Gun Violence

On Monday, the Michigan State Capitol Commission voted unanimously to support a limited prohibition on citizen-carried firearms inside the state Capitol. It had appeared that the majority of commissioners wanted to leave any action on this issue to the legislature. However, the legislature never acted in 2020 and the terrorist […]

The Michigan State Capitol Commission’s Modest “First Step”

January 12, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention / guns in capitol by dillo1sa

Wednesday’s shocking, shameful invasion of the U.S. Capitol by domestic terrorists will long be remembered as one of the worst days in the political history of our democratic republic. Obviously, the event is all the worse for being incited by political leaders who feed their followers a steady diet of […]

The Invasion of the U.S. Capitol: Implications for Michigan

January 6, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

News reports tell us that 2020 is a record-setting year for sales of firearms. The 17.2 million gun-purchase background checks conducted this year already exceed the previous record of 15.7 million in 2016. October alone showed a 60 percent increase in background checks compared to October 2019. Moreover, it is […]

Our Moment of Risk… (And Opportunity?)

November 30, 2020 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

In recent days, the nation’s attention has been appropriately drawn to an important election. As the dust settles in the aftermath of that partisan battle, we need to return Michiganders’ attention to an important nonpartisan issue: prohibiting firearms at our state’s Capitol in any hands other than those of law […]

Guns at the Capitol: Setting the Default Switch Toward Risk ...

November 13, 2020 in Learn / Reports tagged capitol / Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

It is long past time to ban firearms in the possession of anyone other than law enforcement officers in the State Capitol and on Capitol grounds. Will we learn any lessons from the shocking plot against Gov. Whitmer, including news media-verified photos of accused plotters standing in the legislature’s visitor […]

Michigan State Capitol Commission—Where Are You?

October 21, 2020 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

Two unexpected events have captured my attention in recent days. First, national news reports, including police video, depict officers taking Brad Parscale into custody. Until recently, Parscale was President Trump’s campaign manager before he was moved to a different campaign position. According to those reports, Parscale’s wife said her husband […]

Dreading the Unexpected and Pondering Possibilities for Prevention

October 5, 2020 in Learn tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

News reports continuously remind us of the varied nature of risks and harms from gun violence, as well as debates about beneficial courses of actions. Recent weeks have been no different in providing these reminders. Twelve-year-old in Oak Park, Michigan, accidently killed when teens mishandle unsecured firearm found in the […]

Never-Ending News & the Essential Elements of Democracy

September 24, 2020 in Learn tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

Accidental Shootings and Safe Storage

Gun Violence Prevention & Background Checks

September 17, 2020 in Learn tagged background checks / Gun Violence / MCPGV by dillo1sa

On August 14, a three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in California issued a 2-to-1 decision striking down California’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than ten bullets (Duncan v. Becerra). The court majority said the ban violated individuals’ rights under the Second Amendment. […]

Unsettling News About Second Amendment Law

August 25, 2020 in Learn tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

Nearly every week brings grim reminders of the continuing problems of gun violence that plague our nation. Little more than one week ago, we marked the one-year anniversary of two tragic mass shootings: the Walmart shooting in El Paso (23 dead, 23 wounded) and the entertainment district shooting in Dayton […]

Guns & the Cycle of Fear

August 17, 2020 in Learn tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa