President Obama offers good first steps toward curbing gun violence

UPDATED, 4:00PM: President Obama announced some sound, sensible first steps to control gun violence today.  Groups supporting gun control are enthusiastic about the President's proposals, which now are available, along with background material on the White House website.  This is, of course, an issue AFJ has been concerned about for more than a decade.  We began producing documentaries on the issue in 2000: 

America up in Arms (2000):

Deadly Business (2001):

And since the Newtown tragedy we've been using this Blog to share the views of experts and pull together resources for turning grief into action.  We've grouped those posts here.

There is more perspective from Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center, an AFJ member.  He writes in The Huffington Post that while we all know about the fanatical behavior of the National Rifle Association, the gun industry's trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation also has responded to the Newtown tragedy in a manner best described as appalling.

Resources for turning grief into action

Among the bizarre, almost Orwellian ideas pushed by those opposed to gun control is the notion that somehow there is something unseemly about demanding action in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy such as the one in Newtown, Connecticut.

The gun lobby loves that idea because, of course, the one time when there is a chance of achieving any meaningful change is when such a tragedy is fresh in all our minds.  If not now, when?  As States United to Prevent Gun Violence, an AFJ member, says: Today is the day. 

The other phony argument is that to advocate for gun control is to "politicize" a tragedy.  Ezra Klein of The Washington Post has an excellent response to that one.

            So for those who agree that today is the day:

            Check out the websites of these AFJ members:

            ● States United to Prevent Gun Violence

            ● Violence Policy Center

            We’ve also found some useful reading, including:

           

            ● These powerful essays from The New Yorker

            ● Some remarkable data from Australia

            ● Some common-sense solutions from Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times

            ● Past posts to this Blog discussing District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court struck down the ban on handguns in Washington, D.C.

            ● The Associated Press previews the next gun case that may reach the Supreme Court

            ● UPDATE, 3:05 PM: See also Prof. Lisa McElroy’s commentary in The Huffington Post on the vital role of the Supreme Court

Gun control has, of course, been a longstanding concern at AFJ.  It’s been the topic of these First Monday documentaries:

America up in Arms (2000):

Deadly Business (2001):