The sale of armor piercing ammunition has been banned for quite some time, but is still legal to posess such bullets. Obama is calling on Congress to outlaw ownership and transfer of these bullets, instead of just the sale. Those who oppose any gun laws try to spin a ban on armor piercing bullets as a ban on deer hunting ammunition, but such ammo has the ability to penetrate bullet-proof vests, and is more colloquially known as “cop killer bullets.”
6. Funding police officers. Obama wants Congress to reverse its course of austerity for public employees by approving $4 billion to fund police enforcement around the country.
In the 34 days since Sandy Hook there have been over 1000 Americans who have died secondary to gun violence. (In Hazard, Ky, a 12-year-old girl, her mother and the mother’s uncle were shot and killed.) (more…)
I wish I could tell you that I sat down watched hours and hours of the Olympics. I haven’t. For some reason, life hasn’t stopped. I was able to catch a little bit of the US women’s soccer game. An amazing ending.
Truly extraordinary: “The [NASA] spacecraft plunged through Mars’ atmosphere, fired up a rocket-powered platform and lowered the car-sized, 1-ton Curiosity rover to its landing spot in 96-mile-wide (154-kilometer-wide) Gale Crater. Then the platform flew off to its own crash landing, while Curiosity sent out a text message basically saying, ‘I made it!'”
Huge shake-up in the Assad regime: “Syria’s prime minister has fled the country, activists and Syria’s official media reported Monday, in what appeared to be the highest level defection from President Bashar al-Assad’s government thus far.” (more…)
