In addressing the need to reduce gun violence, we know what works. Shame on us for lacking the courage to do the right and just thing:
The assault weapons ban was part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which included a "sunset provision" mandating that the law expire after 10 years unless renewed by Congress.
After the ban expired, the average number of mass shooting deaths per year increased significantly compared to the period when the ban was in effect.
One 2024 study suggested that if the ban had been renewed in 2004, it could have prevented as many as 38 additional mass shootings between 2005 and 2022.
A student shot two of his peers Wednesday at a suburban Denver high school before shooting himself and later dying, authorities said.
Wednesday in America.
I’ll be interested in hearing from Kirk’s murderer. In the meantime, I don’t think he should be enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. He should be remembered as a husband, father, racist, misogynist, bigot, and grifter. And if I had my way, he’d be at home right now with his wife and children. Gun violence did not kill his ideas. It merely sanctified them among the people who are now whitewashing the really awful person he was.
How much better off would we be if we didn’t have a POTUS who foments violence and encourages hatred. He offered to pay the court costs for those who would violently attack his perceived enemies. Trump is hateful and dangerous because he give his people to be their very worst selves. And they are meeting the moment.
The loss of control might not be the deal breaker some think it is. Texas had all the control in the world as the big dog in the Big12, but gave it up for more money.
The problem with ethnicity being an unavoidable criterion arises when one understands ethnicity in the context of a shared cultural background or descent. Such cannot be easily discerned by skin, social location or even accent. I’m a black man of light complexion with two black parents with nappy hair. Fiesta employees speak to me in Spanish every time I shop in the store without fail, because, they make incorrect assumptions about my ethnicity. Because it’s so easy to do, the protections should be stronger.
The sole finalist for the Tech’s chancellor position is a UT grad and virulent right wing ideologue. He’s responsible for all of the anti CRT and DEI legislation and the law that limits free speech on Texas campuses:
Building off his success banning CRT in Texas schools, Brandon Creighton championed a 21st-century curriculum for Texas to increase rigor and keep political agendas out of the classroom. In Higher Education, Creighton passed the strongest ban on DEI in public universities in the nation and sweeping reforms to rein in tenure.
The Campus Protection Act was Introduced by state Sen. Brandon Creighton and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, SB 2972 amends Section 51.9315 of the Texas Education Code to clarify where and how students can demonstrate on college campuses.