Since Newtown

It has been 2 years since the gunshot killings of 20 young school children and seven adults in Newtown Connecticut. It the that time there have been almost 100 more school shootings, about one a week. We don’t know how many gun deaths and injuries have occurred since the gun lobby had Congress forbid the CDC from compiling that public health data, and crowd sourcing can’t keep up with the numbers. Nothing has changed; another Newtown could happen any day.

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Image (“Old Glory”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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December 14: Happy ‘Guns Save Lives Day’

It’s the first anniversary of the gun murder of 20 first graders in Newtown Massachusetts, and the day is being commemorated as “Guns Save Lives Day” by three gun groups. It has also been marked by another school shooting in Colorado. There is a school shooting every two weeks in this country.

Since Newtown, at least 194 children under age 12 have been shot to death in America. Their names are here; here are their faces:

NRA Robocalls Newtown Residents

As part of it’s lobbying campaign to block gun violence legislation before the Connecticut legislature, the National Rifle Association has been robocalling residents of Newtown, site of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting which cost the lives of 20 small children and 6 educators on December 14th. Newtown residents are understandably appalled and enraged.

You can hear the recorded message by clicking on the link below. Imagine how it would sound if you got this robocall while sitting at the dinner table with your child, a surviving schoolmate of the young victims, or if there was an empty chair at dinner since December 14th.

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Gun Shows Near Newtown Canceled

 “Four gun shows, all about an hour’s drive from Newtown, Conn., all canceled.

A show in White Plains, N.Y., — brought back a few years ago after being called off for a decade because of the Columbine shooting — is off because officials decided it didn’t seem appropriate now, either. In Danbury, Conn. — about 10 miles west of Newtown — the venue backed out. Same with three other shows in New York’s Hudson Valley, according to the organizer.

Newtown’s Gun Lobby in DC

This morning the NRA attempted to defend its insane proposals to put guns in all American schools and keep military-type weapons and magazines on the streets, the gun lobby’s reaction to the horrifying slaughter of 20 small children and 6 educators in Newtown Connecticut. But Newtown itself is home to another gun lobby group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and its last registered DC office is at 20 F Street NW (above) near the U.S. Senate, where it rents space.

The NSSF represents gun and ammunition manufacturers and dealers, so it’s no surprise that it has lobbied Congress against restrictions on military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. It even claims that the AR-15 is a legitimate hunting firearm.

Congress: Heed the Signs.

Written and animated by Zina Saunders (via Mother Jones.)

Related:

“How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown?” Chris Kirk and Dan Kois, Slate

“Gun violence, by the numbers,” Jennifer Kabat, Salon

“The Media Myth Of NRA Electoral Dominance Should End With 2012,” Timothy Johnson, Media Matters

“Five Things Every Elected Official Should Know About The NRA,” Ian Millhiser, Think Progress

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The NRA Explains It All To You

In memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shootings, many Americans observed a moment of silence this morning at 9:30 AM. At 11:00 AM there was talk; the National Rifle Association tried to deflect blame for the massacre from the military-style weapon and high-capacity magazines that enabled it, claiming that violent video games have somehow caused this catastrophe and the mass shootings that occur every two weeks somewhere in the USA. According to NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre:

“And here’s another dirty little truth that the media try their best to conceal: There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people.

Through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse. And here’s one: it’s called Kindergarten Killers. It’s been online for 10 years. How come my research department could find it and all of yours either couldn’t or didn’t want anyone to know you had found it?”

Sandy Hook’s Dangerous Neighbor

In Newtown Connecticut, if you drive 3 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School heading towards Rock Glen State Park, you’ll reach the headquarters of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. NSSF is the association representing 7,000 firearms manufacturers, gun dealers, and shooting range businesses across the country.  Here’s what NSSF has to say about the massacre of 20 neighborhood kids and 6 local educators:

“DEAR NSSF MEMBERS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATES . . . We at the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute have been deeply shaken and saddened by the horrible events that took place in Newtown last week. There are not many degrees of separation in small communities like Newtown, and so, not surprisingly, we had family, friends and acquaintances that were affected. We are weighed down by their heartbreaking stories and the sorrow that has blanketed our community. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Last Friday, we posted on the NSSF and SAAMI websites that out of respect for the families, the community and the ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate for our organizations to comment or participate in media requests. That remains our position at this time.”

That’s it. Heartfelt.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation Government Relations division had lots more to say when opposing laws against high-capacity magazines of the type used to slaughter kids three miles from the NSSF doorstep. A similar bill will be reintroduced in Congress. A Connecticut state bill banning high-capacity magazines was defeated last year due to pressure from the gun lobby.

More:

“The Second Most Powerful Gun Lobby Is in Newtown, Connecticut,” Lydia DePillis, The New Republic

“Gun lobby thrives just 3 miles from Sandy Hook school where shooter killed 26,” Larry McShane, New York Daily News

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Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-ffF

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

 

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