News & Public Affairs

President Obama announces executive actions to curb gun violence & wants Congress to beef up background checks & ban assault weapons listen

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Tags: gun control, guns, violence, shootings, NRA, Barack Obama, ATF

President Barack Obama has announced a $500 million package of executive actions and legislative proposals aimed at reducing gun violence a month after a mass shooting in Connecticut killed 20 elementary school children. Obama signed 23 executive actions — which require no congressional approval — including several aimed at improving access to data for background checks. A presidential memorandum will instruct the Centers for Disease Control to research causes and prevention of gun violence....

Hillsborough County Commission wants task force on gun violence but balks at idea of gun buy-back -- for now listen

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Tags: gun control, guns, violence, shootings, NRA, Les Miller, Kevin Beckner, Mark Sharpe, Terry Kemple, Hillsborough County Commission

Wednesday the Hillsborough County Commission put aside a suggestion to organize gun buy-back programs to reduce crime. But the idea may come back as soon as next month among the suggestions for a task force to reduce gun violence. Commissioner Kevin Beckner recommended forming a task force – it was unanimously approved by the board.

"To direct staff to make recommendations for convening a task force under the County Administrator's office. They consist of at least law enforcement agencies...

NRA says answer to school violence is more guns in schools listen

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Tags: gun control, guns, violence, shootings, NRA, CodePink, Medea Benjamin

The National Rifle Association broke its silence today on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead. The nation's largest gun-rights lobby called for armed police officers to be posted in every American school to stop the next killer waiting in the wings.

"I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every school — and to do it now, to make sure that blanket of s...

Mass shooting at CT school rekindles push to stop gun violence listen

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Tags: gun control, guns, violence, shootings, NRA

A man opened fire Friday inside the Connecticut elementary school where his mother worked as a teacher, killing 26 people, including 20 children.

In a statement to news media, President Barack Obama said,

"As a country we have been through this too many times. Whether it's an elementary school in Newton, or a shopping mall in Oregon or a temple in Wisconsin or a movie theater in Aurora or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our ...