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Charlie Kirk, the conservative founder and president of Turning Point USA, said during an organizational event on Wednesday that gun deaths in exchange for the preservation of Second Amendment rights is part of America's reality.

Kirk's comments come about one week after three children and three adults were killed at the Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Nashville mass shooting was the 130th mass shooting in the United States in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an online database of gun violence incidents across America using data collected from law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources.

The U.S. has averaged more than one mass shooting per day since the start of 2023, per the archive, which puts the nation on track to exceed the 647 recorded mass shootings of 2022.

"You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death," Kirk said at a Turning Point USA Faith event on Wednesday, as reported by Media Matters for America. "That is nonsense. It's drivel. But I amI think it's worth it.

"I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe."

He added that "having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty." Other solutions he mentioned included armed guards at school buildings, as well as "having more fathers in the home."

Kirk also compared gun deaths to fatalities resulting from automobile accidents.

"Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty," he said. "Driving comes with a price50,000, 50,000, 50,000 people die on the road every year. That's a price. You get rid of driving, you'd have 50,000 less auto fatalities. But we have decided that the benefit of drivingspeed, accessibility, mobility, having products, services is worth the cost of 50,000 people dying on the road.

"So we need to be very clear that you're not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen. You could significantly reduce them through having more fathers in the home, by having more armed guards in front of schools. We should have a honest and clear reductionist view of gun violence, but we should not have a utopian one."

However, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data analyzed by The Trace, firearm injuries now represent the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. and have surpassed car crashes in five consecutive years.

There were 48,832 gun-related deaths in 2021 per CDC datathe highest single-year number on record and up 8 percent compared to 2020.

The New England Journal of Medicine, also citing CDC data, reported that in 2020 firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death in individuals between 1 and 19 years of agesurpassing both traffic-related and nontraffic-related deaths for the first time.

On Wednesday, in response to the Nashville shooting, students walked out of class at reportedly more than 300 schools in 42 states and Washington, D.C., as a national call for gun safety legislation, according to StudentsDemandAction.org. It was organized by Students Demand Action and Moms Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety's grassroots network.

"The fact that guns are the leading killer of children and teens and more than 40,000 people are killed by guns every year in this country is not 'a prudent deal'it's an obscene tragedy," Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, told Newsweek via email in response to Kirk's remarks. "Gun safety laws are proven to save lives and are constitutional. Any suggestion otherwise is shilling for the gun industry as they seek to maximize profits with no regard for the safety of our children."

A Gallup poll conducted in February found that 63 percent of Americans were dissatisfied with U.S. gun lawsthe highest number in 23 years of surveys. Responses were mostly across party lines, with Democrats and the majority of independents expressing discontent with gun laws and believing that gun control legislation has not gone far enough.

"While I hate to give oxygen to a radical carnival barker like Charlie Kirk, it's important that people hear the facts," Chris Harris, vice president of gun control group GIFFORDS, told Newsweek via email. "The truth is, this is a false choice concocted by the gun lobby. We can affirm law-abiding Americans' right to bear arms while simultaneously protecting innocent people from being gunned down at work, school or church.

"That's why the vast majority of gun owners support common sense gun laws to keep deadly weapons away from people at clear risk of harming themselves or others."

Kris Brown, president of gun control organization Brady, told Newsweek via email that Americans' concerns about gun violencefrom school shootings to violent street crimecontinue to climb their priorities list and is signifying a shift in the political status quo.

She said the time has passed for excuses and "thoughts and prayers."

"I would dare Mr. Kirk to ask the parents and family of a gun violence victim if they believe their child's life was worth an extremist view of the Second Amendment that allows anyone, anywhere to own and carry a weapon of war," Brown said. "That is the reality too many American families face every day, when they get that phone call and are told they will never see their child alive again because of this country's lax gun laws."

Last week, House Democrats called on Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to schedule a vote on an assault weapons ban.

California Representative Mike Thompson also again put forward background check legislation, saying Republicans are not "serious" about protecting Americans.

Thompson told Newsweek via email that Kirk's statements are "asinine."

"Who chooses which lives Charlie Kirk wants to sacrifice?" Thompson said. "Reasonable and responsible people know you can save lives and protect our Second Amendment."

Newsweek reached out to Turning Point USA for comment.

Update 4/6/23, 9:06 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.

Correction 4/6/23, 9:45 p.m. ET: The headline on this article has been changed to add proper context to Charlie Kirk's comments. We regret the error.

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Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths 'Unfortunately' Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment - Newsweek

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today that a Supreme Court decision last year that lets people pack guns for protection outside the home means it has no choice but to overturn a Boston man's conviction for the gun and bullets Boston and Watertown police found in his glove box - but the court upheld his 2 1/2 to 3-year sentence for one of the magazines they also found.

The ruling does not strike down the Massachusetts gun-control law, one of the strictest in the nation, but means prosecutors will have to present evidence that somebody they are prosecuting broke the law by not getting a permit for the weapon. Before today's decision, it was up to defendants to prove they had a license - prosecutors did not have prove that they did not have one.

In Carlos Guardado's case, which stems from his 2019 arrest in the parking lot of an auto-parts store on Arsenal Street in Watertown, prosecutors did not present evidence that Guardado had a license for the silver handgun or several bullets, which police found after being tipped off by an informant who knew him, because up until last year's Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts law mostly considered guns illegal in the absence of a license, which left the proof burden up to defendants.

The state's highest court concluded that when the Supreme Court specifically stated that carrying a gun outside the home for personal protection was a Constitutional right, it shifted the courtroom evidence balance - Massachusetts defendants should not have to prove anything in court about a gun they're found with, instead, it is up to prosecutors to prove defendants did something wrong, which in Massachusetts means failing to register a gun.

The Commonwealth may impose licensing requirements upon the possession of firearms, but in enforcing those requirements, it must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant failed to comply with them.

The court continued, however, that the Supreme Court's decision only applied to guns that somebody could use for personal protection, and that large-capacity magazines don't fit that definition.

We previously have held that G. L. c. 140, 131M, a statute that proscribes possession of large capacity feeding devices, "is not prohibited by the Second Amendment, because the right [to bear arms] 'does not protect those weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.'" Cassidy, 479 Mass. at 540.

The court rejected arguments by Guardado's attorney that all the charges should be tossed in part because even Massachusetts law allows somebody to have a gun at his place of business and because the warrantless search that led to the discovery of the gun violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

The court concluded that although Guardado was arrested in the parking lot of the auto-parts store where he worked, the parking lot was shared with a neighboring company and there was nothing marking off any part of the lot as just for auto-parts customers and workers, so it wasn't technically part of his workplace.

The court also found that the police from either side of the Charles had enough reason for an emergency search of Guardado's car based on the tip from an informant who had provided correct information in the past to Boston Police and who gave specific enough information about Guardado's car and gun to look for the weapon, even if it was in the glove compartment rather than the backpack the informant said it was in.

The court added that because they were responding to a gun control, a Watertown detective had the right to pat frisk Guardado out of fear he might have a weapon on him that he could use against officers.

Originally posted here:
Court says way Boston man was convicted on illegal gun and ammo ... - Universal Hub

A Lincoln High School student was hit and bloodied in the back of the head with a wooden sign-holder during a gun violence protest Wednesday, after he staged a counter-demonstration in favor of the Second Amendment, police and school officials said.

Sgt. Kevin Allen, a spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau, said the 15-year-old was treated at the downtown Portland protest for a cut on his head and later received further medical treatment. In a message sent Thursday, Lincoln High School principal Peyton Chapman wrote that the student eventually went to the emergency room and got stitches but was able to return to school the following day.

Allen said the suspected assailants left the scene and were not immediately located.

The descriptions were not very detailed, but its safe to say they were young people, Allen wrote in an email Friday. He said police dont know whether the attacker or attackers were enrolled in Portland Public Schools.

About 175 Lincoln High students walked out of school on Wednesday to take part in the protests, joining students at other middle and high schools around Portland. It was part of a national action after a series of school shootings this year, including one at a private Christian school outside of Nashville, Tennessee that left three children and three adults dead.

Lincolns principal wrote in a message to staff that several other students quickly intervened to try to stop the fight and that she did not believe the assailant was a Lincoln student.

In her communication, Chapman acknowledged that there were rumors about the incident and added, The bottom line is all students deserve to be safe from any form of hate speech and/or physical or verbal attack.

There have been six gun-related incidents near Portland-area high school campuses so far this school year, including two near Jefferson High School, one near Cleveland High School, two near Franklin High School, and one at a Troutdale park adjacent to Reynolds High School. Additionally, two Portland high school students were shot and killed over spring break in a daylight shooting in North Portland.

Leaders of Portland Public Schools have been holding focus groups on whether to bring back school resource officers, after removing them in June of 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests. A proposal is expected early next month.

Julia Silverman, @jrlsilverman, jsilverman@oregonian.com

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Portland high school student demonstrating in favor of 2nd Amendment injured at gun violence protest - OregonLive

Iowans could keep guns in their locked cars in the parking lots of schools, city and county buildings, state universities and prisons, under a bill passed Wednesday by the Iowa House.

Lawmakers approved House File 654 on a vote of 62-37 after two hours of emotional debate. Most Republicans voted yes but two Reps. Gary Mohr, R-Bettendorf, and Chad Ingels, R-Randalia joined Democrats in voting no.

The bill must still pass the Iowa Senate before it can become law.

It's the latest expansion of gun rights by the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature, which has passed several laws loosening or repealing gun regulations in recent years, including a 2021 law eliminating the requirement for Iowans to have a permit to carry or possess handguns.

And it comes on the heels of recent mass shootings that have rocked the nation when a gunman killed 5 people in a Louisville bank one day after Easter Sunday and a former student shot dead three children and three adults March 27 at a parochial school in Nashville.

Last fall, Iowa voters approved adding a Republican-backed amendment to the state constitution protecting the right "to keep and bear arms" and adding language that goes beyond the protections in the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. The measure passed 65% to 35%.

"I do think this comes down to trusting free men and women," said Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison. "And that is what the Second Amendment is about, that is what the Bill of Rights is about, that is what our whole country and our constitution are predicated upon trusting free men and women to conduct themselves responsibly."

Throughout the debate, Democrats spoke passionately about mass shootings around the country, and school shootings in Iowa. They said the bill won't protect student safety.

"This bill puts guns closer to our kids, to our teachers, to our school staff and to our schools," said Rep. Sue Cahill, D-Marshalltown, a retired public school teacher. "How can we let this happen? We need to support gun safety."

Iowans who have a permit to carry handguns would be allowed to have a gun in their car while in school driveways or parking lots if they're dropping off or picking up a student or school staff member. While the 2021 law eliminated the requirement for a permit, many Iowans still apply for them.

The gun would have to remain locked in the car if the person leaves their vehicle, according to the bill.

"This is a school safety issue," said Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs. "More guns on school property is just not an intelligent decision. Lets keep our children safe. Lets keep our schools safe. Lets keep our schools gun-free zones."

Holt said the people who would be allowed to have guns in their cars on school grounds would only be those with a valid permit to carry handguns meaning they've passed a background check and undergone training.

"None of the school shootings that Im aware of that have taken place involved a parent with a permit to carry or an educator with a permit to carry going up to a school to drop off their loved ones and just suddenly deciding to commit violence," Holt said. "All of these things were premediated and were because of mental illness."

Guns and other weapons would not be allowed in school vehicles that carry students, except in cases when the school district has a policy of allowing staff members to carry guns. At least two school districts in Iowa, Spirit Lake and Cherokee, have approved such policies.

The bill would say insurers cannot refuse to insure school districts based solely on whether the district has a policy allowing school staff to be armed.

The bill would also allow any Iowan who can legally carry a firearm to keep a lawfully-owned gun in their car in parking lots on state, city or county-owned property if the gun remains out of sight in a locked vehicle.

That includes those without permits to carry handguns.

Some of the public areas that would be affected by the bill include the state Supreme Court building, state parks, state prisons, jails, some Little League parks, the governor's mansion at Terrace Hill, libraries, county fairgrounds and city pools, according to an analysis by House Republican staffers.

Community colleges and the state's three public universities would not be allowed to adopt policies that stop people from carrying or keeping guns in a locked personal vehicle on the institution's grounds, as long as the weapon is not visible from outside the vehicle.

The bill would also protect the Iowa Board of Regents and community college boards from lawsuits stemming from allowing guns on the institutions' grounds.

It eliminates the state's ban on firearms at casinos and would instead allow each casino to set their own policy about whether weapons are allowed on the premises.

Holt said he's more comfortable when law-abiding Iowans can carry firearms because "the bad guys don't care what the law says."

"I do feel more comfortable when law-abiding citizens are allowed to carry a firearm," he said. "I feel very, very vulnerable in a gun-free zone because I know that mentally ill individuals who have decided to commit violence against other human beings dont care what the law is. And that a gun-free zone becomes a shooting gallery."

An earlier version of the legislation required guns to be allowed in the parking lots of private businesses as well, but Republicans removed that portion of the bill before passing the measure.

"This amended bill protects businesses, but it doesnt protect children," Cahill said. "This bill allows casinos to decide what their policy will be for their gun law enforcement, but it doesnt let schools decide the places that care for your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, your constituents."

Democrats spoke emotionally in opposition to the legislation during House debate Wednesday.

They mentioned mass shootings around the country, including the March 27 shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville and recent school shootings in Des Moines at East High School in 2022 and at Starts Right Here, an alternative education program, in January.

"Parents and children and teachers shouldnt have to live in fear," said Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque. "Every year, the principal at my kids elementary school sends me an email informing me that my child, my 9- and 13-year-old, just rehearsed an active shooter drill. And every school year I wonder if I should buy a bulletproof backpack."

Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, told a story about a friend of his who was shot and killed, criticizing the bill's provision that would let people keep guns in cars on college campuses.

"I have to give credit where credit is due," Scholten said. "This bill, the level of not giving a s--- is impressive."

Scholten's comment prompted a point of order and a reprimand from Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, who was presiding over the debate.

"The decorum in this room, in this body, will be maintained," Wills said. "There will be no more outbursts, no more swearing, no more throwing microphones down. This building, this room is a place to do legislative business."

Lawmakers also added new language about schools providing age-appropriate firearm safety training to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The training for students in kindergarten through sixth grade would be based on the National Rifle Association's "Eddie Eagle" program, which instructs children not to touch a gun and to immediately tell an adult.

The training for students in seventh through 12th grade would be based on the NRA's hunter education course.

"We have a lot of young people in our schools now that are being confronted and finding guns in lockers," said Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines. "We have young people going into parks and finding guns. And at some point we have to take a stand and say, 'Hey, how do we educate our children?'"

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email atsgrubermil@registermedia.comor by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at@sgrubermiller.

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Iowa House passes gun bill to expand where Iowans could bring them - Des Moines Register

Harvey Schmidts letter is correct and timely (Originalism and the Second Amendment, Opinion, April 12). Patriots Day in Massachusetts celebrates the birth of the Second Amendment on April 19, 1775, when well-regulated militias (known to history as the Minutemen) gathered in Lexington and Concord to stop the English soldiers from taking their guns and ammunition. The English Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith had received orders to march with utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord, where you will seize and destroy ... all military stores. In 1789, only 14 years after the battles of Lexington and Concord, Congress approved the Bill of Rights which included what we now know as the Second Amendment. When the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791, surely many living veterans of the war were remembering that April day in Massachusetts when they ensured that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Schmidt is correct to point out that the founders original intent in formulating the Second Amendment was far different from the distorted version of the amendment currently promoted by gun advocates and their commercial sponsors. The founders also recognized the need for citizens to be well regulated when exercising their right to bear arms. Lets remember that on this Patriots Day.

David Coulter

Excerpt from:
Observing Patriots Day and well-regulated militias - The Boston Globe