Shannon Watts
Founder, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Surely no one missed the shot heard round the world on Friday: demeaning and abusive comments about women by Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president.

But you may have missed an important response by Richard Martinez, whose son was killed in the shooting near UC Santa Barbara in 2014. Prior to the shooting, the gunman videotaped a misogynist manifesto blaming his actions on being sexually rejected by women.

Martinez wrote, "My son was shot and killed by someone who was motivated in large part by misogyny - the same thinking we see from Donald Trump. This isn't just 'locker room talk.' It's dangerous and has real consequences."

Sadly, the mindset of the UC Santa Barbara shooter is not far removed from the disgusting and dangerous statements by Trump, which were also made in reference to a woman who rejected his sexual advances.

And the consequences of this violent mindset are grave.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannon-watts/note-to-trump-misogyny-is_b_12444654.html

Trump's 'murder-suicide' mission roils Senate

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-murder-suicide-mission-roils-senate/ar-BBxiYTh?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp

Gerrymandering helped Republicans take control of Congress, but now it's tearing them apart over Trump



Across the country, Republicans in contested races face a terrible bind: They have to run from Donald Trump to hold onto swing votes, even if that angers some core supporters.

But in secure, heavily conservative GOP districts, Republicans face the opposite pressure: to cleave fast to Trump, who remains popular despite statements that have alienated many voters.


The crisis sparked by the Trump campaign has split the Republican Party in two, and ironically, the gerrymandering of districts that helped build the GOP congressional majority is now working to make that fracture worse.

The division of interests between Republicans who represent solidly conservative districts and those who represent swing areas — or senators who must run statewide — has seldom been more stark.

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http://www.latimes.com/politics/

statements by departments, students and professional organizations:

The Board of the American Academy of Religion

November 8, 2015 GunFreeUT

The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is deeply concerned about the impact of Texas¹s new Campus Carry law as it relates to Texas universities.

The law, which was passed earlier this year, will take effect in 2016. It allows licensed handgun owners to bring concealed handguns into buildings, including classrooms, on Texas campuses. The law gives public universities some discretion to regulate campus carry but stipulates such regulations may not “generally prohibit” or “have the effect of generally prohibiting” those licensed from carrying concealed handguns.

The AAR believes that maintaining safe environments for free inquiry is vitally important to every classroom in higher education. As scholars of religion, we are especially sensitive to classroom security. The critical study of religion can be unsettling and uncomfortable: it often questions closely held beliefs and probes religious convictions.

The AAR believes that the Campus Carry law and similar laws in other states will compromise the safety of the spaces in which we teach, introduce new threats to college campuses, and result in harmful effects on students, professors, and the free expression of ideas. The AAR urges university leaders to consider classroom restrictions on campus carry to protect physical safety and safeguard academic freedom.