The latest Grinnell College National Poll finds broad support for protecting children from the potential harms of social media, but no consensus on the best ways to protect them from mass shootings at school.
Supreme Court Appears Split Over Ban on Bump Stocks
“The Supreme Court wrestled on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration acted lawfully in enacting a ban on bump stocks after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history,” the New York Times reports.
“The justices appeared split largely along ideological lines over the ban, which prohibits the sale and possession of bump stocks, attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire at speeds rivaling machine guns. Some raised concerns about the broader implications of a reversal.”
Ex-NRA Chief Found Liable for Financial Misconduct
“In a sweeping rebuke of the National Rifle Association, the nation’s most prominent gun rights group, a Manhattan jury ruled on Friday that N.R.A. leaders had engaged in a pattern of financial misconduct and corruption,” the New York Times reports.
“The jury, after a week of deliberations, found that the group’s former leader, Wayne LaPierre, had used NRA funds to pay for personal expenses, including vacations, luxury flights for his relatives and rides on superyachts. Jurors found that he misspent $5.4 million, some of which he has repaid.”
Trump Vows to Roll Back Gun Restrictions
Donald Trump told National Rifle Association members on Friday that “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he wins the presidency, vowing to roll back Biden-era gun restrictions, Politico reports.
Said Trump: “Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated on my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day.”
GOP Lawmaker Flashed Gun to Students
A video taken by a high school student shows Indiana state Rep. Jim Lucas (R) flash a gun to students who were visiting the statehouse to talk to legislators about gun control, the AP reports.
NRA Treasurer Plotted to Conceal Extravagant Expenses
A secret recording reveals the NRA’s treasurer detailing a plan to conceal payments for fancy hotels, limousines and other luxury expenses connected to the organization’s longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre, ProPublica and The Trace report.
The recording was unknown to New York’s attorney general, who is pursuing the NRA and LaPierre over a range of alleged financial misdeeds.
NRA Chief Steps Down
“On the eve of a legal battle in New York, Wayne LaPierre told board members on Friday that he would step down as the longtime chief of the National Rifle Association,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. LaPierre, 74, has led the organization for more than three decades. But his resignation came as he faced his gravest challenge yet, a corruption trial in Manhattan amid a legal showdown with New York’s attorney general, Letitia James. Jury selection has already begun and opening arguments were scheduled for early next week.”
NRA Chief Faces Trial That Could End His Reign
“For decades, Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s longtime leader, has been a survivor. He has endured waves of palace intrigue, corruption scandals and embarrassing revelations, including leaked video that captured his inability to shoot an elephant at point-blank range while on a safari,” the New York Times reports.
“But now, Mr. LaPierre, 74, faces his gravest challenge, as a legal showdown with New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, goes to trial in a Manhattan courtroom. Ms. James, in a lawsuit filed amid an abrupt effort by the N.R.A. to clean up its practices, seeks to oust him from the group after reports of corruption and mismanagement.”
The NRA Is at Rock Bottom
Daily Beast: “The NRA’s most recent tax return, filed in November of this year for 2022, reveals dramatic declines along almost every conceivable metric: revenue, assets, member dues, lobbying, and political spending — with conversely sharp increases in legal costs and deficits…”
“2022 was the fourth year in a row that revenue fell, marking its weakest fundraising year since at least 2008. Membership dues are at all-time lows.”
Gun Ownership Reaches Record High
“More than half of American voters — 52% — say they or someone in their household owns a gun,” per the latest NBC News poll.
“That’s the highest share of voters who say that they or someone in their household owns a gun in the history of the NBC News poll, on a question dating back to 1999.”
The Man Who Made the AR-15 America’s Bestselling Rifle
ProPublica profiles Richard Dyke, who built the company that popularized assault-style rifles in America.
“When the public asks, ‘How did we get here?’ after each mass shooting, the answer goes beyond National Rifle Association lobbyists and Second Amendment zealots. It lies in large measure with the strategies of firearms executives like Dyke. Long before his competitors, the mercurial showman saw the profits in a product that tapped into Americans’ primal fears, and he pulled the mundane levers of American business and politics to get what he wanted.”
A Look at the Devastation Caused by AR-15 Shootings
The Washington Post published horrifying and disturbing images from mass shootings to give the public a real look at what an AR-15 does to a human body.
Justices Seem Likely to Allow Gun Bans for Some
“The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared inclined to uphold a federal statute that forbids people who are the subject of domestic-violence restraining orders from possessing firearms,” the Washington Post reports.
“Justices on both sides of the court’s ideological divide seemed to think the Second Amendment does not keep legislatures from restricting firearm possession after some sort of court finding that a person is dangerous. During oral arguments Tuesday morning, some of the justices suggested they did not have to go much further than that to decide the case at hand.”
Quote of the Day
“Americans should not have to live like this.”
— President Biden, in a statement, after 16 people were killed in a Maine mass shooting.
‘Now Is Not the Time’
John Gruber: “This ‘now is not the time’ argument gets trotted out by Republicans after each and every gun massacre. Right after their tweets offering ‘thoughts and prayers.’ Bullshit. The aftermath of a massacre is the time to demand sane gun control measures. That’s when the issue is clarified. Would Republicans argue that October 8 was ‘not the right time’ for Israel to discuss Hamas terrorism? Was September 12, 2001 ‘not the right time’ to discuss Al-Qaeda? Should FDR have delivered an address to the nation on December 8, 1941, advising that we relax, let cooler heads prevail, because the aftermath of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor ‘was not the time’ to consider retaliating?”
“Imagine a Venezuelan refugee illegally crosses the U.S.-Mexico border next week and kills 18 U.S. citizens with a bomb he carried across. Would Hannity have a guest on Fox News — say, Mike Johnson — arguing that ‘now is not the time, in the middle of the crisis, to talk about border security’?”
Johnson Says Now Is Not the Time for Gun Legislation
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) dismissed gun control in a Fox News interview after the mass shooting in Maine.
Said Johnson: “The problem is the human heart. It’s not guns… this is not the time to talk about legislation.”
Jared Golden Reverses on Assault Weapons Ban
“Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), a conservative Democrat, reversed his previously held opposition and said on Thursday that he now supports an assault weapons ban following a mass shooting in his state,” Politico reports.
Said Golden: “I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime. The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles.”
Lauren Boebert Offers ‘Prayers’ for Shooting Victims
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Wednesday offered “prayers” for the people of Lewiston, Maine, following a deadly mass shooting that has left at least 16 people dead and dozens others injured, The Messenger reports.
Said Boebert: “Sending prayers to Lewistown, Maine tonight. Know that the entire country is praying for you.”
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