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SUMMARY: Mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, left more than 30 people dead over the weekend. What can be done to prevent incidents like these? Amna Nawaz talks to Larry Ward, chief marketing officer of Gun Dynamics, and Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, for two different perspectives on potential solutions to the problem of rampant gun violence in the U.S.
Judy Woodruff (NewsHour): Back now to our look at guns in America.
Excluding El Paso and Dayton, just since yesterday, at least 88 people were shot and at least 28 people were killed by guns in 27 states. That's according to the Gun Violence Archive.
In fact, we rarely report on these events: gang warfare, domestic violence, robbery. And that excludes suicide, the largest factor for gun deaths.
Amna Nawaz reports that the number of guns in America, some 393 million of them, more than one per person, is greater than in any other country and that, even on days of relative calm, guns kill roughly 100 people in this country every day.
"Why domestic terrorism is an underestimated national threat" PBS NewsHour 8/5/2019
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SUMMARY: The weekend mass shooting in El Paso appears to have been motivated by white supremacist and anti-immigrant sentiment. In response, President Trump said Monday the FBI has been tasked with disrupting “domestic terrorism.” What is the nature of this movement, and how can we address it? Amna Nawaz talks to the University of Chicago’s Kathleen Belew and George Washington University’s Seamus Hughes.
"Congressional inaction on gun reform is ‘an insult’ to shooting victims, says Rep. Ryan" PBS NewsHour 8/5/2019
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SUMMARY: Deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton prompted immediate outcry among candidates for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. Several of the contenders denounced President Trump for rhetoric they said foments violence and hatred. One of them, Rep. Tim Ryan [D-Oh], represents Ohio in Congress. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss “weapons of war” and whether there is hope for gun reform in Congress.
"What Bill de Blasio would do to counter rise of white supremacy and deadly violence" PBS NewsHour 8/5/2019
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SUMMARY: After mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, we examine the threat of domestic terrorism and the nation's gun policy debate. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the El Paso and Dayton tragedies, the “horrible reality” of the white supremacist movement and why he thinks strict gun laws have decreased homicides in New York.
"Could El Paso and Dayton massacres drive congressional action on guns?" PBS NewsHour 8/6/2019
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SUMMARY: Mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton have pushed gun safety back into the forefront of national politics. On Capitol Hill, how are lawmakers responding? Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss an unusual move from Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the current landscape of proposed gun legislation and whether there is a realistic chance for any expansion of background checks to pass.
"Why addressing mental illness isn’t enough to reduce gun violence" PBS NewsHour 8/6/2019
My answer, addressing mental illness does not work when access to guns is too easy.
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SUMMARY: How do we explain and stop mass shootings like those in El Paso and Dayton? Some Americans point to guns, saying they're too common and easy to obtain, while others emphasize the mental and emotional conditions that could drive perpetrators to inflict such horror. Amna Nawaz talks to Dr. Garen Wintemute of UC Davis Medical Center and Duke University's Jeffrey Swanson for analysis of both theories.
"A former House Republican on why we need to reform gun laws" PBS NewsHour 8/6/2019
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SUMMARY: And now we turn back to guns in America. And we look at the politics.
Joining me is former U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo. He's a Republican who represented Florida for four years, until 2018.
