Campaign Issues: Gun Control
September, 2000 - Presidential nominees George W. Bush and Al Gore have concentrated much of their early campaigning on the topics of education, health care, and tax cuts. One that has received less attention but clearly sets the two candidates apart is gun control. Campaign watchers agree that the road to the White House travels through suburban America -- a place where gun control is a key issue among female voters. Listen as Eric Westervelt reports for NPR News from the New York City suburb of Mineola.

Listen to NPR coverage of these events and other stories, explore links and resources on all sides of the gun control issue, and join in our discussion.

New York Sues Gun Industry
All Things Considered, June 26, 2000
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit against nine gun manufacturers, a dozen wholesalers and three importers. The lawsuit claims the gunmakers and distributors have knowingly contributed to the proliferation of illegal weapons used to inflict injury and death. The court battle makes New York the first state in the country to sue the industry. Listen as Beth Fertig of member station WNYC reports for NPR News.

Million Mom March
All Things Considered, May 14, 2000
The National Mall in Washington, D.C., filled up Mother's Day with hundreds of thousands of supporters of tough gun control laws, as well as many who do not. Thousands more turned out for demonstrations in other U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Austin and Portland, Oregon. Listen as NPR's Eric Westervelt reports for Weekend All Things Considered.

On the Bus with Marchers
Weekend Edition Sunday, May 14, 2000
Buses poured into the nation's capital, carrying marchers from all over the country to hear speakers tell stories of personal brushes with gun violence. Vincent Duffy rode with a group from Cleveland, Ohio. Hear his report for Weekend Edition Sunday.

Second Amendment Sisters Unite
Weekend Edition Sunday, May 14, 2000
While most of the mothers on the mall were promoting stricter gun control, one group brought thousands of demonstrators in favor of the right to bear arms. Organizers of the "Second Amendment Sisters" rally handed out balloons to represent the lives they say have been saved by properly used firearms. Hear Carrie Nolan with more on their story for Weekend Edition Sunday.

Gun Control Activists Gather
Weekend All Things Considered, May 14, 2000
Sunday's event was mirrored by smaller get-togethers in nearly 70 cities around the country. Gun control advocates were out in force in Austin, the home of Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush. Listen to reports from Steve Shadley in Chicago, Illinois, Janet Heimlich in Austin, Texas, and Robin Urevich in Los Angeles, California.

Million Mom March Organizer
All Things Considered, May 12, 2000
At a Friday press conference, march founder Donna Dees-Thomases, a New Jersey mother and television publicist, said the effort will not end with Sunday's march, but will develop into a political activist group. Dees-Thomases said she and other mothers "will take off our oven mitts and look at candidates very closely." She said the force of the new movement would come from its grassroots nature. Listen to excerpts from Friday's pre-march events in Washington on All Things Considered.

Demanding Tough Gun Measures
All Things Considered, May 12, 2000
The "Million Mom" protesters demanded that Congress require all handgun owners to be licensed and registered, that it mandate built-in child-safety locks and limit handgun purchases to one per month. Lawmakers have been deadlocked over such laws for more than a year. Two leading politicians addressed some of the marchers' concerns. Governor Bush said Friday he will hand out free handgun trigger locks to anyone in Texas who wants them. President Bill Clinton expressed skepticism about Bush's proposal. Listen as NPR's Mara Liasson reports for All Things Considered.

Mothers and Social Justice
All Things Considered, May 12, 2000

Mothers on the march are not a new form of activist. Listen as All Things Considered Linda Wertheimer speaks with Susan Bailey, executive director of the Centers for Research on Women at Wellesley College, about the historically key role of mothers in social justice movements.

Pro-Gun Women
Morning Edition, May 12, 2000
Pro-gun women are planning counter-marches of their own in a bid to demonstrate that not all mothers favor gun control.

Ending the Cycle of Violence
All Things Considered, May 11, 2000
All Things Considered host Noah Adams talks to Jeffrey Butts, a juvenile crime specialist at the Urban Institute, about ways to combat the cycles of crime and violence found in public housing communit ies.

Suing Gun Makers
All Things Considered, May 11, 2000
Listen to All Things Considered host Noah Adams talk with John Coal, a Washington, D.C., attorney who is advising the federal government on the proposed class-action lawsuit against gun manufacturers.

Baltimore's Gun Violence
All Things Considered, May 10, 2000
The federal government is considering a class-action lawsuit against gun manufacturers on behalf of the 3 million people living in public housing nationwide. Hear NPR's Mary Ann Akers report from Baltimore, where one in seven residents live in public housing. Gun violence -- and drugs -- have become a way of life there for many.

Gunfire: A Way of Life
All Things Considered, May 10, 2000
Listen as NPR's Eric Westervelt talks with some mothers from North Philadelphia. They say the sound of gunfire has become a way of life for their community where some play games by naming the kinds of guns t hey hear shooting off in the neighborhood. Gun violence, they say, why they're joining the "Million Mom March."

Inner City Gun 'Buy Backs'
All Things Considered, May 9, 2000
Federal housing officials work with mayors and police to reduce the number of guns available in inner cities. Among other things, they're trying the "buy-back" method -- offering cash to anyone who brings in a gun, no questions asked. Critics say the prog ram removes only a tiny fraction of the guns available for potential misuse.

Memories of Terror
All Things Considered, April 20, 2000
On the first anniversary of the Colombine High School shootings, the community of parents, students and school officials are trying to convince the media to show restraint in their coverage. They hope to a void reliving the terror of last year's tragedy. From Colorado Public Radio, Andrea Dukakis reports.

A Student Remembers
All Things Considered, April 20, 2000
We've been asking people from the Littleton community to tell us their thoughts on the tragedy one year later. In this report, we hear from Beth Lagerborg and her son Drew. They spoke with us on All Thi ngs Considered a year ago. Drew goes to Columbine, and hid in a small room in the chemistry lab during the rampage.

Scholarship for Slain Student
Morning Edition, April 20, 2000
Will Murphy of member station WFIU reports officials at Indiana University have created a scholarship in honor of an Asian student gunned down in a racially motivated killing. They hope the scholarship wil l help heal the wounds caused by the killing.

A Teacher Looks Back
All Things Considered, April 19, 2000
In this first anniversary week of the shootings at Colombine High School in Colorado, All Things Considered asked several Littleton, Colorado, area residents to reflect on the tragedy. Paula Reed, a Colombine English teacher provides this commentary.

A Doctor Remembers Columbine
All Things Considered, April 18, 2000
Dr. Chris Colwell is an emergency physician at Denver Health Medical Center. He was on the scene last year at the shootings at Columbine High School, overseeing the triage efforts and getting the injured to local hospitals. Dr. Colwell shares his thoughts about that day.

Shooting Transforms a Town
All Things Considered, April 17, 2000
We are marking the one year anniversary of the sh ootings at Columbine High School with a series of commentaries from members of the Littleton, Colorado community. Reverend David Peters is Pastor at the Genesis Presbyterian Church in Littleton. He says one year after the tragedy, what stands out for him is the new connections that people in the community have made.

Rampage Killers
Morning Edition, April 13, 2000
Host Bob Edwards talks to New York Times r eporter, Ford Fessenden, about a series of articles on rampage killings. Fessenden says the idea that rampage killers are normal people who suddenly "snap," is not realistic. He gives the profile of a rampage killer, and talks about how such people differ from the typical murderer.

Clinton Endorses Background Checks
All Things Considered, April 12, 2000
NPR's Mara Liasson reports on President Clinton's trip to Denver, one week before the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. The president hopes his appearances at a rally and a town hall meeting will help build support for gun control p roposals.

Massachusetts Guns
All Things Considered, April 3, 2000
The Massachusetts attorney general announces he w ill begin enforcing the state's tough weapon safety standards. The new regulations had been tied up in court proceedings. All handguns in the state must now have childproof locks, tamper-proof serial numbers, and safety warnings. Fred Thys of member stati on WBUR reports.

Gun Control
Morning Edition, April 3, 2000
From Colorado Public Radio, Andrea Dukakis report s that lawmakers in Western states continue to resist gun control measures. Ballot initiatives in three Western states are the latest efforts in the fight to strengthen gun control laws.

Gun Industry Ganging Up on Smith & Wesson?
Weekend Edition, April 1, 2000
Three states are investigating whether there's an illegal conspiracy to punish gun maker Smith & Wesson for breaking industry ranks. The gunmaker recently signed an agreement to make changes in the way it manufactures and markets its firearms. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Gun Agreement
All Things Considered, March 17, 2000
The Clinton administration announces an agreement with the nation's largest gun manufacturer, Smith & Wesson to put safety locks on its handguns within 60 days and to make them child-resistant within a year. In return, Smith and Wesson will be freed from pending lawsuits and authorities will not see k future litigation against the company. NPR's Eric Westervelt explains.

Gun Politics
All Things Considered, March 16, 2000
In the past week the National Rifle Association a nd President Clinton have gone back and forth gun control regulations. Commentator Robert Spitzer, author of The Politics of Gun Control, weighs in on the debate. He says that gun control owners and gun owners are closer in their beliefs than many people believe.

Clinton Guns
All Things Considered, March 7, 2000
NPR's Peter Kenyon reports on President Clinton's meeting with Congressional leaders at the White House about gun control. The president called on lawmakers to approve legislation intended to keep guns away from children and criminals. The restrictions Clinton is promoting are part of a juvenile justice bill which the House and Senate haven't reached agreement on.

First Grade Shooting
All Things Considered, March 3, 2000
NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports on the decision to fi le involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of a Michigan first grader against a 19-year old man -- who did not actually shoot the child. Delicate legal issues are raised about whether to hold an adult responsible for the actions of the six-year-old boy alleged to have shot his first-grade classmate.

Pennsylvania Shooting
All Things Considered, March 3, 2000
Ronald Taylor, the man accused of opening fire wi th a handgun at a McDonalds and Burger King outside Pittsburgh on Wednesday, has been charged with a hate crime. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Dennis B. Roddy, a staff writer with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Predicting School Violence
Weekend Edition, March 3, 2000
In the wake of the Columbine High School shootings and recent cases of violent behavior in schools, people are searching for way s to predict who might prove dangerous. A private group has come forward with a computer-based program called Mosaic. But NPR's Libby Lewis reports that psychologists question whether the system, which is touted as a way to single out potential teen trou blemakers, is based on real science.

First Grade Shooting
All Things Considered, March 2, 2000
Robert Siegel talks with Detroit Free Press staff writer Joe Swickard about the home life of the six-year-old boy who sho t and killed his first grade classmate this week at a school outside Flint, Michigan. The boy's father says the child had been disciplined in the past for violent acts at school.

Michigan Shooting
Morning Edition, March 2, 2000
NPR's Don Gonyea reports from Flint, Michigan, that the six-year-old boy who shot and killed his classmate will not stand trial because of his age. Prosecutors say two adults who lived where the boy was staying could be charged. Both men are in police custody.

American Guns: Series
Morning Edition, June, 1999
In a week-long series of reports, Morning Edition examined America's gun culture.