Surviving a Gunshot Wound

In 2009 (the last year for which statistics are available)
more Washingtonians died by firearms related causes than by automobile accidents.

Washington Ceasefire seeks to reduce this tragic toll that is taken on us each year. From depressed teens using a family gun to effortlessly end it all to criminal violence fueled by easy access to guns Washington Ceasefire believes that we as a community can end this bloodshed through education, advocacy, and sensible legislation.

I hope that you'll join with us. Visit www.washingtonceasefire.org for more information.

Another senseless shooting : woman who opened fire on police and was then killed may have been mentally ill.

Seattle policy outlawing guns in public areas overruled by local judge.

Des Moines area teen shot and killed during argument. Companion injured. Killer still unidentified.

Seattle area gun-dealing network broken up by Feds.

The Oakland Tribune reports how Surviving A Gunshot Is Less Than Half The Battle.  "People don't think about being quadriplegic when it comes to gun violence." Survivors often face years of physical therapy and follow-up surgeries with tens of millions of dollars of medical bills being passed on to the taxpayer.

Fix Gun Checks Act has Senate Subcommittee hearing. Mayors Against Illegal Guns and survivors of recent mass shootings hold press conference to urge Congress to reform gun background check system.

New York Times reports that Felons Finding It Easy to Regain Gun Rights. Every year thousands of felons have their right to bear arms reinstated, often with little or no review, including people convicted of violent crimes, even first-degree murder and manslaughter.

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to issue a veto threat against H.R. 822, dangerous legislation to nationalize the carrying of concealed handguns.

Victims and families of those killed in the Fort Hood massacre filed a law suit against the Army, the FBI, and the Justice and Defense departments claiming gross and willful negligence for not recognizing that alleged shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan was a threat despite "clear knowledge and warnings."

Dr. Eric Fleegler, Children's Hospital Boston, and researchers at Harvard School of Public Health, Attempts to Silence Firearm Injury Prevention, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, highlight how the country has fallen short in reducing deaths and injuries from firearms and note the dangers in Florida's new physician gag law.

Attorney General Eric Holder testifying before a Senate committee on ATF's Fast and Furious said operation was "a flawed response to, not the cause of, the flow of illegal guns from the U.S. into Mexico."

Report issued by Center for a New American Security, Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide, notes that in 2010 the military lost more troops to suicide than combat and recommends that Congress repeal an NRA backed provision that bars the military from talking with troops about personally owned firearms - a factor in nearly half of soldier suicides.

ABC News Diane Sawyer reports Humor and Determination Key to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Recovery.  Giffords still struggles for the right words to form sentences, a condition common in brain injury patients, and has undergone months of intensive speech and physical therapy after being shot in the head in January.

Craig McDermott, Guns in Homes: A Triumph of Ideology Over Science, examines the problem of children who unintentionally shoot themselves with guns left loaded and unlocked in homes.

Andrew Rosenthal, The Gun Lobby and Military Suicides, looks at the NRA support for a law that makes it more difficult to prevent suicides among members of the armed forces. "Of all the lobbying organizations that feed off fear one of the worst is the NRA."

Jackson Katz, Men's Emotional Connection to Guns: An Interview with Michale Messner. Two part interview with USC professor of sociology and gender studies and author of King of the Wild Suburb: a memoir of fathers, sons and guns. Part I looks at Messner's experiences hunting with men in his family.  Part II addresses guns and their relationship to manhood in U.S. society.

Christopher Evans,NRA Calls the Tune and Kids Pay the Price. "Our elected officials allow NRA self-preservation to take precedence over public safety considerations and are complicit in criminal acts of violence that target children."

Tosh.O - Uncensored - Web Redemption - I Just Shot Myself.  The guy who shot himself in the thigh explains to Daniel what happened, shows his bullet holes, and refuses to answer certain questions.

Cory Liebman, Are Gun Extremists Ever Satisfied? "Just when you think the gun lobby achieved what they want, they just keep pushing for the furthest fringe.  Exactly how far do they want to go with fully arming our entire society?"

Four alleged members of a Georgia militia group were arrested for plotting to kill numerous government officials.  One of the arrested repeatedly citied as the source of their plan the novel Absolved, authored by Fox News expert, and former militia member, Mike Vanderboegh.

A South Carolina Sheriff is urging women to carry concealed weapons after a recent attempted rape.  But a local advocate for SAFE Homes - Rape Crisis Coalition says that having a gun may put the victim in more danger and that education and awareness are better weapons against rape.