Tag: guns

Half of States Don’t Require a Permit to Carry a Gun

Buck Banks

25

New York Times: “In Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia, Republicans have pushed this year to limit gun-free zones, remove background checks and roll back red-flag laws that seek to remove firearms from those who are a danger to themselves or others. Missouri last year enacted a measure that made it illegal for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities in many gun investigations …. In 25 states, no permits are required to carry a handgun — nine more than in 2020.”

Biden: Only Congress Can Address Gun Violence Now

Buck Banks

“I have gone the full extent of my executive authority, to do on my own anything about guns. The Congress has to act. The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre, a crazy idea. They’re against that.”

— “President Biden said that he’s exhausted what he can do through executive action on gun control as he called on Congress to act following the nation’s latest mass shooting,” USA Today reports.

We’re Drowning in Guns and Trump Throws Us…Video Games?

Trish
This email subject line is the mother of all non-sequiturs
No amount of banned video games or advances in access to mental health treatment could make up for the sheer numbers of guns in America

Reading isn’t Trump’s greatest strength but in his speech addressing the two-for-one mass shootings inspired by his recent campaign trail red meat, he recited the words like a man with a gun to his head. Which is appropriate since, statistically speaking, as an American, he is likelier than citizens from any other country to be near a gun.

But no amount of banned video games or advances in access to mental health treatment (both initiatives which have been blocked repeatedly by conservatives, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia) could make up for the sheer numbers of guns in America. Residents of the old Wild West would be afraid to live with what you and I are facing. […]

Why Are Guns So Far Being Held Blameless in Parkland Teen Suicides?

Trish

Guns continue to get off the hook in the deaths of two teens who attended Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Even though drug overdose is the method used in 70 percent of potential suicides, it’s only responsible for about 12 percent of the deaths. Guns are far, far more effective. Of the comparatively smaller 6 percent of people who attempt suicide by using a gun, they find “success” about 82 percent of the time. That makes guns responsible for more than half of our country’s suicides.

The role of guns, and access to them, has so far been ignored in the stories about the two teens at Stoneman Douglas. I have yet to find one that asks, let alone answers, the question of where the guns used by the teens came from. But states with the most guns have the most youth suicides.
[…]

Pack Your Heat When You Pack For Home

Trish

Original photo by Damir Bosnjak

A timely reminder from the part of Florida known as the “Redneck Riviera:” When traveling over the summer, remember to take your gun home with you.

Travelers often leave behind personal items when they check out of an Airbnb or other vacation rental, but police in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. have noticed a particular absentmindedness on the part of those who just can’t be without their guns. They remember to bring them to their relaxing getaway on the shores of the Gulf, but they forget to take them home.

…according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Corey Dobridnia…a total of 20 guns have been turned in since Memorial Day. Ninety percent came from vacation homes.

Since the guns are either reunited with owners through the diligent efforts of the property owners or used for police training, what’s the harm, you might ask? […]