After Conn. school massacre, where will the gun debate go?

Prior to the tragic school shooting in Connecticut, both political sides in Washington have been silent on the issue of gun control. / CBS News

Now that three days have passed since 27 people, including 20 children, were killed by one gunman in Newtown, Conn., the discussion over gun control has bubbled to the surface. After President Obama got the discussion started just hours after the massacre when he called for "meaningful action" on guns "regardless of politics," he renewed his vow to take action Sunday night when speaking to residents of of the grief-striken town. "What choice do we have?" he rhetorically asked. "We can't accept events like this as routine."  

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"We are not doing enough" to prevent these massacres, Obama says

If action is taken, Congress will have a major role. Members of the legislative body escalated the debate on Sunday on the political talk shows as well as more elected officials threw their voice into the discussion, with proponents of gun control calling for a ban on assault weapons.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a fierce proponent of gun control, vowed to reintroduce legislation that would ban assault weapons on the first day the new Congress convenes in January.

"I can tell you that [the president] is going to have a bill to lead on because...I'm going to introduce [it] in the Senate and the same bill will be introduced in the House - a bill to ban assault weapons," Feinstein said. It would ban the sale and possession of the powerful weapons and limit the size of clips to a maximum of ten bullets. Feinstein was instrumental in the previous assault weapons ban of 1994, which expired in 2004.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., also called for a federal ban on assault weapons. "[N]ot to take anybody's guns away that they have now but to stop the manufacturing of these weapons," he said. "We've got to continue to hear the screams of these children and see their blood until we do something to try and prevent this from happening again."

Lieberman also called for "a national commission on mass violence." He said on "Fox News Sunday" that it shouldn't supplant any legislation but to insure that "legislative gridlock" doesn't overcome any changes that might be necessary.

While gun control advocates sounded the alarm, most prominent leaders of the Republican Party have been silent, allowing gun control advocates to fill the immediate void.

The National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby, is stone silent. The organization has repeatedly withheld comment and has yet to offer its condolences to the victims. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, cancelled the Republican weekly address, deferring to President Obama to lead the nation at this time. And the Sunday political shows, which are usually filled with opinionated politicians from all sides, were absent of gun rights advocates. But it wasn't for the lack of effort.

• Schumer: Newtown could be "tipping point" for gun control
• GOP Rep.: More - not fewer - guns the answer

For instance, CBS News' "Face the Nation" invited numerous pro-gun members of Congress to appear on the program to discuss Newtown and guns. All declined.

"It's not just that Congress is reluctant to pass laws," Bob Schieffer, the host of "Face the Nation" said Sunday. "Members, as we found out this weekend when we tried to get guests to come on and talk about this on 'Face the Nation,' people are just reluctant to even discuss it."

And the executive producer of NBC's "Meet the Press", Betsy Fischer Martin, wrote via Twitter that her team reached out to "ALL 31 pro-gun rights [Senators] in the new Congress to invite them to share their views... NO takers."

One gun advocate, however, did accept Fox News' invitation to speak Sunday - Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas - who said there should be a debate on the issue. "[T]he conversation we've go to have has got to have everybody open-minded," Gohmert said.

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[joesapper]

The reports are that the sales for ar15 type assault weapons have soared in the last week , my question is , what is the average age of those purchasing these weapons ?

If one has crap thoughts they build crap tomorrows . What person would sit in front of kill games for hours on end each day ?

Get a life ! and stop thinking about taking life.

[Mortpes]

There is a reason these crazys attack schools vs other places such as police departments. The schools are not secure, are not armed, and the media makes heros,although bad heros, out of them. The Patriot Act is now the law of the land and we hear daily of citizens civil rights trampled under the pretense of the Patriot ACt. We must secure the schools, support the NRA, and stand up for the rights of American citizens. Be an American. Support the America you fought for and the rights you earned.

[BrendaClack]

The fact that yet another shooting is all about gun control ..... makes me angry! I have many guns and will have many more!
Shootings are not about guns and stabbings are not about knives. There has to be an action behind the objects for them to do damage.
So let's take a look at the bigger picture:
A huge percentage of the sick and twisted people who would do this, claim they were not of sound mind at the time of the killings. With that being said and making a huge story short... If we had better Mental Health in the world to help these people before it gets to this point.... We would not be having these issues! The Mental Health professionals are in short supply. If an individual doesn't have insurance or a mental health diagnosis it is a huge process to get assistance. After these sick individuals do something so tragic, is not the time to help them.
Can we be proactive and provided service to individuals who need Mental Health before a tragedy?

[Timdawg1973]

what no one has has mentioned is that the current administration and congress quietly let funding for school security programs lapse. If campus police or other security had been on the scene this could have been prevented. http://www.washingtonguardian.com/washingtons-school-security-failure

[darkhorseky]

Yes I agree. We would sent or spend billions off shore, The Goverment will spend millions to protect Federal buildings, They will ban , But will not do what would help provide funding and ideals to protect the schools in the future. Even if it means to redesign them.

[cleric77]

Lawmakers and educators in Texas say the way to guard against school shootings like last Friday's at a Connecticut elementary school is to make sure teachers can shoot back.

We should trained and arm are principalsand teachers so they can defend our children and themselves from killers. Let's stop allowing them to be defendless lambs being led to slaughter by killing wolves.

[Lindag20]

Then lawmakers and educators in Texas are NUTS!! But then you have to consider the source.

[spicemom101]

Lawmakers in Texas say this??? What are the names, please. I find it very hard to believe that ANY lawmaker would advocate arming more people. What's more, how in the world are they going to get the funds to do background checks and psych evaluations on these people??? What's to prevent a teacher, admnistrator from going off the deep end??? The only solution I see (other than banning all guns) is to have the security-type double door and inter-com system that many schools have already installed. One addition could be an alarm button that immediately sends word to the police much like that found in US banks. Another more logical and fiscally doable procedure would be to have a police prescence at the start of the school day and at the end of the school day as well as doing "Check-up" rounds during the day. They do these things in our town already and they also do this for various businesses.

[Riverjump]

Here is the truth: SCOTUS has upheld the second amendment( not that we really care what a bunch of lawyers think) that our weapons in whatever form will never be taken from our hands in case we need to form a well regulated militia. ... Or sharpshooters. America has another sad day. Emotins are high because of the calendar. A lone sick person who wasn't cared for is not a reason for the hyped hysteria. Amen...

[MurdochSucks]

I think it's really odd that conservatives are defending the guns as if they are the victims here. We all agree that arms need to be regulated, the argument comes to where the line is to be drawn. Let's not dilute the debate with what the founding fathers thought, or that there should be no restrictions whatsoever, because those are ridiculous arguments with no bearing in reality. Let's come to the table with a rational discussion of where the line should be drawn on the regulation of the military grade weaponry that seems oh too easy to attain through legal or illegal means.

[darkhorseky]

Arms are regulated. Is there anyone here that has bought a weapon , They them selfs would have to pass a background check. Also you can be sued by any action you take with a weapon. But we are not talking about a law abading citizen. So how can more laws that people with mental illness or evil people would not fallow anyway solve anyway? The term military grade weapons for the public is false. Try using your public weapons agianst the American military and they will kill your behinds. Not even close other them mybe caliber of rounds. Real Secuirty at schools must be looked at , they way the school it self is built.

[Timdawg1973]

I think that since most crimes are committed by self proclaimed democrats maybe we should ban them instead.

[Think4times]

rkj98765 replies:
There are plenty of really bad kids that have had good parents and good parenting. Some kids are just, sadly, born bad. They have strange chemical imbalances........
_________________________________________

You put a contradiction in this statement.

If they have chemical imbalances, they aren't "Bad", they are perceived as bad due to the imbalance.

Make up your mind, are they "Born bad" or is it the chemical imbalance?

I would call it mentally ill of it's a chemical imbalance, not "bad"

[cherrybrown]

My family owns guns, many guns. All our guns are for hunting or home protection. I cannot support automatic weapons. Automatic weapons are for only one thing and that is to kill humans.

The problem is even if you ban these weapons people will modify other weapons to make auto weapons.

So, what is the answer? Other than crying about your "rights" WHY and HOW can anyone justify owning an automatic weapon who is not military or police?

[MurdochSucks]

Nail on the head, VictoryDemz! I think these can be summarized as total and unrelenting insecurity. Perhaps they were children, detached from their mother's love.

[seabass6251]

Personally, I don't think the military or police should have automatic weapons either....and most don't.

Automatic weapons have been banned in the US since the 30s.

[JohnGaltKS]

Second Solution - A Trained School Staff Response Team - Each school should ask the staff if they want to volunteer to be part of a trained team to deal with any shooter who gets in the school. Only those teachers who volunteered would be required to participate. Assuming enough staff agrees to participate, the parents would again be asked to vote to approved taking the next step. Once they pass background checks, mental evaluations, then the school staff, including teachers, custodial staff, administrators and secretaries who had volunteered to be part of an emergency response team would undergo extra training, drills and practice to be ready for such events in their facility. If any of these team members including teachers or school staff members wants to volunteer to be an armed defender, they go through background checks, mental evaluations and special training in active shooter defense and tactics. These trained and qualified school staff should then be offered a custom-built electronically controlled gun safe in their room that only allows access when an electrically controlled lock is released by a security code. All of these weapon safes should be hardened, bolted into the floor and wall, and have built-in noise, video and motion detectors to immediately detect any tampering or attempted access by unauthorized person, sounding an alarm in the room, and throughout the building. This would prevent theft or unauthorized access to these emergency weapons. These teachers could be allowed to have immediate access to a handgun and/or a shotgun or both in their in-room safe. All staff training, electronic safe technology and weapons would be offered and installed for free at the school facility. Paid for by a nationwide tax on ammunition and gun sales. I