Tag Archive for "gun violence"

Posts Tagged gun violence

We should be talking about masculinity and violence after the Sandy Hook shooting and every day

Let’s talk about violence and masculinity. In a post earlier this week, Amy argued that since women are sometimes perpetrators, focusing on masculinity can only take us so far in understanding violence, gun violence, and mass shootings in particular. But, in my opinion, a deeper analysis of masculinity would take us farther than basically anything else–and it’s a conversation that’s not happening.

The fact that “women are perpetrators of gun violence, too” is undeniably true. And certainly, “masculinity”–as a loosely defined and incredibly broad concept–can’t adequately “explain” mass shootings, or violence more generally, any more than anything else can.

Which is really what the entire country is desperately hoping to do in the aftermath of a tragedy like ...

By Amy S. Choi • 11 years ago

Women are perpetrators of gun violence, too

*Trigger warning*

Much has been written in the wake of the Newtown tragedy about the connection between the culture of masculinity and the culture of gun violence. In the past 30 years, all but one of the past 62 mass murderers in the country who have used guns have been men.Gun makers equate gun ownership with manliness. The speculation as to why is rampant. Men are dangerously threatened due to the rise of minorities and women. Men are more sensitive to slights than women. Growing up to be a man is hard.

It’s important to consider the gendered context under which these shooting crimes are committed, and particularly how many of these murderers choose their victims. The rubric of gun ...

*Trigger warning*

Much has been written in the wake of the Newtown tragedy about the connection between the culture of masculinity and the culture of gun violence. In the past 30 years, all but one of the past ...

By Katie Halper • 11 years ago

Brave responses to the Sandy Hook shooting

http://youtu.be/TNHOI0apJ0Y

Friday’s tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut shook the nation and the world. Some are arguing than any discussion of gun violence “politicizes” the tragedy. I would argue that by avoiding the issue of gun violence we shrug off our responsibility to prevent more tragedies. Is accepting the status quo, which is extremely politicized by NRA lobbying, the best way to honor those who died? I don’t think so.

Some nut jobs on the right, from gun advocates to elected to officials, are missing what should be the takeaway from the shooting. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) wants more guns, not fewer, arguing that had the principal been armed, she could have shot the killer. A Nevada Assemblywoman wants to allow ...

http://youtu.be/TNHOI0apJ0Y

By Samhita • 11 years ago

Obama addresses Newtown, “Can we say we are powerless in the face of such carnage?”

Last night, Obama eloquently addressed Newtown, CT and the nation, after the horrifying shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school last Friday. He asked, “can we honestly say we are doing enough to keep our children safe from harm,” concluding, no, we are not doing enough. After recounting the four times we’ve come together during his presidency around a mass shooting, he said, things have to change, “These tragedies must end and to end them we must change.” He acknowledged that no single law or set of laws will stop tragedies and atrocities all together, but we can at least try, in fact, it is our duty to try.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M1gSsm5xlKQ#!

It is a compelling and important speech, but we’ll have to work together ...

By Samhita • 11 years ago

Breaking: 25 dead in elementary school shooting in Newton, CT

Enough is enough–how many school shootings will there be before we wake-up and tackle gun culture for what it is and address the impact it has on human lives.

One state official said that an adult gunman was believed to be dead in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The gunman was in possession of at least two firearms, the official said. There was some speculation that there were two gunmen involved in the mass shooting.

A student at the school told an NBC affiliate in Connecticut: “I was in the gym and I heard like seven loud booms, and the gym teachers told us to go in the corner and we huddled. We all heard these booming noises, and ...

Enough is enough–how many school shootings will there be before we wake-up and tackle gun culture for what it is and address the impact it has on human lives.

One state official said that an adult gunman ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 11 years ago

When domestic violence is deadly: Shooter kills three women at a Wisconsin salon

Just a few months after the tragedies in Aurora and Oak Creek, the latest act of mass gun violence took place outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin yesterday.

Radcliffe Haughton opened fire at the salon where his estranged wife works, killing three women and injuring four others, before turning the gun on himself. While details are still coming out, the police are already pretty sure that “this incident is domestic violence related.” Earlier this month, Haughton allegedly slashed the tires of his wife’s car. Just last week she got a restraining order against him and he was ordered to turn his weapons over to the sheriff’s department.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has a slew ...

Just a few months after the tragedies in Aurora and Oak Creek, the latest act of mass gun violence took place outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin yesterday.

Radcliffe Haughton opened fire at the salon where ...

By Katie Halper • 11 years ago

Important info, infographics & actions on gun violence

The tragic shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado has received non-stop coverage. Much of it, however, has been abysmally irresponsible, transforming a potential moment for national reflection and discussion on gun laws, mental illness, and popular culture into frenzied sensationalism. Of course, we must mourn the victims, but in the name of the victims, and to prevent more victims, we need to engage in this conversation. Some see this as an inappropriate politicization of tragedy. I see it as a way to prevent more tragedy, and a matter of life and death. If you care about the victims, you need to care about the policies and politics that shape our realities, lives, and deaths. Here are some things ...

By Katie Halper • 12 years ago

The FBI & Department of Justice to look into Trayvon Martin’s death

Trigger Warning

The vigilante shooting of Trayvon Martin, an African-American 17 year-old-male visiting his father in a gated community in Florida, armed only with skittles and an iced tea, is a tragedy and an outrage. The fact that George Zimmerman — a 28-year old unregistered community watch member, who followed Martin from his SUV and was armed with an automatic weapon, and had a criminal record and a penchant for reporting young black men as “suspicious” — claimed self-defense is ridiculous. And the fact that law enforcement accepted Zimmerman’s tale and has allowed him to walk free is a miscarriage of justice and a threat to public safety. But nothing is as chilling, painful and heart-wrenching as hearing what sounds ...

Trigger Warning