Tanzi confident domestic violence gun prohibition bill will become law
Representative Teresa Tanzi, D-Narragansett, South Kingstown, was the lead sponsor of a domestic violence/gun control bill in this year’s General Assembly. She told me about domestic violence and her hopes of the bill becoming law now that Speaker Matiello has signaled an end to the current stand-off, with an indication that the House will meet […]
The thin lead line: Guns and the Second Amendment with law professor Carl T. Bogus
“I believe the Second Amendment was written to ensure states had armed militia to protect themselves,” said Carl T. Bogus, a professor at Roger Williams University School of Law and a prolific writer of scholarly material on Second Amendment history. “The history and wording of the amendment, by James Madison, was to ensure they would remain […]
The great gun giveaway: Or, how easy is it to get a gun online
The firearms industry and the consumers who rally against the notion of gun-safety measures do so using a public face of constitutional nobility. The rhetoric is one of rights and revolution as well as self defense for gun owners and their families. Yet, recently I was inadvertently given a glimpse into the world of the […]
Group seeks to close loophole leaving guns in the hands of domestic abusers
The upshot of this legal maze of Federal and State law is that guns too often remain in the hands of domestic abusers, and the statistics on the intersection of guns and domestic abuse are stark.
A vigil for the 2nd anniversary of Sandy Hook in Providence
“Along the way I learned from my sister that the principal of Sandy Hook, a colleague and friend that I knew well, had died along with many children. This was hard for me to hear and not cry, but I could not fall apart in front of my students…”
Sandy Hook parents speak out against gun violence
“If a horrific mass shooting can occur in my town,” says Newtown’s Po Murray, “it can happen anywhere.”
Guns: Our uniquely American inheritance
The capacity for violence that was the midwife of our nation is turning upon itself. What are we to do about our guns? I have a gun problem. And so do you. I have a love of guns, but you probably don’t. I don’t own a single gun, but you might. When my father died, […]
Attacked on Facebook by an alleged lobbyist
Early Sunday morning (about 1am), I received an unsolicited Facebook-Messenger attack. I can only imagine it was a response to my most recent opinion piece on the hearing befor Senate Finance on the 10% supplemental excise tax on guns and ammunition. Although, I cannot be certain. What I am certain of, however, is the remarkably […]
Senate Finance scoffs at ‘guns and ammo tax’
The members of the Senate Committee on Finance had already made up their minds to dismiss any potential value offered by the proposed legislation long before Senator Gayle Goldin, the bill’s prime sponsor, explained it. Senate Bill 2318 would impose a 10% supplemental excise tax on firearms and ammunition to be distributed to city, town, […]
Watch the highlights: Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence at State House
Jerry Belair, president of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence asked the following question, “Rhode Island law limits the number of rounds to five when hunting deer. Rhode Island law limits the number of rounds to three when hunting ducks. If we can limit the number of rounds in a firearm to protect dear […]
Teny Gross: Does the gun lobby have a racial problem?
Teny Gross, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, did not pull any punches yesterday as he spoke to a crowd gathered under the dome of the Rhode Island State House about class, race and gun violence. Guns are the leading cause of death for young black men and it’s […]
Newtown Action Alliance’s Po Murray: It can happen anywhere
Vice-chair and co-founder of Newtown Action Alliance Po Murray gave a moving speech at the State House yesterday about living in the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy like that which occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. Murray spoke of the devastation wrought in under five minutes by a man […]
10 Wingmen: Should we tax guns and is government inherently evil
A proposed 10 percent tax on guns and ammo to help fund public/private nonviolence partnerships has shed light on a philosophical difference between Justin Katz and I. And we have a pretty interesting and (sometimes humorous) debate about the ammo tax too, thanks in no small part to our host/referee Bill Rappeleye. But one quick […]
Cicilline is serious about background checks
Stephen Colbert may have had some fun with David Cicilline last night, but Rhode Island’s most progressive congressman is serious about his supporting background checks for gun owners. But first, Colbert: The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive Now, make sure you watch Congressman Cicilline being quite serious about the issue in […]
March for Aynis Vargas, victim of gun violence
For some reason, we’re not calling it a mass shooting. A shooter, wearing a black mask and camouflage pants opened fire on a party on Hartford Ave, wounding three women and killing Aynis Vargas, a 12 year old girl. Vargas was shot in the back, and died on the scene. As of this writing, police […]
The NRA, Bilbo Baggins, URI and Teny Oded Gross
Just like it did in Congress, it looks like the NRA will beat back stricter gun laws at the Rhode Island State House as well, reports Sam Bell of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats. “Rhode Islanders favor an assault weapons ban by a margin of 64% to 27%, but we aren’t hearing from them,” Rep. […]
Teny Oded Gross’ Unique Look At Gun Violence
Something nefarious happened last week at the State House in regards to reforming the state’s gun control laws, and it wasn’t that an NRA lobbyist came to push his conservative agenda. It’s that Teny Oded Gross was the only member of the public to ask him to take it elsewhere. ‘It’s a deceitful organization,” Oded […]
Externalities Kill
I can almost stretch my memory back to the day of Dec. 14, back through the fog of politicized media spin, the miasma of special interests spreading to capitalize on crisis and grief in one way or another. I can almost remember the overwhelming flood of empathy, the consolation, the unconditional love, and the deep […]
RI Progressive Democrats Meeting Tonight
The Rhode Island Progressive Democrats host their monthly meeting tonight at the Rochambeau Library and there is much of interest on it agenda. “The General Assembly session is heating up, and we have the potential for a huge slate of victories–gun control, tax equity, voter ID repeal, and marriage–but only if we work hard to […]
Four Reasons the NRA is a Red Herring
In the wake of another tragedy, calls for gun regulation rises again. Many citizens do not tend to “wait and see” what the politicians will do, and many expect a little saber-rattling and then see their elected officials bow down to the powerful pro-gun lobbyNational Rifle Association. People have already begun targeting the NRA as […]
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