Regarding guns in general, and assault weapons and ammo in particular, I've said this previously, and in several different forums:
"One of the most effective means we have of reducing the addiction to such things is product liability. Manufacturers reduce their risks by making their products safer. Unfortunately, the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) that was signed into law in 2005 provides gun and ammo manufacturers and sellers immunity from lawsuits. Repeal of that law should be a top priority."
I'm working on an essay on the overall subject of our inability to deal with guns, but the subject has so many tentacles that it's difficult to untangle. This latest tragedy makes it worthwhile to keep trying.
Republicans have made protecting our children central to their perpetual campaign for every office. Democrats should take the white heat of Robert Hubbell's anger (and others' anger as well) to address the danger to children that Republicans actually promote -- gun violence. We have been reminded of Republican Andy Ogles' Christmas card in various spots on the internet. That card depicting Ogles' armed family is a perfect example of "grooming." Ogles prepared his own children and the recipients of his Christmas card and those who have the opportunity to see it through the media to be shooters. "Grooming" indeed.
It's the magazines, stupid! For crying out loud --- I really believe that a majority of Americans are OK with people owning sporting guns and pistols with 3-5 shot capacities. It's the assault weapons with 30 shot magazines that put all of us at risk. Why there's no true sportsman in the world who goes deer hunting or duck hunting with a 30 shot magazine. Those are made for and should be restricted to the military.
“How many deaths will it take till they know that too many people have died”? I hate to admit it, butRegan was right: government IS the problem, but not because there’s too much of it, but because it seems that some days, there seems to be no one from either party who wants to govern. Damn it, folks, have some moxie and take a stand!
This won't make national news, I suspect, but last night Hyattsville, Maryland saw another shooting. 4 shot but only one dead (ask the dead person whether he/she feels fortunate that there was only one death)
"Isolation is at the core of many of our society’s ills, including gun violence. Human kindness and connection are our first line of defense in preventing future violence." Indeed and well said. We have way too many lonely people, a situation exacerbated by the pandemic but already a solid trend beforehand! The vicious cycle of being lonely and turning to social media/television to ameliorate that loneliness and then being radicalized... It starts young when parents allow television to occupy children rather than making space for them to play, be creative and learn how to be social. It's one reason why I want to see universal child care!
We must unite and stand up to this by showing up to vote and getting everyone we know who agrees to show up to vote-for President, Senator, House Member, Governor, State legislators, council and commission, mayor, school board up and down the ballot. The politicians who refuse to heed our voices about assault and other guns are the same ones who vote the way all the other oligarchs tell them to vote. It’s time to get off our butts-stand up and speak up and vote up. If it takes rewriting the 2nd, so be it or all the way down to the gun safety laws, the most anemic for the safety of our childrens and others lives. And while I write, my own DeSantis and his lapdog legislators are passing permitless open and concealed carry of any type of gun, assault rifles notwithstanding. It has passed the FL House and its companion Bill awaits FL Senste approval which is assured and on to the even-more assured DeSantis signature into Law. Are we too lazy to have not fought harder to keep these nut cakes out of office?
Here's what Senator Bernie Sanders sent to me concerning gun violence:
Thank you for contacting me about ending the epidemic of gun violence in America. I share your outrage about this senseless and horrific violence, and I agree with you that it is long past time for the Senate to take action and pass comprehensive gun safety legislation.
Let me be very clear: we must abolish the filibuster and pass gun safety legislation NOW. No one in America needs an AR-15. How many more children, mothers and fathers need to be murdered in cold blood before the Senate has the guts to ban assault weapons and take on the NRA?
I understand that there is a proud tradition of hunting, target shooting, and gun collecting here in Vermont. We know that the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens who are extremely careful with their weapons, and common-sense gun laws are in no way an attack on their lifestyle or traditions, but they are an attempt to uphold those traditions while ensuring public safety.
In fact, many gun owners, and a strong majority of Americans, agree with many if not most common-sense gun measures. Increasingly, the American people, and especially young people, are coming together and speaking out on the issue of gun violence. I have heard from hundreds of Vermonters—parents, grandparents, teachers, students, and more—who are sick and tired of fearing for their and their loved ones’ lives because Congress won’t act to address gun violence. I share this frustration, and I agree that Congress’s inaction is outrageous and unacceptable.
In the past, Congress successfully passed common-sense gun laws. We passed legislation to share information between state and Federal law enforcement agencies to prevent those who pose a threat to the public from purchasing guns. We strengthened penalties for gun trafficking, and for using armor piercing ammunition when committing a crime. We passed the Undetectable Firearms Act and the Child Safety Lock Act, and we defeated a bill to allow people with concealed weapons permits in one state to carry a concealed weapon in any state.
But today, far too many Senators are beholden to the gun lobby. We must take on the National Rifle Association (NRA), and Congress must take concrete steps to reduce gun violence now. That means expanding background checks, which is why I am a cosponsor of both the Background Check Expansion Act and the Background Check Completion Act. The Background Check Expansion Act would expand Federal background checks to the sale or transfer of all firearms in the United States. The Background Check Completion Act would prohibit licensed gun dealers from transferring firearms to an unlicensed person before completing a background check, closing what is known as the Charleston Loophole. Like many other gun safety measures supported by a majority of Americans, universal background checks are supported by 97% of Americans.
We must ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from being sold, transferred, manufactured, and imported. There is absolutely no reason why these military weapons should be sold to civilians. That is why I’m a proud cosponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban. I am also a proud cosponsor of the Keep Americans Safe Act, which would ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
These are just some of the gun violence prevention ideas that are supported by the vast majority of the American people, and it’s time for Congress to move forward in response. We must abolish the filibuster, pass gun safety legislation now, and protect our communities. Now is the time for majority rule in the Senate.
Please know that I will continue pushing my colleagues to listen to the American people rather than the NRA and fight to enact legislation to keep our communities safe.
Thank you again for contacting me, and please feel free to stay in touch about this or any other subject of interest to you. For up-to-date information on what I am working on, please sign-up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/newsletter-signup.
Robert, I'm not generally a "fight fire with fire" person, but I recognize it is a well-honed technique for managing and preventing major conflagrations. As you state so well in today's newsletter, we are well past the emergency stage and need aggressive action to counter the NRA-funded legislators who are preventing serious gun reform. Biden and Democratic officials can continue with the soft-talk, but - in search of a better strategy - I'd like to suggest a coordinated national campaign of civic action tol take the fight to the jim jordans who campaign on pro-gun activism at the local, state and national level: billboard, TV and newspaper ads in local markets with photos of lawmakers whose holiday messages and campaign ads show them (and their families) bearing arms side-by-side with photos of kid's funerals (or their grieving families where permitted) under a "stop the political carnage" banner. If a coalition of gun reform organizations were to take this on, I for one would contribute and suspect many more of us who are desperate for some effective action would do the same.
After the shooting at Michigan State, their Attorney General who had children at that school, said “When will we care more about our children than our guns”. I immediately had a bumper sticker made for my car with that statement. My friends warned that living in a red state, my car would be vandalized. So Be It. Further I sent that question to my Republican Senators and Congressmen. Surprise, I have received no answer. So once again I will write them! Linda Arnold
" Democrats would have turned the tragedy in Tennessee into a “political thing” "
It's not a question of turning anything - this IS a political thing! It's another naked example of money, greed and the lust for power supplanting decent human values. And it will continue happening until complacency is replaced with determined political action. It's one of the central reasons we're all here...if we're really "woke" maybe something will get done this time.
Oh Robert, I decided to listen to your recording of tonight’s newsletter. Your voice is very soothing but you do accentuate those words that truly count. So much news and yet, Fake 45 gets to speak at rallies like the one in Waco, which I call Wackco. It is unnerving that Garland didn’t have the guts to put that monster behind bars at the get-go. How many years has it been now?? I have tried to support his decisions but I just can’t. We, the people, are frustrated by the constant delays of arresting all of the parties involved. We simply cannot have people like, Stephen Miller, procreate his own Aryan Nation! And then there are the sacrificial lambs...children. Assault weaponry highly touted by the Repub Party has wiped out yet more innocents. People ask “When is enough, ENOUGH?!”. I weep for those families and I weep for us. My husband and I don’t own guns for a reason. He was a Vietnam Vet. He had seen and lived a war that was useless. He never ever wanted to hold any weaponry after that experience. I wouldn’t have stayed with him if he had a gun. I am afraid of them. When we are not afraid of what these rifles or guns do to people, then we have lost ourselves. There are many of us who have protested, walked, and participated in marches for many many years. Seems like we take a few steps forward and then we get pushed back further and further. It’s maddening.
* Sidenote*: Please check your recording where you state the amount of money given to Stormy Daniels. I could’ve sworn you said $350,000 in lieu of $130, 000, which you typed out. I could be wrong, you know. :)
“… The propaganda machine of the NRA is similar to that of authoritarian and undemocratic political regimes around the world that deploy disinformation campaigns to secure control over public discourse in their nations, enabling autocrats to maintain a vice grip over information and ensure their power is unchecked and unquestioned.”
From: ‘Guns, Lies, and Fear
Exposing the NRA’s Messaging Playbook’
The National Rifle Association uses messaging strategies employed by dictators and demagogues to advance its gun rights narrative within the United States.
Here are some articles on the DC Bill. The Bill was controversial in DC. It did not have consensus among the Council and the Mayor didn't like the Bill. It's important to examine the nuances of the Bill and not finger point with black/white logic. I really wish the rhetoric in this Country would stop the zero sum game approach to all situations .
President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a resolution to block a controversial Washington, DC, crime bill that opponents have criticized as weak on crime. The controversial crime bill was initially vetoed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, with Bowser saying in a statement at the time that the bill “does not make us safer.” In a letter to the DC council chairman, Bowser expressed concern that “the council substantially reduced penalties for robberies, carjackings and home invasion burglaries.” The council, however, voted to override the mayor’s veto. “Decades of dramatic increases in incarceration have not been a solution to rising crime,” a release from the council said on the veto override.
Regarding guns in general, and assault weapons and ammo in particular, I've said this previously, and in several different forums:
"One of the most effective means we have of reducing the addiction to such things is product liability. Manufacturers reduce their risks by making their products safer. Unfortunately, the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) that was signed into law in 2005 provides gun and ammo manufacturers and sellers immunity from lawsuits. Repeal of that law should be a top priority."
I'm working on an essay on the overall subject of our inability to deal with guns, but the subject has so many tentacles that it's difficult to untangle. This latest tragedy makes it worthwhile to keep trying.
Republicans have made protecting our children central to their perpetual campaign for every office. Democrats should take the white heat of Robert Hubbell's anger (and others' anger as well) to address the danger to children that Republicans actually promote -- gun violence. We have been reminded of Republican Andy Ogles' Christmas card in various spots on the internet. That card depicting Ogles' armed family is a perfect example of "grooming." Ogles prepared his own children and the recipients of his Christmas card and those who have the opportunity to see it through the media to be shooters. "Grooming" indeed.
It's the magazines, stupid! For crying out loud --- I really believe that a majority of Americans are OK with people owning sporting guns and pistols with 3-5 shot capacities. It's the assault weapons with 30 shot magazines that put all of us at risk. Why there's no true sportsman in the world who goes deer hunting or duck hunting with a 30 shot magazine. Those are made for and should be restricted to the military.
“How many deaths will it take till they know that too many people have died”? I hate to admit it, butRegan was right: government IS the problem, but not because there’s too much of it, but because it seems that some days, there seems to be no one from either party who wants to govern. Damn it, folks, have some moxie and take a stand!
This won't make national news, I suspect, but last night Hyattsville, Maryland saw another shooting. 4 shot but only one dead (ask the dead person whether he/she feels fortunate that there was only one death)
"Isolation is at the core of many of our society’s ills, including gun violence. Human kindness and connection are our first line of defense in preventing future violence." Indeed and well said. We have way too many lonely people, a situation exacerbated by the pandemic but already a solid trend beforehand! The vicious cycle of being lonely and turning to social media/television to ameliorate that loneliness and then being radicalized... It starts young when parents allow television to occupy children rather than making space for them to play, be creative and learn how to be social. It's one reason why I want to see universal child care!
We must unite and stand up to this by showing up to vote and getting everyone we know who agrees to show up to vote-for President, Senator, House Member, Governor, State legislators, council and commission, mayor, school board up and down the ballot. The politicians who refuse to heed our voices about assault and other guns are the same ones who vote the way all the other oligarchs tell them to vote. It’s time to get off our butts-stand up and speak up and vote up. If it takes rewriting the 2nd, so be it or all the way down to the gun safety laws, the most anemic for the safety of our childrens and others lives. And while I write, my own DeSantis and his lapdog legislators are passing permitless open and concealed carry of any type of gun, assault rifles notwithstanding. It has passed the FL House and its companion Bill awaits FL Senste approval which is assured and on to the even-more assured DeSantis signature into Law. Are we too lazy to have not fought harder to keep these nut cakes out of office?
We get the government we deserve. Simple.
Where do you think the "hush money" grand jury leaks are coming from? And how is it causing a possible waver? Thanks, anyone who can explain!
But most importantly, we must keep pushing for banning assault weapons. I would say it's a no-brainer, but therein lies the problem.
Here's what Senator Bernie Sanders sent to me concerning gun violence:
Thank you for contacting me about ending the epidemic of gun violence in America. I share your outrage about this senseless and horrific violence, and I agree with you that it is long past time for the Senate to take action and pass comprehensive gun safety legislation.
Let me be very clear: we must abolish the filibuster and pass gun safety legislation NOW. No one in America needs an AR-15. How many more children, mothers and fathers need to be murdered in cold blood before the Senate has the guts to ban assault weapons and take on the NRA?
I understand that there is a proud tradition of hunting, target shooting, and gun collecting here in Vermont. We know that the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens who are extremely careful with their weapons, and common-sense gun laws are in no way an attack on their lifestyle or traditions, but they are an attempt to uphold those traditions while ensuring public safety.
In fact, many gun owners, and a strong majority of Americans, agree with many if not most common-sense gun measures. Increasingly, the American people, and especially young people, are coming together and speaking out on the issue of gun violence. I have heard from hundreds of Vermonters—parents, grandparents, teachers, students, and more—who are sick and tired of fearing for their and their loved ones’ lives because Congress won’t act to address gun violence. I share this frustration, and I agree that Congress’s inaction is outrageous and unacceptable.
In the past, Congress successfully passed common-sense gun laws. We passed legislation to share information between state and Federal law enforcement agencies to prevent those who pose a threat to the public from purchasing guns. We strengthened penalties for gun trafficking, and for using armor piercing ammunition when committing a crime. We passed the Undetectable Firearms Act and the Child Safety Lock Act, and we defeated a bill to allow people with concealed weapons permits in one state to carry a concealed weapon in any state.
But today, far too many Senators are beholden to the gun lobby. We must take on the National Rifle Association (NRA), and Congress must take concrete steps to reduce gun violence now. That means expanding background checks, which is why I am a cosponsor of both the Background Check Expansion Act and the Background Check Completion Act. The Background Check Expansion Act would expand Federal background checks to the sale or transfer of all firearms in the United States. The Background Check Completion Act would prohibit licensed gun dealers from transferring firearms to an unlicensed person before completing a background check, closing what is known as the Charleston Loophole. Like many other gun safety measures supported by a majority of Americans, universal background checks are supported by 97% of Americans.
We must ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from being sold, transferred, manufactured, and imported. There is absolutely no reason why these military weapons should be sold to civilians. That is why I’m a proud cosponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban. I am also a proud cosponsor of the Keep Americans Safe Act, which would ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
These are just some of the gun violence prevention ideas that are supported by the vast majority of the American people, and it’s time for Congress to move forward in response. We must abolish the filibuster, pass gun safety legislation now, and protect our communities. Now is the time for majority rule in the Senate.
Please know that I will continue pushing my colleagues to listen to the American people rather than the NRA and fight to enact legislation to keep our communities safe.
Thank you again for contacting me, and please feel free to stay in touch about this or any other subject of interest to you. For up-to-date information on what I am working on, please sign-up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/newsletter-signup.
Sincerely,
BERNARD SANDERS United States Senator
Robert, I'm not generally a "fight fire with fire" person, but I recognize it is a well-honed technique for managing and preventing major conflagrations. As you state so well in today's newsletter, we are well past the emergency stage and need aggressive action to counter the NRA-funded legislators who are preventing serious gun reform. Biden and Democratic officials can continue with the soft-talk, but - in search of a better strategy - I'd like to suggest a coordinated national campaign of civic action tol take the fight to the jim jordans who campaign on pro-gun activism at the local, state and national level: billboard, TV and newspaper ads in local markets with photos of lawmakers whose holiday messages and campaign ads show them (and their families) bearing arms side-by-side with photos of kid's funerals (or their grieving families where permitted) under a "stop the political carnage" banner. If a coalition of gun reform organizations were to take this on, I for one would contribute and suspect many more of us who are desperate for some effective action would do the same.
After the shooting at Michigan State, their Attorney General who had children at that school, said “When will we care more about our children than our guns”. I immediately had a bumper sticker made for my car with that statement. My friends warned that living in a red state, my car would be vandalized. So Be It. Further I sent that question to my Republican Senators and Congressmen. Surprise, I have received no answer. So once again I will write them! Linda Arnold
Jim Jordan’s asinine remarks just made it political.
" Democrats would have turned the tragedy in Tennessee into a “political thing” "
It's not a question of turning anything - this IS a political thing! It's another naked example of money, greed and the lust for power supplanting decent human values. And it will continue happening until complacency is replaced with determined political action. It's one of the central reasons we're all here...if we're really "woke" maybe something will get done this time.
Oh Robert, I decided to listen to your recording of tonight’s newsletter. Your voice is very soothing but you do accentuate those words that truly count. So much news and yet, Fake 45 gets to speak at rallies like the one in Waco, which I call Wackco. It is unnerving that Garland didn’t have the guts to put that monster behind bars at the get-go. How many years has it been now?? I have tried to support his decisions but I just can’t. We, the people, are frustrated by the constant delays of arresting all of the parties involved. We simply cannot have people like, Stephen Miller, procreate his own Aryan Nation! And then there are the sacrificial lambs...children. Assault weaponry highly touted by the Repub Party has wiped out yet more innocents. People ask “When is enough, ENOUGH?!”. I weep for those families and I weep for us. My husband and I don’t own guns for a reason. He was a Vietnam Vet. He had seen and lived a war that was useless. He never ever wanted to hold any weaponry after that experience. I wouldn’t have stayed with him if he had a gun. I am afraid of them. When we are not afraid of what these rifles or guns do to people, then we have lost ourselves. There are many of us who have protested, walked, and participated in marches for many many years. Seems like we take a few steps forward and then we get pushed back further and further. It’s maddening.
* Sidenote*: Please check your recording where you state the amount of money given to Stormy Daniels. I could’ve sworn you said $350,000 in lieu of $130, 000, which you typed out. I could be wrong, you know. :)
“… The propaganda machine of the NRA is similar to that of authoritarian and undemocratic political regimes around the world that deploy disinformation campaigns to secure control over public discourse in their nations, enabling autocrats to maintain a vice grip over information and ensure their power is unchecked and unquestioned.”
From: ‘Guns, Lies, and Fear
Exposing the NRA’s Messaging Playbook’
The National Rifle Association uses messaging strategies employed by dictators and demagogues to advance its gun rights narrative within the United States.
Rukmani Bhatia, April 24, 2019
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/guns-lies-fear/
Here are some articles on the DC Bill. The Bill was controversial in DC. It did not have consensus among the Council and the Mayor didn't like the Bill. It's important to examine the nuances of the Bill and not finger point with black/white logic. I really wish the rhetoric in this Country would stop the zero sum game approach to all situations .
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/15/dc-criminal-code-passes-objections/#:~:text=D.C.%20Council%20passes%20new%20criminal%20code%2C%20despite%20some%20objections
and
CNN —
President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a resolution to block a controversial Washington, DC, crime bill that opponents have criticized as weak on crime. The controversial crime bill was initially vetoed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, with Bowser saying in a statement at the time that the bill “does not make us safer.” In a letter to the DC council chairman, Bowser expressed concern that “the council substantially reduced penalties for robberies, carjackings and home invasion burglaries.” The council, however, voted to override the mayor’s veto. “Decades of dramatic increases in incarceration have not been a solution to rising crime,” a release from the council said on the veto override.