This story if from 2014. How could you find out if there have been any updates to gun laws since?
Two years ago, Adam Lanza went on a shooting rampage in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, that left 28 people dead—20 children, six educators, his mother and himself. Since then, the state has enacted tougher gun laws while grappling with how to prevent future shootings.
Connecticut toughened existing gun laws, mandating background checks for all gun and ammunition sales and limited sales to people who are mentally ill. It also outlawed over 100 types of assault weapons, including the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that Lanza used at Sandy Hook and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
Murders have decreased in Connecticut in recent years, falling by 32 percent between 2011 and 2013, according to Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy. However, nationwide patterns are different, with mass shootings in the U.S. increasing in recent years. Between 2000 and 20007, there were 6.4 mass shootings per year, and the number increased to 16.4 per year from 2007 to 2013.
The U.S. has the
highest
rate of gun ownership and the
highest
rate of gun-related murders of any country in the world. Americans are about 20 times as likely to die from gun violence as residents of other developed countries.
Attempts to enact stricter gun legislation are often politically divisive: 56 percent of Connecticut voters supported the stricter regulations, but 38 percent did not.
Experts say certain measures help decrease gun deaths, such as limiting magazine capacity. Lanza’s ammunition held 30 rounds, which has since been outlawed in Connecticut. Data show that there is a correlation between a shooter’s amount of ammunition and the deaths they cause, according to Dr. Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
But Dom Basile, a Connecticut firearms instructor and gun collector, said the new laws blame responsible gun owners.
“Punishing me, and those like me…makes about as much logical sense as punishing you for owning the same type of car that a drunk driver had,” he said.
Warm up questions
- What do you remember about the Sandy Hook mass murder that happened two years ago? Who were the victims? What did we learn about the shooter?
- What are some different reasons that people own guns?
Critical thinking questions
- The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights is stated as follows: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. If the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, is it legal for states like Connecticut to limit this right? Is this different than a full ban on the right to bear arms? What about limiting certain types of guns?
- The mother of one of the victims said that what happened to her son was a “preventable tragedy”. What does that mean? Do you agree that what happened at Sandy Hook could have been prevented? How?
- Active shooter incidents have been on the rise of the last 14 years. What do you think are the best ways to stop mass shootings from happening?
