Hundreds march across Brooklyn Bridge for stricter gun laws

[Lite Beer]

Hundreds march across Brooklyn Bridge for stricter gun laws
VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of men, women and children, including fashion designer Donna Karan, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday demanding stricter gun laws and offering a litany of violent stories to show why such laws are needed.

Held on the eve of Mother's Day, the third annual march from Brooklyn to Manhattan was organized by the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

"Progress is being made, one day at a time," said Abbey Clements, a teacher from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults in December 2012.

Clements said about 40 percent of all gun sales are completed without a background check. She accused Congress of lacking the courage "to vote on their conscience instead of allowing themselves to be bullied by the gun lobby."

But she noted that some states have tightened background check requirements. Connecticut already has strong gun laws, with relatively fewer gun deaths, she said.

The National Rifle Association, the nation's largest gun rights lobbying group, opposes expanding background checks. The organization says many people sent to prison because of gun crimes get their guns through theft or the black market, and no amount of background checks can stop those criminals.

Legislation that sought to expand background checks to all commercial firearms sales failed to get a hearing in the U.S. House last session. With Republicans expanding their House majority and winning control of the Senate, prospects for the bill may be even more unlikely this session.

Under the current system, cashiers at stores selling guns call in to check with the FBI or other designated agencies to ensure the customer doesn't have a criminal background. Some lawmakers want to expand such checks to sales at gun shows and purchases made through the Internet.

The U.S. averages more than 80 gun deaths each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We have more gun-related deaths than any other developed country. Gun deaths now outpace traffic fatalities in our country," said U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney. "It may take years, it may take decades, but the tens of thousands who senselessly lost their lives at the barrel of a gun will not be forgotten."

As they crossed the bridge, participants yelled, "Not one more!"

The march ended with a rally outside City Hall in lower Manhattan.

Christopher Underwood, 8, addressed the crowd three years after losing his 14-year-old brother to gunfire in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood.

"It made me sad, because he was the only one who dropped me off at school, and I miss him," said the boy, whose brother was killed when a bullet ripped through his brain. "I'm still scared."

Edwin Guzman sat behind the stage holding a poster with photos of his daughter. Samantha Guzman was 18 when she left a Bronx party in 2006 with friends on Mother's Day and was shot to death in the street — a week before her high school prom.

"New York has come a long way; the gun laws have gotten stronger," Guzman said.

However, he noted, many of the guns used in New York are smuggled from out of state, including the one that took the life of Officer Brian Moore last Saturday. Police traced the Taurus Model 85 revolver to a pawn shop in Georgia where it was stolen.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-10

[HeijoshinCool]

Crossing a bridge. Not too smart.

Like shooting fish in a barrel ...

[thaibeachlovers]

The guns they should be concerned with are illegal guns that would never be picked up by stricter gun laws. However, the morons also want to prohibit stop and frisk, which is the only way to reduce illegal guns on the streets.

[Rykbanlor]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

[JockPieandBeans]

Hundreds in a city of circa 20 Million.

P!ss!n in the wind springs to mind.

[thaibeachlovers]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

If someone breaks into my house or threatens my family I want to be able to shoot them.

Gun control is always aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defence while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers.

[bendejo]

NYC has very strict gun control, nearly impossible to get a pistol permit. The guns in the crimes they tell of in the OP were illegal, so stricter gun laws wouldn't have prevented these tragedies.

[BudRight]

They don't know what current law says - most of the things they are marching against are already serious felonies. For example all interstate sale of firearms must pass through a Federal Licensed firearms dealer. All licenses in the State of New York involve a background check. If someone owns a handgun or modern sporting rifle (the real term for "assault rifle") in NY State that hasn't had such a check that is already illegal.

[BlueSkyCowboy]

The criminals have their guns only the fools want more laws and the communists (Obama) to control the idiots

[Thakkar]

Australian comic Jim Jeffries on guns:

http://youtu.be/gzlmA6xGXCA

[IMA_FARANG]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

If someone breaks into my house or threatens my family I want to be able to shoot them.

Gun control is always aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defence while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers.

----------------------

I remember about a month ago (roughly) a news story where a mother took a loaded handgun to the mall in her purse for "protection."

She had the purse with the loaded gun in the shopping cart next to her two year old son.

Her two year old son went into mommy's purse, got ahold of the gun, and shot mommy dead.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed. The topic isn't about the news source.

[gemguy]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

If someone breaks into my house or threatens my family I want to be able to shoot them.

Gun control is always aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defence while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers.

Well that is not entirely true when you say: "Gun control is ALWAYS aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defense while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers"

The subject of firearms ownership by the public is a convoluted and very contentious social issue that will remain so as long as more and more guns are sold and used for sinister purposes other than self defense.....besides sport hunting and sports shooting.

I do not deny firearms ownership to anyone that is considered, for the record, a law abiding citizen and will never use a gun against another person for any other reason than self defense.........if that be the case.

But to claim so adamantly that gun control laws are ( always ) aimed at depriving the citizens of a means of self defense is not the case and only part of the contentious social issue.

There are many gun related issues to be consider while the 2 sides, so to speak, have to find a middle ground and accommodate one another.

Meantime the government officials and the public know how strongly many people feel about their right to own a firearm while the government is not specifically persecuting the gun owners or trying to take away their firearms and neither are the rest of the citizens who do not own guns.

They simply want more accountability practiced by those that manufacture the guns and those that sell the guns to the public to help lessen the impact of all the more guns being used for criminal purposes.

Meantime there are plenty of countries that function just fine and or well enough having gun related laws that minimize the amount of firearms in the hands of the public....but for the USA....... it is far too late to rectify a social problem that has no easy answers while all the more guns will statistically fall into the hands of all the more criminals or people who will use them for violent purposes.

Cheers

[Basil B]

NYC has very strict gun control, nearly impossible to get a pistol permit. The guns in the crimes they tell of in the OP were illegal, so stricter gun laws wouldn't have prevented these tragedies.

Many are obtained in other states with lesser gun control, so this issue is a national issue.

The OP mentions a fire arm stolen from a pawn shop, IMHO guns should only sold and bought by licensed dealers who have secure premises so that guns can not easily be stolen, wonder if that gun was reported stolen before the police came knocking?

[ggt]

Being brought-up in a Southern state...Gun Control meant being able to accurately hit your target...

[user786895]

"The U.S. averages more than 80 gun deaths each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"

IF this occurred anywhere else in the world, the USA, the world's policeman, would be demanding action be taken by that country's government.

[anon4546543]

The US averages about 80 "gun" (I would say weapon) related deaths every day. Is it population control or is it just stupidity/

[MZurf]

Don't take the guns away from the good ol' boys! They must be able to defend themselves when the communist/Muslim forces controlled by that foreigner Obama and the UN in their black helicopters come to get them

[anon4546543]

Being pedantic, "guns" are fired from weapons that are not rifled. It used to mean artillery. Rifle means a twist in the barrel. Being more pedantic, hand weapons are divided into pistol and revolver. And then you have semi and fully automatic, just to confuse things. But please don't call every weapon a "gun". My rifle weapon instructor (whilst pointing to my groin and my military rifle) would always say "This is my rifle, this is my gun, one is for killing, one is for fun". So we never called a rifle a gun. All weapons should belong in the hands of defence forces. IMHO. The US uses its weapon policy to placate red neckers and weapon lobbyists. As a result, 80 people die every day. Cheers US, I raise my glass to you and invest in ammunition suppliers.

[chuckd]

"The U.S. averages more than 80 gun deaths each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"

IF this occurred anywhere else in the world, the USA, the world's policeman, would be demanding action be taken by that country's government.

In the year 2010, suicides accounted for 61% of deaths by firearms. Homicides and accidental discharge accounted for the remainder.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/24/suicides-account-for-most-gun-deaths/

[stoli]

You can always tell when an election season is starting. The democrats always want to divide the people with distractions that mean nothing. With Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, more gun control laws are not going to be passed. Next month expect to hear more about Republicans "war on women". You can convince morons to believe anything, so just continue to tell them what to think, according to you.

[HLover]

Hilarious and tragic at the same time.

[sirineou]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

If someone breaks into my house or threatens my family I want to be able to shoot them.

Gun control is always aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defence while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers.

why , is there something in your background that will prevent you from obtaining one if stricter background checks were implemented? Please pray tell

[sirineou]

Australian comic Jim Jeffries on guns:

http://youtu.be/gzlmA6xGXCA

very funny , and so true. My favorite comedian,

I love his God goes to a Party

[gemguy]

Australian comic Jim Jeffries on guns:

http://youtu.be/gzlmA6xGXCA

very funny , and so true. My favorite comedian,

I love his God goes to a Party

Good comedy....the truth seems to be a funny thing when presented by a good comedian.

Meantime....factually, in the USA...there are a whole lot of incidents where a gun owner has protected themselves and others because they had a gun to do so.

You can look it up and there are thousands of incidents where people intent on doing harm or committing crimes were stopped by way of another citizen having a gun that stopped the crime from happening .....while often enough the criminal is dead...while the near victim(s) are alive and well.

There is a huge amount of crime going on in the USA....more than you may ever come to fathom...so, I can understand why a lot of Americans want to own a gun and protect themselves.

If you lived under such conditions you also may eventually become a gun owner for protective purposes because the social environment you live under near requires a gun to make your life safe.....it is that bad in some parts of the USA.

Meantime...stricter gun laws are not going to fix the problems in many respects concerning firearms ..but, it helps and can lessen the impact from all too many guns in the hands of the citizens, while all too many of the citizens are criminals with guns.

[CMNightRider]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

If someone breaks into my house or threatens my family I want to be able to shoot them.

Gun control is always aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defence while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers.

----------------------

I remember about a month ago (roughly) a news story where a mother took a loaded handgun to the mall in her purse for "protection."

She had the purse with the loaded gun in the shopping cart next to her two year old son.

Her two year old son went into mommy's purse, got ahold of the gun, and shot mommy dead.

"Her two year old son went into mommy's purse, got ahold of the gun, and shot mommy dead.".........................and your point is?

[BudRight]

NYC has very strict gun control, nearly impossible to get a pistol permit. The guns in the crimes they tell of in the OP were illegal, so stricter gun laws wouldn't have prevented these tragedies.

Many are obtained in other states with lesser gun control, so this issue is a national issue.

The OP mentions a fire arm stolen from a pawn shop, IMHO guns should only sold and bought by licensed dealers who have secure premises so that guns can not easily be stolen, wonder if that gun was reported stolen before the police came knocking?

Obtaining a handgun in another state and bringing it to New York without a permit is a felony. That permit includes a background check.

[CMNightRider]

Americans believe owning a firearm is an individual right. A few liberals marching, hysterical weeping and whining, hating the National Rifle Association, and passing more idiotic gun laws is not going to change this. If you don't like guns, then don't own one.

[thaibeachlovers]

So there's never a crime committed with a legally obtained gun. Absolute nonsense.

If someone breaks into my house or threatens my family I want to be able to shoot them.

Gun control is always aimed at depriving lawful citizens of the means of self defence while doing nothing about the guns in the hands of scum gangbangers.

----------------------

I remember about a month ago (roughly) a news story where a mother took a loaded handgun to the mall in her purse for "protection."

She had the purse with the loaded gun in the shopping cart next to her two year old son.

Her two year old son went into mommy's purse, got ahold of the gun, and shot mommy dead.

That would qualify to be in the natural selection category. If someone is stupid enough to let a kid get hold of a loaded gun..........

Thank the deity that it was her that got shot though, and not some innocent.

[ABCer]

Wow! Another one of the sensitive perennial issues.

The emotions are bound to fly high.

The one thing to remember is this: -

Disarming millions of "good" "normal" law abiding citizens you will leave criminals the only ones holding guns!

BTW, I do not have a gun, I am not from the gun lobby, I am not even an American and I'm sure there are many people thinking the same way.