Rally for Gun Violence Prevention

Last weekend I was proud to take part in a Rally for Gun Violence Prevention, in Eugene, Oregon.  It was sponsored by Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation and Million Mom March, and endorsed by the Democratic Party of Lane County Peace Caucus.

The program began with instrumental music by Eugene’s Stewart Aubel, then two speakers: Betsy Steffensen, from Million Mom March, and David Hazen, from Eugene City of Peace.  Betsy spoke about the need for reasonable reforms to keep guns out of the hands of those who would abuse them, and David spoke about the need to foster a culture of peace in ourselves and our culture, including a proposal to require conflict resolution training for school students, prisoners, and gun owners.

In the middle of the program we had three songs by Eugene singer/songwriter PeterAlmeida, who coordinated the musical portions of the event, including a sing-along with John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Then we had two more speakers:  Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, and then myself for Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation.  Mayor Piercy spoke about an organization she belongs to, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and what they stand for, spoke in favor of an ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, and then made an appeal for both sides to enter the gun debate with respect for the other side’s views.  I spoke about the ways that gun violence has affected my life, and called for legislative reforms, including universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammo magazines, and keeping guns out of schools.

The program ended with another song by Peter Almeida, and then more instrumental music from Stewart Aubel.

We would like to thank the City of Eugene and the Eugene Saturday Market for allowing use of their space, and the Bijou Art Cinemas for advertising.

Here is video of nearly the entire event, taken by local independent videographer Lance Jacobs:  http://vimeo.com/60924810

Ceasefire Oregon Rally in Eugene, OR to support new Gun Legislation March 2, 2013 from Lance Jacobs on Vimeo.

Media attended the event.  Here is some news coverage for the event:

KEZI:  http://www.kezi.com/eugene-residents-rally-for-gun-control/

KLCC radio (audio):  http://www.klcc.org/FeatureAudio/GUNVOICED3-2.mp3

KMTR:  http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Ceasefire-Oregon-rallies-in-Eugene/682QA7CwsEqo1Owv3CAm-g.cspx

An example quote from each of the speakers (with timestamp from the Lance Jacobs video linked above):

Betsy Steffensen, Million Mom March:

(0:51):  [I'm] for responsible gun ownership, not "control."  Everybody likes to use the word "control."  I don't want your guns.  You may keep it and put it in your safe and unload it and lock it up, that's what I want to happen.  People who go hunting, that's great, this is a great state for hunting -- go! -- but when you come home, unload your gun and lock it up.  If you have children who go play with the neighbors, I think it's a really good question to ask the family, "Oh, do you have weapons? Do you have guns in the house? And are they secured?"

David Hazen, Eugene City of Peace:

(9:30):  I propose that students at all levels, people incarcerated, applicants for purchase of a gun, as well as every public employee and candidate for office be required to demonstrate their competency in conflict resolution. The educational resources for that skill could be offered in partnerships with non-profits, churches, and neighborhood associations. TV stations could be enlisted to air PSA’s and programming that supported conflict resolution skill-building. The funding for such a program would probably be a small fraction of all the violence-containment measures now being proposed. 

Can you imagine how such a program would reduce the use of any weapon — including verbal abuse — to resolve conflict? The ratio of benefit-to-cost would be huge, and the NRA just might support it.

Kitty Piercy, Mayor of Eugene, Oregon:

(24:15):  Whether you are a person who owns a gun or not, there are points of agreement we should all be able to have.  I truly believe that none of us wants to see another child die.  I truly believe that we all care about safe homes and a safe future for everyone, and so I think we share those values, and we need to do a better job of how we get there.

Baldr Odinson, Ceasefire Oregon:

(33:25):  We've had speakers talking about personal responsibility.  We're all positive people, right?  We're in Eugene.  Eugene is a beautiful town and we have beautiful, positive people.  We don't want to think we live in violence, but we do.  The other night, there were gunshots near my home.  Why?  Why does anyone need to fire a gun?  There wasn't a report to the police.  What happened?

When we hear the stories on the news, every week there seems there's some shooting in our area, or some gun crime, or some felon [in possession], we shake our heads, and we say, "Ohh.  Not again."  Then we turn off the TV, go to sleep, wake up, and do life as usual.  We all have to be involved.  We all have to talk about it.  We all have to talk to our legislators and say, "We want something done, right now!"  Right?  Right.  Right now!  Not a year from now.  Not ten years from now -- as people continue to die.  It's not just a question of freedom.

The pro-gun folks talk about their rights -- and they do have rights.  To them, a gun represents a symbol of justice and freedom and the American way.  A "stand against tyranny."  But when you're looking down the wrong end of that gun, when you're holding a dead teen in your arms, as I have, when you're attending the funeral of a friend who's killed himself, that gun is no longer a symbol of freedom to you, it is exactly what it was designed to be:  a deadly weapon.

Rally participants (from top to bottom, moving left to right):  Betsy Steffensen, David Hazen,
Mayor Kitty Piercy, Baldr Odinson, Peter Almeida, and Stewart Aubel  (all images except bottom right
taken from screenshots of video by Lance Jacobs. Bottom right taken from KMTR video screenshot)

Unfortunately, we didn’t realize that the ELaw Conference was scheduled for the same day and time (oops), so many of the potential audience, "progressives" in Eugene, were there instead, so turnout at the rally was low.

Also, 5 or 6 pro-gun demonstrators showed up, waving signs that opposed the proposed Oregon assault weapons ban.  They were mostly respectful, though confrontational enough to hold video cameras in our faces and trying to ask personal questions.  Same ol', same ol'.  

I'm looking forward to the next rally we can hold.

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Recommendations From Over 20 Of The World's Leading Experts On Gun Violence

Recently there was a summit of over 20 of the world's most widely-published researchers and experts on the issue of gun violence.

Held at the Johns Hopkins University, they analyzed the topic for two days and come up with a list of recommendations for changes to gun regulation, based on data collected over the past two decades and on their professional opinions as researchers.

The list of recommendations included suggestions for:

• Improving background checks
• Prohibiting high-risk individuals from purchasing guns
• Improving mental health reporting and screening of individuals who are too dangerous to possess firearms
• Combating illegal gun trafficking
• Personalizing guns to the gun owner and improving gun manufacture safety
• Banning assault weapons
• Banning high-capacity ammo magazines greater than 10 rounds
• and Improving government research in the area of gun violence

Together, these professionals have a combined experience in the field of many hundreds of years of study, looking at the data scientifically and publishing that data in peer-reviewed, respected medical journals.  We should take their recommendations to heart.

See HERE for more details on their recommendations.

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WordsNotWeapons.org

(This is a cross-post from the Kid Shootings blog)...

As we chronicle over at the Kid Shootings blog, violence against children, by other children, is all too common. It is incredibly easy for teens and young children to get their hands on guns and other weapons due to their widespread ownership and lack of safe storage.  And minors typically have not learned enough life lessons or developed significant self control to keep from acting out violently when things do not go their way.  These two characteristics, when combined, can lead to tragic results.

Recently, the legal guardian of one young shooting victim, Tiana Montgomery (whose passing was posted on the Kid Shootings site), started an important website, called Words Not Weapons, which is dedicated to Tiana's memory.  Instead of only lamenting Tiana's passing and pulling away from society, which is all-too-easy to do when you suffer the pain of a lost loved one, she instead focused her family's grief on making a positive change to help keep it from happening to others.

From the mission statement of the site:

We are a non-profit organization dedicated to giving teens words,a substitute for weapons, when dealing with confrontal situations.

We will be holding "Words Not Weapons" workshops in middle and high schools throughout the year.  Educating our youth of the consequences and the effects felt by their communities when guns are used to resolve conflict.  We will address the life decisions and factors that contribute to violent events and introduce alternative behaviors and redirect thinking toward a more positive path.  We want to prepare our children now and of the next generation, the use-less-ness of weapons as communication.

The site also lists help lines for those in crisis.

I urge you to visit the site and find ways to help.

Violence is never a good option.  Peace and nonviolence start with ourselves, then must first extend to our own families, then to our community.  Together we can find ways toward a peaceful solution, and teach this to our children.

.

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Wayne LaPierre Supports Assault Rifles For Insurrection Against The Government

Remember when Wayne LaPierre, in his pro-gun arrogance, pronounced to the world, "The guys with the guns make the rules!"

He went a step further last week when he testified to Congress about gun regulation.  He said, in effect, that he supports assault rifles for the sake of trying to even the odds in an insurrectionist uprising against our government, a la the Revolutionary War.

Josh Horowitz, Executive Director of the Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, recently blogged on this:

Following last week's high-profile Senate Judiciary hearing in response to the tragedy at Newtown, the media paid extensive attention to National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre's flip-flop on the issue of closing the Gun Show Loophole and witness Gayle Trotter's ridiculous assertion that "guns make women safer." 

What went largely unnoticed was perhaps the most telling moment of the hearing, which involved this exchange between LaPierre and Illinois Senator Dick Durbin:

DURBIN: Mr. LaPierre, I run into some of your members in Illinois and here's what they tell me, "Senator, you don't get the Second Amendment." Your NRA members say, "You just don't get it. It's not just about hunting. It's not just about sports. It's not just about shooting targets. It's not just about defending ourselves from criminals," as Ms. Trotter testified. "We need the firepower and the ability to protect ourselves from our government--from our government, from the police--if they knock on our doors and we need to fight back." Do you agree with that point of view? 

LAPIERRE: Senator, I think without any doubt, if you look at why our founding fathers put it there, they had lived under the tyranny of King George and they wanted to make sure that these free people in this new country would never be subjugated again and have to live under tyranny.

During a hearing in which Republican Senators actively tried to portray assault weapons as merely "scary-looking" pieces of plastic with no real functional purpose, LaPierre's statement revealed that they are in fact weapons of choice for individuals ready to wage war on our government. This was certainly not the first time LaPierre had made such a declaration -- remember, this is the guy who told us "the guys with the guns make the rules" at a CPAC conference -- but his statement on Wednesday was nonetheless remarkable because it so clearly articulated the insurrectionist ideaon a national stage, linking it directly to the need for unfettered access to assault weapons. Now, no doubt remains about the type of "firepower" citizens would need in order to fight LaPierre's "tyranny" ... The same type of firepower that Adam Lanza used to kill 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The Second Amendment was written to allow states to organize their own armed militias as an alternative to a standing army, for the purpose of securing their borders against invasion by foreign armies or insurrections within their borders, NOT so common citizens can arm themselves and stage insurrections if they don't like their government.  In fact, Article III section iii of the Constitution specifically spells out that insurrections are not to be tolerated, and that it was in part the duty of the state militias to put insurrections down.  And they did so.  Shay's Rebellion is an example.  


But the insurrectionists among the pro-gun extremists, including Wayne, have a revisionist interpretation that fits their own paranoia about being governed.  I've written on this before.  In their fevered, gun-fetish mind, they conveniently omit the first part of the Second Amendment, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State" and just quote the second half, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" as if the two parts weren't related.

They also love to quote from the Federalist Papers, which have a goodly amount of talk by the founding fathers about insurrection against tyranny.  Of course, those documents were aimed at sparking the citizenry into rising up against King George.  Those same founding fathers changed their tune when the war was over.  But it doesn't really matter.  The law of our land isn't the Federalist Papers.  It's the Constitution.

The NRA has a long history of stoking paranoia and insurrectionist talk.  Just look to a recent statement by board member Ted Nugent, for instance, where he shamelessly said (with a healthy dose of anti-Obama-isms),

I'm part of a very great experiment in self-government where we the people determine our own pursuit of happiness and our own individual freedom and liberty not to be confused with the Barack Obama gang who believes in we the sheeple and actually is attempting to re-implement the tyranny of King George that we escaped from in 1776. And if you want another Concord Bridge, I got some buddies.

And, sadly, the extremist guys out there eat it up, consuming this paranoia by the pint and spitting it back out as if it were fact.  See here for some examples.  

There's a better name for this type of insurrectionist talk:  TREASON.

And they dare to call themselves "patriotic."  Why is it the treasonous types always drape themselves in the flag?

Hey, here's a thought for you gun guys:  No tyrannical government has been overthrown by armed citizenry, including the Revolutionary War.  Without interference from allies of the revolutionaries, such as France, Washington's army would have fallen.  Hunting rifles weren't enough.  And in modern times, every nation that has overthrown a despot has done so either through peaceful protest and democratic reforms (i.e. India, Estonia, USSR, East Germany, Tunisia) or involvement and arms from other nations, like us (i.e. Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan).  All those little assault weapons and handguns in the hands of American citizens aren't likely to amount to much against the might of the military.

Of course, there's no sign at all (to sane people) that our government is going to be tyrannical   And we have this other means of removing governments, too... every four years.

It's time for NRA members and the public to recognize how extreme the NRA has grown.  If any insurrection is needed, it's an insurrection by NRA members against their own leadership.

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Lyrics: God We Have Heard It

This was sung at the opening of a panel discussion that I participated in today at First United Methodist Church in Eugene, in memory of the Sandy Hook victims, sung to the tune of "Ah Holy Jesus".


"God We Have Heard It"
by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (copywrite 1999)


God, we have heard it, sounding in the silence:
News of the children, lost to this world's violence.
Children of promise!  Then without a warning,
Loved ones are mourning.

Jesus, you came to bear our human sorrow;
You came to give us hope for each tomorrow.
You are our life, Lord, God's own love revealing.
We need your healing!

Heal us from giving weapons any glory;
Help us, O Prince of Peace, to hear your story;
Help us resist the evil all around here;
May love abound here!

By your own Spirit, give your church a clear voice;
In this world's violence, help us make a new choice.
Help us to witness to the joy your peace brings,
Until your world sings!

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If Only He'd Had A Gun To Defend Himself. Oh, Wait…. (famed sniper at gun range)

Chief Chris Kyle, decorated sniper and SEAL veteran,
killed with guns in reach at shooting range

The gun crowd is always saying, “If only the victim had had a gun, they could have defended themselves.”  After all, according to the NRA's Wayne LaPierre in his unhinged call to arm all schools, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

But here we are again (just as with the recent case of firearms customizer and famed YouTube video star, Keith Ratliff) with yet another famed gun guy getting shot in cold blood while armed and ready.

Saturday, the U.S. military's most deadly sniper, Chief Chris Kyle, was fatally shot, along with another man, by another veteran who was suffering from PTSD, at a gun range in Texas (wait, aren't gun ranges supposed to be havens of safe and responsible gun handling?).

From an article:

Chris Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL and the U.S. military's most lethal sniper, was fatally shot Saturday along with another man on the gun range of Rough Creek Lodge, a posh resort just west of Glen Rose, Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said. 

A suspect was arrested about five hours later in Lancaster, southeast of Dallas, more than 70 miles from the scene, Bryant said. 

The suspect, identified as Eddie Ray Routh, 25, was pursued to a house in Lancaster by officers, including a local SWAT team. Routh tried to flee in a vehicle but was stopped about 9 p.m. after spikes were laid across a road, Bryant said. 

"The suspect has been caught and is in custody in Lancaster," he said. Erath County sheriff's investigators and Texas Rangers were securing a capital murder warrant, he said. 

Witnesses told sheriff's investigators that the gunman opened fire on the two men around 3:30 p.m., then fled in a pickup belonging to one of the victims. The Sheriff's Department didn't get a call until around 6 p.m.
Rough Creek Lodge is 77 miles southwest of Fort Worth between Glen Rose and Hico. 

The motive for the shootings remains unclear, Bryant said. "Not a clue, absolutely no idea." 

WFAA/Channel 8 quoted unnamed sources as saying that Kyle, who lived in Midlothian, and a neighbor had taken Routh on an outing to help him deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Routh turned on the men and shot them in the back, the report said.

Here is an interview with Chris Kyle.  

Here is another interview about his days as a sniper.  At timepoint 5:19 he is asked by the interviewer, "If you never got to kill another person again, would you be okay with it?" There is sad irony when Kyle answers, "I'm fine.  I don't have to kill to live."

The real irony here is that Chris Kyle was also very outspoken against any possible form of gun regulation.  See here as he recites the NRA propaganda that any regulation is a prelude to an all-out gun ban and confiscation, then goes on to give falsehoods about other nations which don't match statistics.  Oh, and for good measure, throws in support for arming school teachers (trained by his security company, of course).  I wonder how he felt about reporting dangerously mentally ill people to the background check system (which his shooter clearly wasn't reported, despite being committed to a mental hospital, twice, in the past six months and threatening to shoot his father to death).

Though I am a pacifist and feel the Iraq war was unjustified, I have great respect for Kyle as a decorated war hero and veteran, and for most other veterans.  He did his duty, and did it well.  Sadly, he leaves behind a wife and two kids.

But let's not kid ourselves here.  There are some important lessons to be learned from this incident.

Kyle is a gun nut's dream example of someone who can defend himself, and he had guns within reach.  Let's look at his qualifications, shall we?

• He was the military's most deadly sniper, with a record 150 confirmed kills, and perhaps as many as 255 including unconfirmed kills. 
• He was an ex-Navy SEAL, with  two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
• He was a firearms trainer for military, law enforcement, and civilians.
• He grew up with guns and hunting, riding rodeo and living the life of a cowboy.
• He literally wrote the book on a sniper's life, called American Sniper, an autobiography released last year.
• He was  president of Craft International, a Dallas firm that provided military and law enforcement sniper training as well as private security.

Lessons to learn:

• No matter how well-trained you are with guns, having one increases the chances you'll be killed.
• Severe PTSD and guns are a deadly mix (remember the Mason case?).
• Gun ranges are not havens of gun safety and responsibility.

If this "good guy with a gun", with his firearms within reach, and all of that experience killing "bad guys with guns" can't protect himself against a shooter right next to him, then how can the gun nuts claim they would be any better?


UPDATE (2/3/13): Some additional detail in another article:

Bryant said Kyle, Littlefield and Routh went to the shooting range around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. A hunting guide at Rough Creek Lodge came across the bodies of Kyle and Littlefield around 5 p.m. and called 911. .... 

Travis Cox, the director of a nonprofit Kyle helped found, told The Associated Press on Sunday that Kyle and Littlefield had taken Routh to the range. Littlefield was Kyle’s neighbor and “workout buddy,” Cox said. 

“What I know is Chris and a gentleman — great guy, I knew him well, Chad Littlefield — took a veteran out shooting who was struggling with PTSD to try to assist him, try to help him, try to, you know, give him a helping hand and he turned the gun on both of them, killing them,” Cox said. ... 

Cox described Littlefield as a gentle, kind-hearted man who often called or emailed him with ideas for events or fundraisers to help veterans. He said he was married and had children. 

“It was just two great guys with Chad and Chris trying to help out a veteran in need and making time out of their day to help him. And to give him a hand. And unfortunately this thing happened,” Cox said.

UPDATE (2/4/13):  The shooter, had been to a mental hospital twice in the past half year and suffered from PTSD.  Just the sort you should arm and take to the shooting range with you.  From an article:

Routh, a member of the Marines Corps Reserve, was first taken to a mental hospital on Sept. 2 after he threatened to kill his family and himself, according to police records in Lancaster, where Routh lives. Authorities found Routh walking nearby with no shirt and no shoes, and smelling of alcohol. Routh told authorities he was a Marine veteran who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

"Eddie stated he was hurting and that his family does not understand what he has been through," the report said. 

Routh's mother told police that her son had been drinking and became upset when his father said he was going to sell his gun. She said Routh began arguing with them and said he was going to "blow his brains out." 

Police took Routh to Green Oaks Hospital for psychiatric care. 

Dallas police records show Routh was taken back to the same mental hospital in mid-January after a woman called police and said she feared for Routh's safety. 

In May, Routh's mother reported a burglary that included nine pill bottles and her son was involved, according to a Lancaster police report. No other details were available.

UPDATE (2/5/13):  A CNN.com article with additional details on the killer (Routh, that is).
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Music: "Blindness" by Peter Almeida

"Blindness"
written and performed by Peter Almeida

From Peter, who lives here with me in Eugene, Oregon:
"Twenty years ago, a friend was murdered in a mass shooting in San Francisco.  Recent events of gun violence have pulled at my heartstrings again and spurred me to compose a new song, dedicated to the 26 dead [in Newtown], my friend, John Scully, and all other victims."

From his site.

(click on the song title below and wait a moment for it to load:)

Promote your mixtape at ReverbNation.com

Lyrics:

Blindness

In the land that’s known as blindness

The one-eyed man is king

He sees for all his people

Half of everything

Direct lines straight and unbending

Long talk of rights each day

Disturbing message for his masses

Who hang on every word he says

They bow

They listen

Anointed

Then they’re blessed

Blind faith

So convenient

They cannot see

What’s at stake

In the land that’s known as blindness

The one eyed man is king

Holding fast to God and weapons

His aim is all too keen

Takes blood, takes money

He is deaf to the sounds of

Grieving mothers, wounded lovers

While clinging his legal ground

Sold out to

One more blind sinner

They all watched as children bled

Senselessness

Pulled the trigger

Twenty-six more

Now, are forever dead

In this land that’s known for freedom

How can this be so

So much madness, so much bleeding

So much blindness of the soul

In the land that’s known as blindness

The king has just one eye

Fanning fears, breaking lives

As we slip into decline

How much longer

Must tears linger

How much more

Must we cry

Each senseless finger

On a trigger

Leaves broken hearts

How many more must die

How much longer

Must tears linger

How much more

Must we cry

Each senseless finger

On a trigger

Leaves broken hearts

How many more must die

How many more must die

.

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Outlaw High-Capacity Ammo Magazines Now

High-capacity ammo magazines of more than 10 rounds are good for one thing only: killing large numbers of humans quickly.  It's what they were designed to do.  And they do it very efficiently.

It's overkill for self-defense.  I have yet to hear of a single case where that many bullets needed to be fired for home defense.

It's overkill for hunting.  If you can't hit your target in three rounds or less, hunting isn't for you.  Go back to plinking.  As one Vietnam veteran told me the other day, "You don't need that many rounds unless you're tryin' to kill the whole damned herd."

And then there's this recent analysis by Mother Jones magazine:  

"A Killing Machine": Half of All Mass Shooters Used High-Capacity Magazines

As lawmakers across the country and in the nation's capital debate possible restrictions on high-capacity magazines, one question emerges: Are these ammunition-feeding devices, which allow a shooter to fire many times without reloading, in fact commonly used by mass killers? We examined the data from Mother Jones' continuing investigation into mass shootings and found that high-capacity magazines have been used in at least 31 of the 62 cases we analyzed. A half-dozen of these crimes occurred in the last two years alone.  

In the shooting that injured Rep. Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, Jared Loughner emptied a 33-round magazine in 30 seconds, killing 6 and injuring 13. Inside a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes used 40- and 100-round magazines to injure and kill an unprecedented 70 victims. At Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Adam Lanza used high-capacity magazines to fire upwards of 150 bullets as he slaughtered 20 kids and 6 adults. 

"It turns a killer into a killing machine," says David Chipman, who served for 25 years as a special agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Outlawing high-capacity magazines won't prevent gun crimes from happening, Chipman notes, but might well reduce the carnage: "Maybe 3 kids get killed instead of 20."

That's right.  Half of all mass shooters since 1984, in the 62 cases analyzed, have used high-capacity ammo magazines.  

They have a listing of those shootings at that link, and stats like the numbers killed and injured, the weapons used, and the size of the magazines used.

Without the high-cap ammo mags, there would have been no "mass" in mass shootings.

Here in Oregon, Senate Bill 346 will ban the sale or transfer of ammo magazines greater than 10 rounds, except by law enforcement or military.  It creates a crime of unlawfully transferring large capacity magazines, and punishes by maximum of one year's imprisonment, $6,250 fine, or both.

It's time to stand up for public safety and ban these devices of mass murder!


ADDENDUM:  Here are the stories of 151 of the victims from those mass shootings.

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What Do The Families Of The Newtown Massacre Have To Say About Gun Regulation?

There have been strong opinions on both sides of the gun violence issue since the horrifying massacre of school children in Newtown. 

But what do the parents and families in Newtown think?

Recently, I was reading a post at the Mikeb302000 blog about the NRA's shameful attack ad that targeted the President's kids, and left a comment there.  That's when a pro-gun extremist there challenged my opinion by writing (with the usual tactfulness):

Why don't you go to Newtown and tell the parents of those killed there what you think. Dumb ass.

Apparently he doesn't read the news.  You see, the parents of those children, and others in the Newtown community, have spoken out in favor of stronger gun regulation.

Examples:

-->  Monday, there was a legislative hearing on gun violence at the Connecticut capitol building in Hartford.  Doing everything possible to stall any meaningful conversation, as usual, the gun guys actually heckled the parents of the dead children as they delivered their testimony.

Let me repeat:  they heckledthe parents of the dead children (just as they have harassed another hero of the massacre who gave shelter to some of the child survivors).

Here is video of the heckling.

Neil Heslin, father of slain Sandy Hook
student Jesse Lewis, testifying as he's heckled.

In fact, there were parents of three different kids who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, all of whom delivered testimony in favor of stricter gun regulation in Connecticut.

From the Connecticut Post:

"The Second Amendment!" was shouted by several gun enthusiasts in the meeting room as Neil Heslin, holding a photo of his 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, asked why Bushmaster assault-style weapons are allowed to be sold in the state. 

"There are a lot of things that should be changed to prevent what happened," said Heslin, who grew up using guns and seemed undisturbed by the interruption of his testimony. 

Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, co-chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group, threatened to empty the meeting room in the Legislative Office Building -- jammed with hundreds of people -- if the outbursts and chatter from the audience continued. 

"That wasn't just a killing, it was a massacre," said Heslin, who recalled dropping off his son at Sandy Hook Elementary School shortly before Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults. "I just hope some good can come out of this." 

Another father of a 6-year-old boy murdered in the shootings fought back tears as he told lawmakers to make any changes in gun laws simple. 

"I don't believe it's so complex," said Mark Mattioli, whose son, James, was among the first-graders slaughtered on Dec.14. 

"We need civility across our nation," said Mattioli, who appeared with his wife, Cindy, before the legislative panel. "The problem is not gun laws. It's a lack of civility." 

Veronique Pozner, whose son, Noah, was killed in the massacre, said his grave is only a five-minute drive from Chalk Hill School in Monroe. 

Pozner said her two other children, both Sandy Hook School students, are haunted by their brother's death, especially his twin sister. 

"It is our feeling that assault weapons should be comprehensively banned in the state of Connecticut," she said. "Faster weapons equal more fatalities."

Also in that hearing, the state chiefs of police said they supported mandatory background checks, and a state, and during the news conferences the state teacher's union said 85% of their members opposed arming teachers.

Here is video of Neil Heslin testifying, though it does not include the heckling in it:

and here is a link to a little video and description of Heslin's son, Jesse Lewis.

--> Last Saturday, thousands marched in D.C. for support of gun control measures.  Marching along with them were many residents of Newtown, including parents and pastors.

Marchers in Washington, D.C., along with Newtown residents

-->  The parents of one of the slain children in Newtown, Chase Kowalski created a fund in their son's name, which will be used to foster gun control, after his mother had a vision of her son visiting her (bolding added):

Becky takes a deep breath on Wednesday in the funeral home and says, “Okay, the best day of my life started on Sunday morning when my son came to me in a vision. He came to tell me to explain to my husband that the scope of this event was so large and that there were so many people around the country and the world we were touching. I felt that my son was here in this vision to tell me that the not-for-profit scholarship organization that we are starting in Chase’s honor will save lives, change building codes, demand gun and ammunition control, and that in Chase’s name I would like to bring God back to America. These are the first starting goals of the organization.”

--> The parents of Noah Pozner, a child slain at Sandy Hook, has been in communication with the White House and has made recommendations in support of stronger gun reforms:

Pozner's family has submitted a detailed proposal to a White House task force, recommending a range of legal reforms including federal grants to review security at public schools and requiring gun owners to lock weapons if mentally ill or dangerous people could access them otherwise. 

Pozner also says it's not right that the law protects the release of any mental health information on the gunman. She says she plans to challenge that because it could shed light. 

"Those are all answers that I feel that we're entitled to," she says. 

The family also is suggesting a new law requiring people to notify police within 24 hours if they know about an imminent threat of harm or death made by a person who has access to guns or explosive devices.

--> The police chief of Newtown has called for a ban on assault rifles, high-capacity ammo magazines, and better background checks:

The police chief of Newtown, Conn., the site of the Sandy Hook school massacre, urged the White House to ban assault rifles, saying he was "sickened" by the unimaginable horror that has rocked his quiet family community.   

“Ban assault weapons, restrict those magazines that have so many bullets in them, shore up any loopholes in our criminal background checks,” Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe told NBC News, when asked what his message to President Obama would be. ...

“We do a good job of securing dynamite in our society," Kehoe said. "(Assault rifles) are another form of dynamite...I think they should ban them.”
 

Remember, Newtown is also the home of the National Shooting Sports Federation, which aggressively markets assault rifles, rebranding them as "modern sport rifles" and marketing them as no different than hunting rifles.

Newtown school superintendent Dr. Janet Robinson
testifying for help in reducing gun violence

-->  The superintendent of the Newtown school district calls for help in protecting her students "without creating fortresses."

What do I say to the parents who want to be assured that when they put their children on the bus to school that they will come home.  How do I protect our students without creating fortresses. 

-->  A congressman who represents Newtown, reacted badly to the NRA's "guns-in-school" suggestion:

Democratic congressman and senator-elect Chris Murphy, whose congressional district includes Newtown, tweeted a sharp reaction from Connecticut after the group's comments: "Walking out of another funeral and was handed the NRA transcript. The most revolting, tone deaf statement I've ever seen."

-->  As did another resident of Newtown:

“How dare they?” fumed Elizabeth Murphy, 42, who lives in [Newtown]. “We are all still grieving. This is the wrong time to discuss their goal of putting more guns on the street . . . The bodies haven’t even all been buried yet.”

-->  And another resident:

Lee Shull a Newtown resident: “I don’t think it’s reasonable for assault weapons in any way in our society -except for military or police”.

-->  And three other Newtown residents:

Newtown resident David Stout, 49,an energy consultant and hunter, said he had hoped to hear an honest announcement from the NRA regarding background checks on all gun sales or closing other loopholes – not putting more armed guards in schools.

"Folks in Newtown are appalled by that suggestion," said Stout, who owns several hunting rifles. "I understand we want to protect our kids, but there are other ways to do that. We don't want to turn our schools into prisons." ....

"It's ridiculous we can't all come together and say, 'Ok, what makes sense?'" Stout said. "Something has to change."

He added: "More guns is not the solution."

Martin Blanco, 49, a stay-at-home Newtown dad, said the NRA missed a real opportunity to endear residents of Newtown and across the USA with sensible recommendations on gun legislation. Instead, he called their suggestion of putting armed guards in schools "madness."

"Just an awful slap in the face, particularly to the people in Sandy Hook," he said.

"The overwhelming majority of people in this town will find it a foolish, self-serving statement that has no place in Newtown or the United States of America," he said.

Craig Mittleman, 50, a Newtown emergency physician, said he wasn't surprised by the NRA's position but was nonetheless appalled by the brazenness of the comments, especially coming just a week after the incident. 
"Completely ludicrous," Mittleman said of LaPierre's suggestion of placing armed guards in schools. "It is an insensitive response at a time like this when there are families I know and have a connection with who have just sustained the greatest loss any human being can ever encounter."

Like others in Newtown, Mittleman said he had hoped to hear a more conciliatory tone from LaPierre and a sign that the gun lobby would cooperate with Congress to improve gun laws, not arm more Americans.

"I think even the most ardent gun owners in town are going to see the shame in that comment," he said.

-->  A number of the grieving parents and other residents have formed a group called Sandy Hook Promise:  SandyHookPromise.org.  Their promise:

I Promise to honor the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

I Promise to do everything I can to encourage and support common sense solutions that make my community and our country safer from similar acts of violence

 

They have not come out in support or opposition to any one particular policy yet, but they have released a statement in support of the President's plan.

As usual, the victims and families of victims of gun violence overwhelmingly come out in favor of stronger gun reform.  Once you've held a dead or dying child in your arms, guns lose their false symbolism of freedom and justice and become exactly what they were intended to be -- a killing machine -- which has once again fallen into the wrong hands.  It's time to listen to the families of Newtown and support stronger gun reforms to make a new trajectory for our communities away from gun violence.

UPDATE (1/31/13):  Today, the father, David Wheeler, of another Sandy Hook child victim, Ben Wheeler,  gave testimony in favor of stronger regulation of guns.  

Speaking in front of a 52-member task force, Wheeler decried the inability of agencies to share relevant information about at-risk individuals’ personal histories, mental states, and proximity to firearms. He also advocated a ban on military-style assault weapons, saying they “belong in an armory under lock and key,” and for annual registration of personal firearms. 

Finally, Wheeler invoked Thomas Jefferson’s inalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” from the Declaration of Independence. “I do not think the composition of that foundational phrase was an accident,” he said. “I do not think the order of those important words was haphazard or casual. The liberty of any person to own a military-style assault weapon and a high-capacity magazine and keep them in their home is second to the right of my son to his life.”

Here is video:

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UPDATE (2/10/13):  See a compilation of very moving testimony by a number of Sandy Hook parents and other community members who dealt with the shooting, here, all of whom are supportive of changes to our gun regulation system to keep this from happening again:

..

ADDENDUM (2/14/13):  From an article: "Mother of Sandy Hook Victim Noah Pozner Targets Gun Violence":

Veronique Pozner: "This is not about the right to bear arms. It is about the right to bear weapons with the capacity for mass destruction. We’re talking about a 223 caliber that is designed to penetrate a steel helmet on a battlefield, that was modified for that purpose, or to take down a 250, 200 pound deer, going into 40 pound children. You know, do these weapons have a place in our society? I say they don’t. Who am I? Well not anyone other than a mother who lost a child."

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