He vetoed the bill.
But that didn't stop the State Assembly and Senate from trying again. And they did, passing another bill that will keep victims of domestic violence and their families safer from gun violence. And once again, Governor Christie vetoed the bill.
So now the legislature is going to attempt to override his veto, a process that requires a two-thirds majority in each chamber. And we have a chance to get this done, but it will require making your voice heard.
| In Wake of Orlando, Florida Rep. Alan Grayson Revives Efforts to Implement Assault Weapons Ban |
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| Daughter of Slain Virginia Tech Professor: We Must Address Our Nation’s Gun Violence Epidemic |
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Thank you for making your voice heard on this important issue. We have a chance to make a real difference today. And that means saving lives.
But the AR-15's creator died before the weapon became a popular hit and his family has never spoken out.
Until now.
"Our father, Eugene Stoner, designed the AR-15 and subsequent M-16 as a military weapon to give our soldiers an advantage over the AK-47," the Stoner family told NBC News late Wednesday. "He died long before any mass shootings occurred. But, we do think he would have been horrified and sickened as anyone, if not more by these events."
Once Banned, These Assault Rifles Are Hugely Popular in the U.S. 0:52
The inventor's surviving children and adult grandchildren spoke exclusively to NBC News by phone and email, commenting for the first time on their family's uneasy legacy. They requested individual anonymity in order to speak freely about such a sensitive topic. They also stopped short of policy prescriptions or legal opinions.
But their comments add unprecedented context to their father's creation, shedding new light on his intentions and adding firepower to the effort to ban weapons like the AR-15. The comments could also bolster a groundbreaking new lawsuit, which argues that the weapon is a tool of war — never intended for civilians.
Eugene Stoner would have agreed, his family said.
The ex-Marine and "avid sportsman, hunter and skeet shooter" never used his invention for sport. He also never kept it around the house for personal defense. In fact, he never even owned one.
And though he made millions from the design, his family said it was all from military sales.
"After many conversations with him, we feel his intent was that he designed it as a military rifle," his family said, explaining that Stoner was "focused on making the most efficient and superior rifle possible for the military."
Related: Filibuster Ends After GOP Agrees to Allow Gun Control Votes: Senator
He designed the original AR-15 in the late 1950s, working on it in his own garage and later as the chief designer for ArmaLite, a then small company in southern California. He made it light and powerful and he fashioned a new bullet for it — a .223 caliber round capable of piercing a metal helmet at 500 yards.
The Army loved it and renamed it the M16.
A look at the AR-15 assault rifle's place in America after attack in Orlando 3:10
But after Stoner's death in 1997, at the age of 74, a semi-automatic version of the AR-15 became a civilian bestseller, too, spawning dozens of copy-cat weapons. The National Rifle Association has taken to calling it "America's rifle."
The bullets that tore through the Pulse nightclub in Orlando were Stoner's .223 rounds, fired from a AR-15 spin off made by Sig Sauer.
"What has happened, good or bad, since his patents have expired is a result of our free market system," Stoner's family said. "Currently, a more interesting question is 'Who now is benefiting from the manufacturing and sales of AR-15s, and for what uses?'" That's the question for the rest of us.
AR-15 Inventor’s Family: This Was Meant to Be a Military Weapon. "He would have been horrified and sickened as anyone, if not more by these events"
In the wake of the Orlando shooting that left 49 victims dead, the family of the inventor of the AR-15 rifle says that the gun was not intended for civilian use but for military purposes.
“Our father, Eugene Stoner, designed the AR-15 and subsequent M-16 as a military weapon to give our soldiers an advantage over the AK-47,” the Stoner family told NBC News. “He died long before any mass shootings occurred. But, we do think he would have been horrified and sickened as anyone, if not more by these events.”
The AR-15 has become the centerpiece of a national debate over assault weapons and gun control, after attackers have used them and similar guns in mass shootings. Proponents of stricter gun control say that assault weapons like the AR-15 should be banned, arguing they are not intended for civilian use. Gun rights activists say that banning the gun would infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights. The National Rifle Association has taken to calling the AR-15 “America’s rifle.”
The killer in Orlando used a Sig Sauer MCX, a semiautomatic assault-style rifle that is similar in appearance and capabilities to the better-known AR-15.
Eugene Stoner, an ex-marine and the rifle’s inventor, never used his AR-15 for sport, kept it for personal defense, or even owned one. His family said he made millions by using his design, but only for military sales.
“After many conversations with him, we feel his intent was that he designed it as a military rifle,” Stoner’s family explained, saying that their father wanted to make the “most efficient and superior rifle possible for the military.”
BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Senate rejects gun violence prevention measures
Our national leaders caved to the gun lobby’s agenda and voted against making our communities safer.
But we cannot let this deter us. It’s now more important than ever that we continue our fight for common-sense solutions to gun violence on the local level, like passing Initiative 1491 here in Washington State.
But we will not allow their deaths to be in vain. We will not stop fighting until all of our communities are safe.
On Monday, the Senate had the chance to pass two amendments, one that would've expanded background checks on all gun sales, and one that would've helped prevent known terrorists from buying guns. Both had a real chance to help reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer.
But the Senate failed to pass both pieces of common-sense legislation.
More than 30,000 American lives are cut short each year due to guns, and despite the lack of legislative action on this issue, we can't afford to back down now. Progress on common-sense gun violence prevention can happen, but only if we keep speaking out.
A group of Democratic representatives led by Rep. John Lewis are staging a sit-in on the House floor as they demand votes on common-sense gun violence prevention laws. Stand with them -- share this on Facebook or Twitter now, and let your friends know that you won't give up the fight.
| Man forced to eat Alabama police officer’s meat nightstick at gunpoint |
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Investigators told WLWT TV that another class member discharged a handgun while practice weapon malfunction drills. The bullet passed through a wall, striking Baker in the next room.
There are no safe guns.
Kirsten Gillibrand has responded to the petition: Congress: Stop blocking gun violence research.
Thank you, Sarah, for starting this petition and for turning the tragedy of Sandy Hook, which impacted your family so deeply, into activism to end the scourge of gun violence.
The lack of action by Congress in the face of continued gun violence in this country truly is outrageous.
This week I was extremely disappointed that the Senate once again defeated commonsense gun safety measures to expand background checks and to prevent suspected terrorists from accessing firearms.
But we will not stop fighting.
On Tuesday, I stood on the floor to announce the introduction of my bipartisan bill to end gun trafficking to finally make the trafficking of firearms a federal crime. I also introduced amendments to allow the ATF to ban the import of military style weapons and to require weapons dealers to keep accurate inventories.
I also strongly agree that the CDC must be allowed to study gun deaths just as they study any other cause of death in this country. I've signed on to a letter to Senate leadership urging them to end the ban and to appropriate funds to allow the CDC to conduct this crucial research.
Thanks to everyone who has signed this petition – keep up the pressure by sharing this petition with your friends and contacting your representatives and ask them to support commonsense gun safety reforms.
Enough is enough!
The lack of action by Congress in the face of continued gun violence in this country truly is outrageous.
This week I was extremely disappointed that the Senate once again defeated commonsense gun safety measures to expand background checks and to prevent suspected terrorists from accessing firearms.
But we will not stop fighting.
On Tuesday, I stood on the floor to announce the introduction of my bipartisan bill to end gun trafficking to finally make the trafficking of firearms a federal crime. I also introduced amendments to allow the ATF to ban the import of military style weapons and to require weapons dealers to keep accurate inventories.
I also strongly agree that the CDC must be allowed to study gun deaths just as they study any other cause of death in this country. I've signed on to a letter to Senate leadership urging them to end the ban and to appropriate funds to allow the CDC to conduct this crucial research.
Thanks to everyone who has signed this petition – keep up the pressure by sharing this petition with your friends and contacting your representatives and ask them to support commonsense gun safety reforms.
Enough is enough!
| Armed vigilantes to the rescue: Cops nab heavily armed gun nut trio traveling to Queens |
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| UK teen tried to kill Donald Trump in Las Vegas; Teen pulls M16 in Pakistan road rage |
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Like you, they're tired of Congress's inaction on America's gun violence crisis -- and they're demanding a vote on legislation that will help reduce violence and save lives.
The Congressional leadership has SHUT DOWN the cameras, so we need your help to get the word out. Can you post these these Tweets to show your support, and join these inspiring representatives in demanding a vote?
Want to support @RepJohnLewis's historic sit-in? Call your member of Congress right now. #NoBillNoBreak Tweet this
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Thank you @RepJohnLewis for leading this powerful demonstration on the House floor. #NoBillNoBreak Tweet this
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We won't let the @HouseGOP take a vacation without doing anything to address the shooting in Orlando. #NoBillNoBreak Tweet this
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Will you speak out and show your support?
A Letter from and by Gabby Giffords:
Dear Member of the House and former colleagues:
There is nowhere I would rather be right now than with you - on the floor of the People's House, representing Southern Arizona, fighting for our country, and working to make our communities safer. But your action is the balm for my regret - and it is the inspiration for my continued commitment.
Fighting gun violence takes great courage. I've seen great courage when my life was on the line. I see great courage in many of you right now.
Americans are grappling with a gun violence crisis. It is a crisis that tears apart the lives of so many Americans and touches every community. It is both public and private. In our homes and on our streets. At work, at church, at the movies, at a dance club, at school and at school again, at a Congress on Your Corner. The victims are young and old - but always with so much life ahead of them. They are white and black, Latino and Asian, and Native American. They are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and straight. They are Christian and Muslim, Jewish and Sikh. They are veterans and government workers and union members. They are rich and poor. They die by murder, they die by suicide, and they die by negligence. Often, they don't die, but they carry the scars, and their lives change forever.
If gun violence affects all of us Americans, then the solution is not up to just some of us. We are all responsible for our safety today and for the country we pass on to our children tomorrow. It's what makes us a country. Where our country has already come together - behind the simple proposition that we ought to have laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people - so must our Congress. And they should not waste another minute.
We must not accept the world that will be the product of inaction in Washington. We can do better. Some states have already made progress - they show us that when we put aside our incidental or momentary differences and stand shoulder to shoulder, we have enormous power.
It's been said that hope was forged of two powerful ingredients: anger at how things are, and the courage to change them. We will not be driven backwards to live in isolation from one another and in fear of violence. Thanks to you - and millions of Americans who share our values of pluralism, liberty, and responsibility - we will stand strong and work toward a safer nation for all of us.
Speaking is difficult for me. But I haven't been silenced. And neither should the American people. Their Representatives must vote to prevent gun violence.
Sincerely,
Gabrielle Giffords
The Five Most Memorable Moments of the Historic House Sit-In On Gun Control
At least in the first 15 hours...
The sit-in, which has spanned more than 15 hours so far, began as an attempt to force a vote on "No Fly, No Buy" legislation, a bill that would ban the sale of guns to terror suspects. It has expanded into pushing for votes on two other measures: one that would expand background checks for gun purchasers and another that would require the Surgeon General to compile and submit an annual report to Congress on the effects of gun violence on public health.
In hours of speeches conducted sans microphone—the House's GOP majority shut down the microphones and CSPAN cameras on the floor, leading several members to begin streaming the event on Periscope—House Dems have repeated the phrase "enough is enough." They're repeated how tired they are of perfunctory moments of silence after every mass shooting. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) called the "club of people in Washington," who have called one of these brief, silent memorials on the House floor the club that no one wants to join. Many have told personal stories on the floor: Rep. Torres (D-CA) spoke of working as a 911 dispatcher, getting a call from an 11-year-old girl and hearing the gunshots that killed her. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), a physician, spoke of the bloody and emotional experience of treating gunshot victims in his emergency room, and then consoling their families.
There have been too many memorable moments to count, but here are a few of the stand-outs:
1) Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) spoke candidly and personally on the House floor about her own experience with guns. Her father, who Dingell has previous said had mental health issues, once tried to shoot her mother and Dingell got between him and the gun. "I know what it's like to have a gun pointed at me," she said on the House floor in the early hours of Thursday morning. Her emotional speech brought House members and visitors in the gallery to their feet. You can watch a grainy video here:
2) After about 10 hours of speeches and calls on Congress to hold a vote on gun control legislation, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) entered the House chamber to hold a vote…on a bill about wonky financial regulations that would help big banks. When Dems in the House realized what was going on, their chants of "No Bill, No Break" became deafening, drowning out Ryan on the microphone. At the same time, House Dems were holding up white pieces of paper printed with the names of victims of gun violence. As Ryan tried to gain control to the floor during the vote, the Dems again drowned him out, with chants of "shame" and a rendition of "We Shall Overcome," sung with signs featuring gun violence victim held aloft. Here's a glimpse of what it looked like, from the official CSPAN feed that briefly came on during the vote. (For the rest of this sit-in, CSPAN showed the grainy Periscope feeds of Congressmen as they streamed in real time on their cell phones.)
Since mid-morning on Wednesday, Democratic representatives have occupied the House Floor for a historic sit-in, instigated by Rep. John Larson (D-CT), Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), and, most crucially, Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia)—the civil rights icon famous for marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 to demand voting rights.
The sit-in, which has spanned more than 15 hours so far, began as an attempt to force a vote on "No Fly, No Buy" legislation, a bill that would ban the sale of guns to terror suspects. It has expanded into pushing for votes on two other measures: one that would expand background checks for gun purchasers and another that would require the Surgeon General to compile and submit an annual report to Congress on the effects of gun violence on public health.
In hours of speeches conducted sans microphone—the House's GOP majority shut down the microphones and CSPAN cameras on the floor, leading several members to begin streaming the event on Periscope—House Dems have repeated the phrase "enough is enough." They're repeated how tired they are of perfunctory moments of silence after every mass shooting. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) called the "club of people in Washington," who have called one of these brief, silent memorials on the House floor the club that no one wants to join. Many have told personal stories on the floor: Rep. Torres (D-CA) spoke of working as a 911 dispatcher, getting a call from an 11-year-old girl and hearing the gunshots that killed her. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), a physician, spoke of the bloody and emotional experience of treating gunshot victims in his emergency room, and then consoling their families.
There have been too many memorable moments to count, but here are a few of the stand-outs:
1) Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) spoke candidly and personally on the House floor about her own experience with guns. Her father, who Dingell has previous said had mental health issues, once tried to shoot her mother and Dingell got between him and the gun. "I know what it's like to have a gun pointed at me," she said on the House floor in the early hours of Thursday morning. Her emotional speech brought House members and visitors in the gallery to their feet. You can watch a grainy video here:
4) Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) gave a passionate speech where he recounted going to see a documentary about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and 6 teachers were gunned down in December 2012. The film screening happened to be the night after the mass shooting in Orlando, and Himes recalled running into the parent of one of the young Sandy Hook victims, Mark Barden. "I knew I was going to have to answer that question that we in Connecticut have to answer every single day: What are you going to do?" Himes said. He wanted to be able to tell Barden that he would do more than call yet another moment of silence. Himes explained his frustration: "You know what we're gonna do for you, Mark? Mark, who lost his 7-year-old at Sandy Hook? We're gonna be quiet for 8 or 9 seconds. These 435 people which govern the greatest country in the world, we're gonna shut up for 8 seconds. How do you feel about that?" "Horrible," a voice on the House floor called out. "I know how I feel about that," Himes continued: "I'm not doing that anymore."
5) Earlier on Wednesday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) came to the podium to read a letter from her friend, former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head by a gunman at a 2011 constituent meeting in Tucson. The gunman also killed six others.
"If these Republican cowards that runs this chamber would actually turn the microphones on, then we could all be heard a little bit louder," Wasserman-Schultz said before reading the letter.
She recalled reading Giffords' letter of resignation in 2012 on the House floor. While reading Giffords' latest words aloud, Schultz began to cry. "Speaking now is difficult for me, but I haven't been silenced, and neither should the American people," she read, her voice shaking. Watch the full speech here:
 Joe (Joe Scarborough) to Rep. Cole: You can fix terror watch listRep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., joins Morning Joe to discuss the House Democrats' Wednesday sit-in on gun reform. read story |
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The list goes on and on and on. And still Congress does nothing.
Well, we're done waiting for Congress. This week, the California legislature will vote on a package of gun safety measures that could set the bar for the nation. And this fall, we're going straight to the voters of California with a ballot initiative containing the strongest package of gun safety protections we’ve seen in a generation.(1)
If we win, it'll be the NRA's biggest defeat in years. Will you stand with us by chipping in?
Yes, I'll donate.
Ever since we announced that California had the signatures to get the "Safety for All" gun safety ballot initiative on the ballot, the NRA has been freaking out, pledging to do "everything in our power to put an end to this."(2)
And they’ve been equally adamant against the package of gun safety bills moving forward in Sacramento this week.(3)
Here's why they’re afraid: California is proving that gun safety laws work. The state has some of the most effective gun safety laws in the country -- and as a result, gun deaths have been cut by more than half.(4)
The "Safety for All" ballot initiative will take the next step by banning high-capacity, military-style magazines and requiring background checks for ammunition and the reporting of lost or stolen guns. It will also ensure that people who possess guns illegally are caught.
And if California -- the biggest state in the country -- can show that these policies are effective and save lives, the entire country will be forced to take notice.
NRA lobbyists have blocked every possible common sense gun measure in Congress. But with your help, we can beat them on the ballot THIS YEAR. Will you chip in?
Yes, I'll donate to help stand up to the NRA and require common sense gun protections in California.
1. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/3193?t=5&akid=2896.2119770.9V8W8x
2. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/3108?t=7&akid=2896.2119770.9V8W8x
3. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/3505?t=9&akid=2896.2119770.9V8W8x
4. http://act.couragecampaign.org/go/2430?t=11&akid=2896.2119770.9V8W8x
