Gun Control

Remembering…or More Importanly… Not Forgetting Sandy Hook

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Remembering…or More Importanly… Not Forgetting Sandy Hook

Last Sunday night on 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley interviewed the families of Newtown victims.  Although the Newtown families have been successful in pushing for comprehensive gun control measures in Connecticut (which were  signed into law  last Thursday),  they face Republican opposition in the Senate.  Republican lawmakers, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have vowed to filibuster any gun control bills that are introduced to the Senate.  Yesterday, President Obama spoke in Newtown to make what Politico calls a “last gun control push.”  The President stated that a gun control filibuster is just “not right.”

Demographics of Gun Violence

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Demographics of Gun Violence

Washington Post reporter Dan Keating recently wrote an article describing the victims of gun violence.  Keating found that the victims of gun homicide in the United States are overwhelmingly black men, while the victims of gun suicide are overwhelmingly white men.  Keaten discusses his article on Talk of the Nation (30:19) along with Mark Rosenberg, epidemiologist and president and CEO, The Task Force for Global Health. 

The Ethics of Gun Control

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The Ethics of Gun Control

On the Philosophy Bites podcast, philosopher Jeff McMahan discusses the morality of gun control with David Edmonds (19:07).   Essentially, the premise of the podcast is whether the Second Amendment would be established if we were starting a society from scratch.  Although McMahan argues in favor of gun control, at times I found his discussion so academic that it seemed like it was more of an argument against philosophy.  However, the podcast is worth listening to since it is an interesting take on the gun control debate because it questions the very soundness of the Second Amendment.  

This American Life: Where Guns and Gangs Come From

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This American Life: Where Guns and Gangs Come From

Part II of This American Life‘s look at Harper High School.

This story has six acts.

  • Act One: “The Eyewitnesses” (discusses the psychological toll of witnesses gun violence first hand, 10 mins)
  • Act Two: “Your Name Written On Me” (explores the origin of a Chicago gang, 15 mins)
  • Act Three: “Get Your Gun” (teenagers explain where the get their guns, 6 mins)
  • Act Four: “Devonte, Part Two” (aftermath of 14 year old who accidentally shoots his brother, 8 mins)
  • Act Five: “Reverse Turnaround Backflip” (principal discusses balancing budget cuts in inner-city school, 7 mins)
  • Act Six: “We Are Harper High School” (chronicles how schools in other cities struggle with gun violence, 3 mins)

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/488/harper-high-school-part-two (63 mins total)

http://slacearchive.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/this-american-life-everything-you-know-about-gangs-is-wrong-part-i/ (Part I)