- Social:
Bryant University
Professor and Chair of the History and Social Sciences Department at Bryant University in Rhode Island; editor of Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia
PROFILE
Gregg Lee Carter
Guest
FROM Gregg Lee Carter
To the Point
Gun Ownership, Stand-Your-Ground Laws and Gun Control George Zimmerman is hardly the only American who owns a gun, and gun sales increase with every high profile shooting. "Stand Your Ground" laws in Florida and 24 other states protect more killers who use guns with increasingly broad definitions of "self-defense." But there's a paradox. The share of American households with guns has dropped like a stone, declining from 50 percent in the 1970's to 34 percent in 2012. Is there a chance that gun control could make a political comeback?
Which Way, L.A.?
Will the Newtown Massacre Be a Game Changer? At a vigil last night in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama put last Friday's massacre of first-graders in the context of a year when multiple killings have become all too familiar. The latest of this year's multiple shootings killed six adults and 20 first-graders, none of them older than seven. Some call this the moment for action. Others warn about unintended consequences. With 300 million guns in circulation, what are the options?
To the Point
Will the Newtown Massacre Be a Game Changer? As the funerals of 20 murdered first-graders are under way, calls are increasing for President Obama's "leadership" on gun control. After past multiple killings, he's called for a "conversation" but, despite shrill claims from pro-the gun lobby, never for concrete action. An unspeakable tragedy is the moment gun-control advocates have been waiting for, while others warn against "politicizing" a tragedy. We look at the options.
To the Point
Shooting at Connecticut Elementary School There's been another school shooting, this time in wooded suburbs near Danbury, Connecticut. Just moments ago, Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police announced that there were several fatalities, including both students and staff. He added that the gunman is dead and that there's no danger to the public. Elsewhere have been reports that 18 children were killed. Two handguns are said to have been recovered.
To the Point
Another Mass Shooting: Guns in America At least 12 moviegoers are dead and 58 wounded after a gunman in a gas mask shot up the Batman premier at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The suspect, James Holmes, is 24 years old, said to have been a graduate student in neurosciences, and he left sophisticated booby traps in his apartment. We hear witnesses describe the scene, which has already set off debate about America's epidemic of gun violence. (We hear the voices of Shayla Roader and Jennifer Seeger on CBS News and Trey Fremon and Deshantay Harris recorded by NBC.)
Recommended
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.