Category: sandy hook

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gun control Politics sandy hook vote

The Target Moves

If recent news reports are accurate, then the United States Senate will be discussing gun control measures that will look like John Cleese and the Ministry of Silly Walks: Take one small step, slide. take a giant stride forward, then backtrack a bit before moving forward again.

Whatever it takes.

Yes, the gun deal the Senate is discussing doesn’t include a lot of things that I would like to see including bans on certain firearms and a limit on how much ammunition a person can purchase or use. According to the NRA, this is a good thing and it will protect my Second Amendment rights to carry an arsenal in my back pocket so the Obama Administration doesn’t confiscate my guns in the name of public safety. I get that. But this is a major step forward in what will be a years-long process to bring our gun laws in line with socially responsible behavior and the sense that Newtown changed the debate for good over whether the constitution allows us unlimited personal firepower.

The negotiations over the proposed bill have been fraught with political dangers for both Republicans and Democrats. It’s still so partisan that Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania didn’t even want New York Democrat Chuck Schumer in the news conference announcing the deal for fear that Schumer’s presence would put off gun rights advocates. And of course, there’s still the prospect of a GOP-led filibuster, but support for that has waned over the past day. Looks like even Mitch McConnell is powerless to stop common sense. But he’s trying.

I am cautiously optimistic that we will get a gun bill through the Senate. The House will be a higher hurdle, but enough conservatives can probably feel safe to vote for any compromise bill. If the House votes it down, look for President Obama to pull out all the stops to make it an issue in 2014.

It’s imperfect, but it’s a start. Get a bill passed. It can always be improved later on.

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Politics sandy hook

President Obama Renews Gun Control Fight In Connecticut

President Barack Obama made an impassioned plea today for citizens to contact their legislators and demand action on gun control, saying he’s as “determined as ever” to pass tougher measures.

Speaking at the University of Hartford before a crowd that included families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, the president said the contentious debate over gun control measures “shouldn’t be about politics.”

He singled out Republican lawmakers who want to use procedural maneuvers to block legislation, arguing that such a move would be akin to saying that public opinion doesn’t matter.

The president was introduced to the crowd by a woman whose son was among the 20 young children who were killed in the Newtown shooting in December. Six adults were also killed at the school.

“If you’re an American who wants to do something to prevent more families from knowing the immeasurable anguish that these families know, now is the time to act,” Obama said. “Now is the time to get engaged, to get involved, to push back on fear, frustration, and misinformation. Now is the time to make your voice heard from every state house to the corridors of Congress.”

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NFL sandy hook Sports superbowl

Sandy Hook Children Choir A Big Hit At Superbowl – Video

The children from the Sandy Hook Choir performed America The Beautiful last night in front of what could easily be their biggest audience yet… the Superbowl. Joined by Jennifer Hudson, the group of kids who, just a few months ago suffered an unimaginable horror as a gunmen walked into their school and murdered their friends and teachers, danced with smiles on their faces as the rest of the world watched.

Of course, there’s no silencing to the critics on the right who say that the children are being used by Washington politicians to bring gun control laws, but where ever you stand on the gun debate presently occupying the airwaves, you must admit that seeing these particular children perform this particular song at this venue, was something special to behold.

In case you missed it, here are the children from the Sandy Hook Choir.

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Featured sandy hook shooting

On The Anniversary of The Sandy Hook Shootings, NRA Launched A New Shooting Game For Ages 4+

Following the shooting in Sandy Hook where 20 children were slaughtered by a crazed gunman, the average American felt the need, the urge to do something… anything to make sure this never happens again. Everyone, except the NRA, who came out of hiding a few days later calling for more guns on the streets and in our schools.

And now this. Exactly one month to the day since the tragic events at Sandy Hook, the NRA has launched a new shoot-em-up video game, for kids 4 years old and up. The free version of the game comes with a regular handgun. But a bigger more powerful gun – the MK11 is available for a purchase price of $.99

One month ago we lost 26 innocent lives including 20 kids ages of 6 and 7 years old. According to the medical examiner’s report, each child was shot between 3 to 11 times. But that was a month ago. Today, the NRA is trying to sharpen up the aiming skills of 4 year olds.

What on earth could go wrong…?

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Featured sandy hook

INSANITY: New Claim That Obama Set Up Sandy Hook Massacre To Control Guns

A communication professor known for conspiracy theories has stirred controversy at Florida Atlantic University with claims that last month’s Newtown, Conn., school shootings did not happen as reported — or may not have happened at all.

Moreover, James Tracy asserts in radio interviews and on his memoryholeblog.com. that trained “crisis actors” may have been employed by the Obama administration in an effort to shape public opinion in favor of the event’s true purpose: gun control.

“As documents relating to the Sandy Hook shooting continue to be assessed and interpreted by independent researchers, there is a growing awareness that the media coverage of the massacre of 26 children and adults was intended primarily for public consumption to further larger political ends,” writes Tracy, a tenured associate professor of media history at FAU and a former union leader.

In another post, he says, “While it sounds like an outrageous claim, one is left to inquire whether the Sandy Hook shooting ever took place — at least in the way law enforcement authorities and the nation’s news media have described.”

FAU is distancing itself from Tracy’s views.

r/t Sun Sentinel

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Featured sandy hook shooting

Connecticut Paper Puts Gun Ad On Same Page Welcoming Sandy Hook School Children

Today was the first day of school for the surviving children of Sandy Hook Elementary. But instead of being considerate to these kids, their families and the staff of Sandy Hook, this Connecticut news paper decided to put an ad for a gun show and a story about these children on the same page.

I can assure you that this gun show will be a resounding success because of its placement in today’s paper. Guess it’s just business as usual.

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News sandy hook shooting

Bronx New York – Woman Accused Of Trying To Scam Victim of Sandy Hook Shooting

A soulless Bronx grifter posed as the aunt of 6-year-old Newtown massacre victim Noah Pozner in a twisted scam to collect bogus-charity donations, the feds charged yesterday.

Nouel Alba, 36, even told prospective donors that she had to enter Sandy Hook Elementary School after the bloodbath and identify her “nephew” for police — and said the child had “11 gun shots in his little body.”

Noah was the youngest of 20 first-graders murdered in the Dec. 14 rampage, which also killed six educators. His family has said Alba is no relation.

Alba allegedly sent out her first calls for cash within hours of the shooting.

The next day, she said in an online posting that a funeral fund had been set up “for my brother and families,” according to the complaint in Hartford federal court.

She used Facebook, the phone and texts to solicit donations, and asked that they be sent via her personal PayPal account or direct bank deposit, the complaint charges.

Alba allegedly claimed in a text to one mark that she met President Obama with other family members and he “hugged us even cryd [sic] with us.”

Several people were duped into giving donations, the complaint says, although she refunded them before her arrest. Alba was charged with lying to federal agents and released on a $50,000 bond.

h/t New York Post

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Rush Limbaugh sandy hook shooting

Limbaugh Used Newtown’s Children Massacre To Make Dumb Political Joke

Leave it up to “people” like Rush Limbaugh to use the massacre of twenty-seven people including twenty children and make a dumb political joke out of it. But then again we are talking about Rush Limbaugh, and expecting any level of decency from this man is like selling all your worldly possessions to prepare for the apocalypse on December 21st, only to wake up broke on December 22nd.

A huge disappointment.

A female caller asked if Limbaugh knows Lanza’s political orientation. Limbaugh noted that, in the past, shootings have always been politicized, citing ABC reporter Brian Ross‘s false accusation that Aurora, Co., shooter James Holmes was a Tea Party member.

The caller then stated her belief that 2011 Arizona gunman Jared Loughner was originally considered a “Republican,” but was later found to be “quite liberal.”

“They all are liberal,” Limbaugh said, eliciting a hesitant laugh from the caller.

“If they’re mentally disturbed,” he added.

“Oh, that’s not fair,” the caller interjected.

“You’re right. That was — I’m sorry. You’re terribly right,” Limbaugh replied, seemingly taking the remark back, before adding: “That’s one of those things you just can’t tell the truth about. You’re right. I should not have said it. I take that back.”

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Domestic Policies sandy hook shooting violence

The Gun Conversation

Why are we still having this conversation? Why are we still debating whether we should regulate assault and military style (whatever that is) weapons and limit large purchases of ammunition? Why are we still beholden to an organization that believes that the United States Constitution guarantees an unlimited, unfettered, absolute right to a gun, despite a giant clause at the beginning of the Second Amendment that clearly refers to  militias? Do we have absolute free speech rights? Religious rights? Rights to assembly? No. These are all regulated activities. We need to regulate guns.

I’ve read the arguments about how a weapons ban or more regulation would not have stopped this horrific shooting. I’ve listened and watched as talking head after talking head drones on about how politically difficult it is for a Democratic president to pursue controls on weapons because it would be political death.

I’ve had conversations in person and on social media with people for whom their weapon seems to be their most cherished possession.

“If they come for my gun I’ll give them the bullets first!”
“Over my dead body!”
“From my cold dead hands!”
“First it’s my gun, then they’ll come for my house and my family!”
“What we need is for every teacher and principal to be trained in how to use a gun and to be issued one for their classroom.”

Clearly I don’t understand the mania, the attachment, the fear, the anger, and the entitlement that many people have with their guns. I’m not advocating taking anyone’s gun away who can’t prove that they’re responsible enough to carry one. I’m questioning the idea that we don’t have to ask more questions, or do more background checks or limit what kind of gun people can buy and how much ammunition they can get at one time. There are responsible ways to do this. We regulate so many things in our society from marriage to driver’s to pet licenses, from who can be a teacher and a police officer to how fresh the meat and dairy has to be in our food stores.

But guns? Weapons that can destroy lives? Kill children? Apparently not more than the way we regulate them now, despite the fact that the system doesn’t work. When a system doesn’t work and results in people’s deaths, you fix it. That’s what we need now.

Are there ways around these proposals? You bet. And people will find them. But the point is to put them in place and see how they work because what we have now has led to one of the bloodiest, tragic, heartbreaking years this country has seen in quite a while. Gun deaths are preventable. Let’s prevent them.

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President Obama Speaks At Sandy Hook – Promises Change To Prevent More Tradedies – Video

President Obama met with the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting today, and broke some news during his speech telling the audience that it was time for the nation to come together and do what was necessary to protect our children.

The President hinted that there will be new legislation in the coming months geared towards guns. “This is our first task,” Mr. Obama said, “caring for our children. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how as a society we would be judge.”

The President goes on to say that “we’re not doing enough” to stop gun violence, “and we would have to change.”

And in his most direct sentence signaling change, the president said, “in the coming weeks I’ll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators  in an effort to prevent more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have?”

Watch the President’s full speech below.

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Politics sandy hook shooting weekly address

President’s Weekly Address – Coming Together After The Tragedy In Connecticut

In this week’s presidential address, President Obama spoke about the tragedy in Newtown Connecticut and insist that politicians and the nation must come together to take “meaningful action to prevent more tragedies” in the future.

We have endured far too many of these tragedies in the last few years. An elementary school in Newtown. A shopping mall in Oregon. A house of worship in Wisconsin. A movie theater in Colorado. Countless street corners in places like Chicago and Philadelphia.

Any of these neighborhoods could be our own. So we have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this. Regardless of the politics.

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