The GVP Report - November 1, 2011

Blogs

CommonGunSense, Keeping The "Occupiers" Safe?, looks at instances where people have brought guns to OWS rallies and concludes that they came to make points with their guns, they are not friends of Occupy Wall Street.

Bullet Counter Points, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Making Sense of the NIU Tragedy, interviews author David Vann about his new book Last Day on Earth, a portrait of NIU school shooter Steven Kazmierczak.

Baldr Odinson, Ceasefire Oregon, Another Successful Gun Turn-In, talks about the program that since it started 16 years ago has removed 7,564 guns from Oregon streets and homes.

Ladd Everitt, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, The Racist Charge, argues against Gunfight author Adam Winkler's charge that the gun control movement is extreme and has racist roots.

Dennis Henigan, Brady Campaign, "Packing Heat on Your Street": Stop This Bill!, outlines a variety of reaons why H.R. 822 is a dangerous bill that needs to be stopped.

OhhShoot blog, Mother unintentionally shoots and kills her teenage son while cleaning her gun.

Advocacy

Ceasefire Oregon held its annual gun turn-in event in Portland, offering $50 gift cards, no questions asked, in exchange for guns. But, as columnist Jeff Manning points out, gun enthusiasts stood on the edge of the parking lot, holding signs and hollering out cash offers for the guns being turned in.

Andrew Goddard, Virginia Center for Public Safety, announced a counter-demonstration will be held when a pro guns on campus group holds a rally this week at Old Dominion University. Goddard stated that, "Decisions about campus safety should be made by administrators, faculty, and students, not by extremists."

Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence held its New York City Gala which included guest speaker Plaxioc Burress, wide receiver for the NY Jets.

Ladd Everitt, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, debates Gunfight author Adam Winkler on the www.HereWomenTalk.com radio show Broadsided.

Violence Policy Center released a new report showing that States with Higher Gun Ownership and Weak Gun Laws Lead the Nation in Gun Death.

Ron Pinciaro, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, The Right to Freedom From Gun Violence, op-ed urges readers to pay more attention to the role the gun industry plays in enabling mass shootings and pushing for weaker gun laws in this country.

Max Nacheman, CeasefirePA, was one of the speakers at a conference held at Community Hospital in Chester, PA. Community groups and agencies got together to talk about the long term and widespread affects of gun violence on both the shooter and the victims.

Worst of the Week

Kimberly Perry of New Orleans, LA asked her neighbor Ryan Poree to slow down when driving through the neighborhood filled with children. Poree responded by getting a gun from his house and firing 19 rounds into Perry's home. Perry, 32, and her brother, Alcee, 34, were shot and killed as they stood in their doorway. Their 7-year-old nephew was wounded in the leg. Poree was arrested and gave a full confession to the police. Poree was also involved in another shooting earlier this year when two teens tried to break into his home. He shot and killed one of the teens and critically injured the other. He did not face any charges in that case.

H.R. 822

H.R. 822, dangerous legislation to nationalize the carrying of concealed handguns, passed in the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 19-10 and was sent to the House floor. The Sacramento Bee thanked CA Rep. Dan Lungren for being the only Republican to vote against the bill.

Violence Policy Center released new data showing concealed weapons permit holders continue to kill innocent victims, including 11 law enforcement officers.

Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker is one of many officials calling on Congress to STOP H.R. 822. Others opposed to the bill include a coalition of more than 600 Republican, Democratic and Independent U.S. mayors, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, and NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Editorial boards across the country also came out against H.R. 822. including the New Bedford. MA Standard-Times and the Denver Post,

NY Times columnist Frank Bruni, Have Glock, Will Travel, points out that while Republicans want to compel states to honor more permissive gun-control regulations from other states they are quick to say states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages from NY, CT and MA.

TAKE ACTION - Sign the petition at Our Lives, Our Laws, www.ourlivesourlaws.org and tell Congress to OPPOSE H.R. 822.

In The News

Several Nevada law enforcement leaders are calling for a ban on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity magazines following the recent mass shooting at an IHop restaurant in Carson City.

Jesus Gonzalez, an advocate for open-carry gun rights, has been convicted of killing one man and paralyzing another. Gonzalez was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree reckless injury.

Gallup released its annual Crime poll, including questions on guns. Media Matters points out that much of the coverage of the Gallup poll is based on flawed readings of the polling data and a narrow definition of "gun control."

Eight current and former New York police officers were arrested and charged with gun trafficking. The NY Times notes the accusations "strike at the heart of one of the Police Department's most hard-fought and robust initiatives: getting guns off the city's street."

A new study by Brown University economist Brian Knight presents a state-by-state gun flow analysis that indicates illegal firearms flow from states with weak gun laws to states with strong gun laws.

Wisconsin's new law allowing loaded, hidden guns in public goes into effect Nov. 1. The new law allows permit holders to carry guns in bars, day care centers, churches and even the state Capitol.

Community Support

Cliff Schecter, They Have the Right to Remain Silent, describe how "it is the conspiracy nuts, dishonest hypocrites or drunk drivers who are charged with making decisions about who can have a gun these days."

Dave Cieslewicz, Citizen Dave: Wisconsin Sportsman Calls for New Approach to Gun Laws. "I'm a sportsman and gun owner, and I can tell you the extremists in the NRA don't speak for me."

Adam Dickter, The Jewish Week, Guns and The Holocaust. "The idea that Jews facing the Third Reich, the most lethal killing machine in human history could have somehow blasted their way out with handguns or rifles from their homes is profoundly absurd."

Passion Theater in Oak Park, IL is staging "Bang Bang You're Dead." The play revolves around Josh, a teenager who shot to death five high school classmates and his parents. It will be performed free with a discussion after each performance. The play, with director and playwright's notes can be downloaded at Icarus Plays.

What the Gun Lobby is Doing

Media Matters, NRA Adds The Media to Their "Massive Obama Conspiracy," details how a recent fundraising e-mail from the NRA warned that the media is "raining down a message of hate on gun owners to boost Obama's re-election campaign."

Wisconsin Gun Owners, the "no-compromise gun lobby", warns No Firearms Training = No God Given Rights and that a proposed bill to require 8 hours of training to get a concealed weapons permit is just a ploy to disarm good people.

Penn State College Republicans are hosting Truth Week which will include a visit from NRA U. The NRA hopes that after taking the course students will become advocates for guns on campus. NRA U will offer food, pamphlets and a free one-year NRA membership to all who attend.