gun control

The Right To Print Arms: An Innovation In 3-D Printing

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Last week, a Senate judiciary panel approved a measure to reinstate a ban on assault weapons. Those same legislators could have a whole new field of weaponry to contend with: homemade guns. A small, Texas-based company called “Defense Distributed” has been spearheading technological and legal advances behind the 3-D printing technology that could produce guns.

Feminist Spring

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:37:35 +0000

The increasing prominence of women’s issues on a global scale has a number of scholars and activists wondering if we are on the verge of a “Feminist Spring”. Two years after seething political and social discontent exploded into protests that changed the landscape of the Middle East, mass movements are forming around women’s issues. From the streets of India to Steubenville, Ohio, protestors are marching against sexual violence against women. In Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, women are active members of the ongoing resistance. Here in the US, a record number of women are now in congress and running states as governor, and issues like reproductive health and gun control have activated formerly silent female voters. Sahar Khamis is assistant professor of communication at the University of Maryland. She’s written extensively about female activism in the Arab spring uprisings, and joins us for a read of where those struggles stand today.

Is Preventing Suicide A Better Gun Control Argument?

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:09:24 +0000

Since Newtown, debates over gun violence have focused largely on how to keep guns out of the hands of people who kill other people. The truth is that - by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 - suicide is the leading cause of death by gun violence.

It’s a toll not often discussed, but one that some law enforcement and public health officials say is worsened by easy access to guns. Leon Neyfakh wrote about the topic in the Ideas section of The Boston Globe.

Grappling over Gun Laws

Laura Knoy — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:04:19 +0000

We wrap up our three-day series on possible lessons from the Newtown shootings, with a look at some of the battles brewing over gun control and gun rights. President Obama has said he’ll do what it takes to curb gun violence.

Safeguarding Liberty: Beyond the Second Amendment

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:12:07 +0000

Today, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband launched a political action committee with a goal of countering the influence of the gun lobby. the new PAC leverages public calls for stricter gun controls following the Sandy Hook shooting last month.

Does Holding a Gun Make You See a Gun?

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:13:01 +0000

A study finds that the very act of holding a gun (even a wii gun!) prompts subjects to identify an object held by another person as a firearm...even when it's just a shoe.
We talk to the researcher behind this work, Jessica Witt of Colorado State University.

The N.R.A. Lobby vs. The N.R.A. Members

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:44:51 +0000

Gun violence is an everyday occurrence in many cities in the united states, but after a tragedy like the Aurora shootings or the Virginia Tech shootings, the gun control debate starts to make more noise on the socio-political landscape. The second amendment typically divides parties and beliefs, but are gun control laws starting to divide the N.R.A itself? The National Rifle Association is a major player in keeping the Second Amendment exactly how it is for better or worse.