(Omar Samaha worked with ABC News to see how many guns he could buy at a gun show in one hour with $5,000. Omar’s sister was killed during the VA Tech massacre).
Watch ABC News 20/20 Friday, April 10th, 10 PM Eastern: An In-Depth Look At America’s Gun Culture, With Focus On Virginia Tech
- 20/20 Investigative Report: ‘If I Only Had a Gun’: Carrying a Gun Won’t Get You Out Of a Shooting Or Save Your Life.
- ABC News 20/20 Website.
- Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia Tech Families Write Letter To Support Gun Reform.
Opponents also point out that most people are ill-prepared to handle a gun. Only six states, for instance, require any kind of training before issuing a routine permit to own a gun, according to the San Francisco-based Legal Community Against Violence. Of the 48 states that allow concealed-carry permits, less than half require people to “demonstrate knowledge of firearm use and/or safety,” and even fewer require an actual training course.
As we observe the two year anniversary of the tragedy, we remain extremely disappointed in Virginia lawmakers for not closing the gun show loophole, and we hold them accountable for their inaction on gun violence prevention. They abdicated their responsibility to protect citizens of the Commonwealth by failing to pass legislation to prevent the easy access to guns by the mentally ill, convicted felons, and others ineligible to purchase weapons.
Freedom States Alliance In the News, and Key Resource To the Media
- Associated Press Quotes Freedom States Alliance In Story About Legal Gun Owners Committing Mass Shootings, Posted On Front Page of Huffington Post.
- Abu Dhabi: The National: Mass Shootings Highlight Recession Concerns, But Right-Wing and Gun Lobby’s Fear Mongering Also Stokes Anxiety.
- Kansas Dodge City Globe: Lawmakers Discuss Amendment Which Would Confirm Individuals’ Right To Bear Arms.
- Kansas City Star: Kansas To Vote In Nov. 2010 Election To Rewrite State Constitution On Gun Ownership.
To [Scott Vogel, communications director for FSA], the answer to why atrocities happen in places such as Binghamton, and before that Washington state and Santa Clara, Calif., lies in sheer numbers.
The number 280 million, to be precise, the estimated total of every gun in this country.
“When you have that many guns, those guns are going to be used in horrific ways,” Vogel said. “There’s just too many. Inevitably, somehow, some way, those weapons are going to be used in an egregious way.”
Gun control activist groups such as the Freedom States Alliance tried to persuade more Americans that guns were the problem, said Scott Vogel, its communications director. He also believed political constraints made new legislation unlikely to stop a “domestic arms race”.
“We’re stuck even though there’s lots of polling data that show the American people do want sensible gun laws,” he said.
“The irony is that a gun is one of the worst self-defence measures you can have. You are much more likely to be hurt by it or have it used against you.”
The National Rifle Association and other lobbying groups gained most of their power from making politicians fearful about their positions rather than any actual sway over a majority of Americans, Mr Vogel said.
“Fundamentally, we just think this is a distraction,” said Scott Vogel, communications director for the Freedom States Alliance. “We think that the state Legislature should be focusing on improving the economy, dealing with the declining jobs in Kansans, dealing with people losing their health insurance and other vital services.”
He said even if the amendment is written into the Kansas Constitution, it would not preclude the state from regulating gun sales or restricting who can own a firearm.
Scott Vogel, spokesman for Freedom States Alliance, called the fear that the courts or the current presidential administration might take away people’s guns “a phantom issue” and said lawmakers would have been better off focusing on more pressing issues.
News
- 60 Minutes: Sen. Feinstein (CA) Says She Will Wait To Introduce Assault Weapons Ban.
- CBS News: Katie Couric Interviews Attorney General Eric Holder, Ducks Questions About Assault Weapons Ban and Closing Gun Show Loophole.
- The Hill: AG Holder Says White House did Not Silence Me On Guns.
- D.C. Gun Exception Alarms Md. Officials: Under Amendment, City Residents Could Buy Firearms in Maryland, Virginia.
- Media Matters: Conservatives Fearmongering - Obama Will “Take Away Your Gun”.
- Martha Rosenberg: ‘Existing Gun Laws’ Brought Us Binghamton, NY and Pittsburgh Mass Shootings.
