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There’s no denying it: The National Rifle Association has won — again. Even though more than 3,000 Americans have died via gun violence since 20 children and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary in December, the NRA has somehow managed to triumph. The victims’ families and gun-control advocates have lost. Forget an assault weapons ban — or any other serious gun regulation. It’s not happening.
— Joe Gandelman says the NRA has already won -
CBS News captured exclusive footage of the firefight between alleged cop-killer Christopher Dorner and law enforcement officials. After the shootout, which killed one deputy and injured another, Dorner fled to the woods and barricaded himself inside a cabin, refusing to surrender. Officials believe Dorner then shot himself and burned the cabin down.
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Publication and media outlets that “have assisted in the attack on Second Amendment rights” include pretty much every mainstream media outlet, with the notable exceptions of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.
— The NRA has an enemies list that’s available on its website. Included on the list are the AARP, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and… Boyz II Men? -
You have hoards of people burning down cities and beating old women’s brains out everyday. They arrest people in England if they defend themselves, that’s on record. My God, you have a total police state. Everybody is fleeing the country because — you’ve had to flee, bud. Yeah, you fled here. Why don’t you go back and face the charges for the hacking scandal?
— On Monday night, Piers Morgan tried to have a conversation with Alex Jones, the man behind a White House petition to have Morgan deported. What started with a simple question from Morgan (“Why do you want to deport me?”) quickly escalated into a heated tirade from Jones, punctuated by lots of finger-pointing and fist-shaking. When Morgan tried to interrupt, Jones hollered, “1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms!” He went on to mock the host’s British accent and, at one point, invited Morgan to a face him in a boxing match. -
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“The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” claims the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre.If you missed his speech, here’s a rundown of what happened, and how people are reacting.(Source: theweek.com)
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Cartoon of the day: Easy access
DAVID FITZSIMMONS © 2012 Cagle Cartoons
More cartoons(Source: theweek.com)
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Ke$ha’s “Die Young” pulled from radio stations across the country: Pop star Ke$ha’s unfortunately titled new single “Die Young” has taken a big hit in the wake of the shooting. TMZ reports that the song reached 167 million listeners on Friday, but had dropped all the way to 148 million listeners by Monday — a decline rivaled only by the Dixie Chicks’ disappearance from country radio after they criticized President Bush at a concert in 2003.
10 ways the entertainment industry is being sensitive to the Connecticut massacre
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Nowhere else in the world are so many weapons in circulation as in the US. In no other country are citizens as well armed. The U.S. Constitution guarantees every American the right to move about in public as though he or she is John Wayne in person. One can see it as a national tradition. But this martial approach to liberty is also a relic of the past and one that is out of step with the times.
—Germany’s Stuttgarter Zeitung.
If you’re wondering what the rest of the world has to say about the Newtown massacre, or our lax gun laws, here’s a list of what newspapers across the world are saying.
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American politicians need to get off their butts. So far, most, including the president, have abdicated a moral responsibility to talk frankly about guns and rights, ironically, they say, because the issue is “complicated.” Goddamn right it’s complicated. That’s why we ought to talk about. Democrats still adhere to the fear that if they mention common-sense gun rules, their party will lose the backing forever of gun owners and those who see gun ownership as a stand-in for checking government power. For the most part, though, that coalition isn’t the Democratic Party’s coalition, and it becomes less so with every election.
The gun rights lobby could lead the charge here, but they won’t, because they’re afraid they’d lose the chance to demagogue politicians who rise up against them. The NRA’s opponents are as central to the NRA’s successes as anything else.
So: Ball’s in your court, Mr. President.
— Marc Ambinder: How to prevent more mass killings -
18.4 percent
Increase in October in background checks of people applying to buy guns, an indicator of future sales. Conservatives worry that Obama will tighten gun rules.
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Only in America: A man orders a high-def TV from Amazon, and receives a deadly assault rifle, instead.
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There is no right way to say it — Sikhs in Oak Creek were targeted because the gunman probably thought they were Muslims. You can’t call it a mistake because a crime against Muslims would be just as heinous.
—Seema Sirohi at Firstpost.
Is it likely that the assailant, reportedly a ”skinhead” with a “9/11” tattoo on his arm, was not only depraved enough to shoot six innocent men but also ignorant enough to target them based on a religion they don’t practice?
