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Newtown Massacre Thrusts Gun Politics to Fore (With CBS News Video)Related Content
Scroll down for video (CBS News) There have been several high-profile mass shootings in recent years, and none of them led to any changes in the nation's gun laws. But on Sunday night in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama said, "We surely have an obligation to try" and prevent future tragedies. Some Democrats on Capitol Hill are saying that means stronger gun laws. The federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, and Congress has resisted any moves to bring it back, or to put any other curbs on firearms. But now the question is posed starkly: Will this particular tragedy, with the deaths of 20 children, spur some action? Could this time be different? Hundreds of bullets, multiple 30-round clips at Conn. school Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said, "As a first-day bill, I'm going to introduce in the Senate -- and the same bill will be introduced in the House -- a bill to ban assault weapons." For some Democrats, Friday's shooting has inspired a new push to bring back the ban on assault weapons, a bill that would restrict the sale of guns like the one used in the Newtown massacre. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., who lost her husband in a mass shooting in 1993, said, "I do believe this is a different time. I'm not gonna say this is easy, this will not be easy. ... This is where the American people are going to have to be outraged again." President Obama said Sunday he would use all the power of his office to prevent a repeat of tragedies like the Newtown massacre. The president supports renewing the ban on assault weapons. But he ignored the gun control issue in his first term. And when he ran for president in 2008, he tried to reassure gun owners, saying at the time, "I am not going to take your guns away. So if you want to find an excuse not to vote for me, don't use that one. Because it just ain't true." Gun control advocates are outnumbered in Congress. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, argued Sunday that more guns are needed to prevent such tragedies -- even inside a school principal's office. He said in a television appearance on "Fox News Sunday," "I wish to God she had had an M-4 in her office, locked up, so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands." The politics of gun control are toxic. Gun rights groups like the National Rifle Association wield tremendous influence. Paul Barrett, who has reported on Washington's powerful gun lobby in his book, "Glock: The Rise of America's Gun" (Crown), said of the NRA, "It's a very skillful lobby organization." He says that despite the fact that Americans are about equally divided on gun rights versus gun control, this massacre is no more likely to put limits on firearms than any previous one. Barrett said, "It's almost impossible to imagine them taking on the NRA and defying the NRA, and that being the case, I just think it's very, very unlikely, as a pragmatic political matter, for anything to be enacted." But there is going to be a push for action in Congress. On Tuesday, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence -- named for President Reagan's press secretary who was shot in the assassination attempt on the president -- plans to bring survivors and victims' families from the shootings in Aurora, Colo., Virginia Tech, and Columbine to Capitol Hill. |
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Anonymous said on Wednesday, Dec 19 at 12:08 AM
"Each year, approximately 5,000 persons under the age of 21 die from causes related to underage drinking." Are you holding alcohol producers responsible? Are you actively boycotting these products? Are you demanding legislation reform to prevent 5,000 deaths next year? Have you or someone you know ever driven under the influence of drugs or alcohol?
109550055Anonymous said on Tuesday, Dec 18 at 9:17 AM
We might not have a lot of money but we do have a peticular set of skills...might want to start using them now...facewipe...the next time someone seems off or something...start a conversation...oh crappy weather today hu? if they start to engage and talk then LISTEN...most of the time people are private and will give you generalities or details and you can always refer them to someone who has the information to get them a job or counseling...that anger they had is slowly leaking like our tires do...lol...there you go...if your in a public place where this occurs some might join in and have specifics... This bubble living is what causes this...in the days everyone knew everyone in the area they reside and tensions were lower than today...
109490122clean up your act... said on Tuesday, Dec 18 at 9:09 AM
this kid was in college at age 16? I can see the elders shaking their heads...for one, he needed something to do and not be homeschooled, second, he needed to get a check to see his levels of vitamin and mineral content...most of this behavior is due to a mineral deficiency...the mother sounds like she did too...she claims to babysitters not to leave him alone but to be close takes him to the shooting range...many ways to be close without guns...yikes...
109489186Anonymous said on Monday, Dec 17 at 8:14 PM
What happens when a mentally unstable person drives down the sidewalk as kids are getting on or off the bus? Are we going to outlaw cars?
109450522Beenthere said on Monday, Dec 17 at 7:33 PM
As someone who owes their life to having and being able to use a firearm when it was needed, I can only say thank GOD! Restricting access to firearms will put the millions of people who own firearms at risk. This is truly a tragedy, but I have to wonder how many people this year are alive because they had a firearm when they needed it. Someone determined to inflict the kind of injury that happened in Newtown is going to find a way. Take away all firearms and what's next, car bombs? If I remember right the largest mass casualties at a school was by someone using dynamite.
109448366Anonymous said on Monday, Dec 17 at 4:48 PM
This is ridiculous. This guy was labeled "Mentally Ill", in other words if a quack/psychiatrist had their mits on him, he was drugged up. Drugs make people do stupid things, not guns...
109438936herb said on Monday, Dec 17 at 12:35 PM
"Cause the registration of all firearms on some pretext, with the view of confiscating them and leaving the population defenseless." --Vladimir Ilich Lenin
109423366Brian said on Monday, Dec 17 at 11:08 AM
As difficult as it is to comprehend if a child of mine had been involved, as either the shooter or a victim, I still would never consider gun control as a solution. While I do not relish a world where everyone carries a gun, creating a 'balance of terror', I carry for my own peace of mind, since I cannot predict what others will do in the course of a day. If my gun saves my life or the lives of others when threatened by someone with bad intent, why is that a bad thing? As always, the truth is that IT IS NOT THE GUN at fault. Forget about whether it's an assault style rifle, shotgun or single shot pistol. Outlawing any particular model will NOT keep it out of the hands of a determined/deranged killer. And if they can't get an AK with 30 rounds mags, they will use a 9mm pistol with 15 round mags. When Bin Laden was killed, nobody obsessed about what gun was used. The gun was not responsible- Navy Seals were. We need to stop blaming the weapon and focus on the criminal.
1094178151sayeroftruth said on Monday, Dec 17 at 10:17 AM
this is a great tragedy and I pray for the loved ones of the victims. But I also believe the evil behind all of this is to get guns out of the hands of the general public. Be very careful as to where you put your support there may be a wolf in sheep's clothing
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