Day: January 20, 2013

Pro-Life, Pro-Guns?

Trish

I think we should stick to our guns.

Rick Santorum, former senator and failed Republican presidential candidate, sharing his opinion on how gun advocates should respond to efforts to control gun violence. Santorum was known in the Senate for his almost obsessive objection to abortion and contraception because of his belief in the sanctity of life, at least up to the moment of birth.

Good Thing It’s So Easy for Responsible Gun Owners to Avoid Unintended Shootings

Trish

5

Number of shootings during Gun Appreciation Day, all by “responsible gun owners.” The highest toll was at a gun show in North Carolina, where three people were shot when a man removed his 12-gauge shotgun from its case. In Ohio, a man was shot by a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun held by his business partner, and another in Indiana shot himself as he loaded his .45-caliber semi-automatic. There were no shootings reported that day from music, food, or cultural festivals, reinforcing the notion that the very presence of guns makes people less safe.

Floridians Were All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Vote

Trish

201,000

Number of Floridians disenfranchised on Election Day 2012 because of long lines, according to new research on voter patterns and precinct-closing times which showed turnout fell by 2.3% for each hour of waiting. Republicans in Florida’s state houses cut the number of early voting days while crowding the ballot with 11 constitutional amendments that totaled more than 3,000 words (or about six college-level term papers), resulting in up to a five-hour wait in some precincts. The study was narrowly structured, but its researcher suspected even more people missed voting. “My gut is telling me that the real number deterred is likely higher,” he said.