“I am going to do what I think is appropriate and try to impact the dialogue and shame on me if I don’t.”

— New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, quoted by NY1, calling on lawmakers to strengthen gun laws.

Jeff Greenfield: “A shocking event is exactly the right time to start, or restart, an argument about public policy. A story like the Newtown killings rivets our attention, forces it to the front of our consciousness, insists that we sweep aside the thousand and one distractions that compete for our brain space, and demands that we ask: Is this how we want things to be, and, if not, what do we do about it?”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) says he’s taking a new perspective on gun control since Friday’s mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, the Washington Post reports.

Said Warner: “I’ve been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. I’ve got an A rating from the NRA. But the status quo isn’t acceptable. I’ve got three daughters. They asked me on Friday evening, ‘Dad, what are you gonna do about this?’ There’s got to be a way to put reasonable restrictions, particularly as we look at assault weapons, as we look at these fast clips of ammunition.”

Sen. Joe Machin (D-WV) took a similar position earlier today.

First Read: “But no Republican leader – so far – has joined this Democratic chorus in
calling for stricter control of guns in the aftermath of the Newtown
massacre.”

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that 54% of Americans now favor stricter gun control laws, numerically a five-year high, and 59% support a ban specifically on high-capacity ammunition clips.

In addition, more than half of Americans “say the school shootings in Newtown,
Connecticut, reflect broader problems in society rather than an isolated
act of a troubled person – more than after other recent shooting
incidents, suggesting the possibility of a new national dialogue on
violent crime.”

The Week: Is the Connecticut massacre a game changer for gun control?

Joe Scarborough, a conservative Republican who received the NRA’s highest ratings over four terms in Congress, has changed his mind on gun control.

“It’s time for Washington to stop trying to win endless wars overseas while we’re losing the war at home… We must give no more ground… I choose life, and I choose change. And for the sake of our children, we must do what’s right. And for the sake of this great nation that we love, let’s pray to God that we do.”

[Read more…]

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a conservative Democrat and National Rifle Association member, said that after the school shooting in Connecticut, it’s time to discuss new regulations on assault weapons, the Washington Post reports.

Said Manchin: “I dont know anyone in the sporting or hunting arena that goes out with an assault rifle. I don’t know anyone that needs 30 rounds in a clip to go hunting. I mean, these are things that need to be talked about.”

CNN: “There are an estimated 270 million guns in the hands of civilians in the United States, making Americans the most heavily armed people in the world per capita. Yemen, a tribal nation with no history of strong central government or the rule of law, comes in a distant second.”

Unlike his past remarks after other tragic shootings, President Obama last night made an explicit call to action to stem gun violence. His speech could end up being the most memorable of his presidency.

The Wall Street Journal notes the White House “is looking at various options, and the scope and
details of the president’s approach aren’t clear. One possibility likely
to be considered is a ban on high-capacity magazines, the devices
attached to firearms that store large numbers of bullets and reload them
rapidly.”

First Read: “To pull this off in the gun area, the president is going to have to tackle every issue associated with these heinous crimes: gun laws, our gun culture, mental health, the de-sensitization of violence thanks to Hollywood and video game makers, and of course parental responsibility. If it’s a LARGER policy discussion, it’s much harder for the most ardent NRA-supporting lawmaker to walk away.”

“No single law or set of laws can eliminate evil from the world… but that can’t be an excuse for inaction.”

— President Obama, speaking at a memorial service for victims of the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

[Read more…]

Joseph Califano: “If ever there were a moment for President Obama to learn from history, it is now, in the wake of Friday’s shootings at the elementary school at Newtown, Conn. The timely lesson for Obama, drawn from the experience of Lyndon B. Johnson — the last president to aggressively fight for comprehensive gun control — is this: Demand action on comprehensive gun control immediately from this Congress or lose the opportunity during your presidency.”

“I wish to God the principal had had an M4 in her office, locked up, so when she heard gunfire she pulls it out … and takes him out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids.”

— Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), quoted by CNN, arguing the deadly Connecticut school shooting could have been halted sooner if staff at the school had been equipped with guns.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) told Meet the Press that she intended to introduce a gun control bill on the first day of the next Congress would “take aim at limiting the sale, transfer and possession of assault weapons, along with the capacity of high-capacity magazines.”

Said Feinstein: “It can be done.”

She said her bill would be paired with a similar bill in the House and she expects President Obama will publicly support the proposal.

Wonk Wire: Arming people doesn’t stop mass murders.

“If Congress wasn’t so afraid of the NRA — and I can show you that they
have no reason to be — but if they were to stand up and do what was
right for the American public, we’d all be a lot better off.”

— New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in an interview on Meet the Press.

“This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws – and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait.”

— Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), on Facebook.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama’s comments “on the need to act against gun violence mirror those he made in the aftermath of the 2011 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that severely wounded then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six. He stopped short of making any proposals after that incident, however, and no new federal gun laws were enacted in its aftermath.”

“Whether the Connecticut school shootings, in which 27 people were killed, will lead to an effort to tighten gun laws will likely depend on the facts of the incident, many of which remained murky throughout Friday.”

Politico notes that “this time, the immediate, impassioned calls for new gun-control measures far outstripped the reaction to a series of other recent shooting sprees across the country, including at a Colorado movie theater, a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and a shopping mall in Oregon.”

President Obama’s emotional statement on the mass shootings in Connecticut indicated he wanted to take “meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”

Wonk Wire: It’s time to talk about guns.

[Read more…]

Hours after the tragic elementary school shootings today in Connecticut, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that it was not the time to discuss gun control legislation, the Washington Post reports.

Said Carney: “I’m sure there will be rather a day for discussion of the usual Washington policy debates, but I don’t think today is that day.”

Marc Ambinder: How to prevent more mass killings.

A new Pew Research survey finds there has been no significant change in public views on the issue of gun control following the July 20th shooting at a Colorado movie theater. Currently, 47% say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 46% say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns.

That is virtually unchanged from a survey earlier this year in April, when 45% prioritized gun control 49% gun rights.