Cops in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn are dealing with one of New York City’s most crime-infested areas by spending more time on Facebook. That’s where they’ve found plenty of evidence of illegal gun possession and are nabbing criminals who post pictures of themselves living la vida loca.

Officers and detectives in the 73rd Precinct in Brownsville spend part of their shifts every week on Facebook, looking for pictures of weapons and evidence of gang activity, according to the Daily News. And it’s working.

Compared to statistics for the rest of the city, in Brownsville cops took more illegal guns off the streets in 2012 than the year before. Gangsters apparently post pictures of themselves with guns, drugs and money, and it doesn’t take cops long to track them down.

“We have identified the bad guys and we are going after them,” Deputy Inspector Joseph Gulotta, the precinct commander, told the Daily News. “Social media has changed everything.”

http://blogs.lawyers.com/2013/02/cops-facebook-track-illegal-weapons/?cid=con:105

On Dec. 14, the horrific slaughter of 20 defenseless 6- and 7-year-olds stirred something in all of us. Mothers and fathers across the country grieved with the families of Newtown, Conn. We were stunned, shocked, deeply saddened and, most important, moved to change.

One Million Moms for Gun Control was founded by a Zionsville mother, Shannon Watts, the day after the Newtown massacre. In a few weeks, our ranks swelled to 70,000 members, with the potential to reach 80 million mothers nationwide. We have traditionally remained quiet in the discussion regarding gun control, but no longer. We are changed. We are strong. We are speaking out.

Every day in the United States, 270 people are shot, including 47 children. Of the 270, 87 die. Every year almost 100,000 people and 20,000 children in America are shot; 31,000 die from their wounds, including 3,000 children. We have had enough. The time has come for change.

A recent poll estimated that more than 90 percent of Americans, including gun owners, overwhelmingly support universal background checks. The National Rifle Association opposes this because, as Wayne LaPierre, its spokesman, says, “criminals won’t submit to a background check.” Since when was the fact that criminals break laws a reason for not having any? This logic is flawed. The fact is that laws reduce death, period.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20130224/OPINION/302240011/Moms-had-enough-call-gun-regulations

Yesterday, at CNN.com, I offered two proposals to enhance gun safety that would not require a vote of Congress: (1) a Surgeon General's report on the health hazards of guns in the home; (2) a congressional investigation of the safety practices of the gun industry.

Robert VerBruggen offered a substantial reply at National Review Online.

Before responding in my turn, there's a threshold point that must be stressed and then stressed again. At one point in his reply, Robert dismissively describes one study of gun safety as a "tiny phone survey" "conducted in 1996." And of course … he's right! A lot of the most important data in the gun debate is unsatisfactory and is out-of-date.

There's a reason for that, and the reason is that the gun advocates themselves passed a law through Congress almost 20 years ago forbidding the use of federal research dollars to study gun safety. It's audacious for the people who have done everything in their power to suppress the evidence now to complain about the poor quality of the evidence as exists. Their determination to suppress the evidence is itself the strongest clue as to which way the evidence points.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/20/why-does-the-gun-lobby-fear-science-and-safety.html

There's a little known fact about guns in America, and it's one that the firearms industry and its political allies don't like to dwell on: The rate of gun ownership in America is declining.

This has been the case for decades. Rates peaked way back in the 1970s, the era of disco balls and bell bottoms. In 1977, 54 percent of American households reported owning guns. In 2010, the last time the General Social Survey data was compiled, the percentage had shrunk to 32.

The Violence Policy Center follows such data, as analyzed by the National Opinion Research Center. The center's last report was "A Shrinking Minority: The Continuing Decline of Gun Ownership in America."

The trend is expected to continue. It seems counterintuitive, given all the recent headlines about people lining up at gun stores and given the stranglehold the gun lobby has on American politics. It raises all sorts of questions. Who owns guns, who doesn't, and why? For the nation to handle its problems with gun violence effectively, we need to grasp the nitty-gritty realities of gun ownership.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-22/news/sns-201302221500--tms--msanchezctnms-a20130222-20130222_1_gun-ownership-gun-lobby-guns-and-ammunition

Democratic campaign strategists believe Republican opposition to the gun control push led by President Obama will make the GOP vulnerable with voters in suburban districts — the very seats Democrats are focusing on in their bid to regain the House majority.

A memo Monday from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee outlines how it believes "Tea Party Republicans" are hurting the party overall with their stance against expanded gun control measures.

"On the eve of a major grassroots push in favor of gun violence prevention, it’s clear that Tea Party House Republicans will maintain their out-of-touch approach and obstruct sensible reforms to reduce gun violence that most Americans support — undermining their party’s appeal, hurting their candidates and endangering suburban Republican seats," the memo reads.

Obama last month unveiled a series of reforms aimed at curbing gun violence, including a call for a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks and a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines. But many of the president's proposals remain controversial within the Republican Party — and among many Democrats — including the assault weapons ban and background checks.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/282155-democrats-see-2014-opportunity-in-gun-control-debate#ixzz2Lcp4CgI0

Regardless of where they stand on gun control, the audience in the packed Statehouse gallery witnessed a small piece of history yesterday, as Democratic leaders passed a package of 22 bills that impose new curbs on access to guns, as well as other gun-related legislation.

Many of the bills were approved with little or no Republican support in the Assembly. The package now heads to the Senate for passage.

At this point, the key question is what will Gov. Chris Christie do when the bills land on his desk. Last month, he created a bipartisan task force to look at the issue of gun violence and asked for a report within the coming month. If the task force meets its deadline, it would be within the 45 days Christie has to either veto or sign the legislation.

The measures range from tighter requirements for background checks; proof of safety training before purchasing a firearm; a reduction in the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines to 10 rounds; to a stipulation that ammunition sales and transfers be conducted face to face. One bill disqualifies certain people -- like those on the federal Terrorist Watchlist -- from buying guns. Another prohibits the state from investing in companies that manufacture, import, or sell assault weapons to civilians.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/02/22/spotlight-tv-democrats-guide-package-of-gun-control-bills-through-the-assembly/

CASTLETON, Vt.-A new poll from the Castleton Polling Institute finds Vermonters are overwhelmingly in favor of restricting access to guns and ammunition, and that's true even among gun owners.

Pollsters asked 620 Vermonters four questions about gun control, and the difference between what gun owners and non-gun owners thought might surprise you.

When people were asked if they would agree with requiring strict reporting for mental health professionals to the national instant background check system, 82 percent of gun owners and 88 percent of non-gun owners favored the move.

The poll found strong support for broader background checks by closing the gun show loophole, which allows people to buy guns without a background check-- 71 percent of gun owners and 81 percent of non-gun owners want background checks at gun shows.

http://www.wcax.com/story/21301548/poll-finds-broad-support-for-gun-control-legislation-in-vt

In a society sharply divided over efforts to curb violence and the right to bear arms, both sides of the gun debate seem to agree on at least one thing: a bigger role for the insurance industry to play in a heavily armed society.

But just what that role should be, and whether insurers will choose to accept it, are still very much in dispute.

Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, have proposed legislation this year that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance — much as car owners are required to buy auto insurance. Doing so would give a financial incentive for safe behavior, they hope, as people with less dangerous weapons or safety locks could qualify for lower rates.

“I believe that if we get the private sector and insurance companies involved in gun safety, we can help prevent a number of gun tragedies every year,” said David P. Linsky, a Democratic state representative in Massachusetts who wants to require gun owners to buy insurance, which he believes will encourage more responsible behavior and therefore reduce accidental shootings. “Insurance companies are very good at evaluating risk factors and setting their premiums appropriately.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/us/in-gun-debate-a-bigger-role-seen-for-insurers.html?hp&_r=0

A Bronx politician is pushing for a registry that would track criminals much as the state’s sex offender registry tracks offenders.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., made the suggestion in his State of the Borough address yesterday.

“Law-abiding citizens ought to know who among us is responsible for gun violence,” Diaz said.

He proposed an online registry featuring criminals convicted of crimes involving a gun. They would have to update the police about where they live and work and stay on the registry for 10 years.

http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/local/2013/02/20/politician-pushes-for-gun-crime-registry/

One wonders whether the synapses simply fail to connect in the minds of zealots.

First we get a zealot like Scott Roeder who was so consumed with the "right to life" that he murdered Dr. George Tiller.

Then there’s the more recent case of the infamous ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, who told his captive, Jim Reynolds, that he had gone on his murderous rampage because he wanted to clear his name.

Now comes the case of 45-year old Everett Basham, who was so upset with the injustice of new gun safety legislation that he allegedly sent an email to California State Senator Leland Yee (D) threatening to kill him unless Yee "stopped pushing legislation to ban so-called 'bullet buttons,' devices that permit swift reloading of military-style assault weapons by allowing for rapid exchange of ammunition magazines."

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=9873