'Guns under fire' town hall
Guests with a wide range of opinions were invited to share their perspectives when Anderson Cooper convened a town hall in Washington to discuss the current and future state of gun laws in America.
Judging by the audience reaction at George Washington University, the conversation was impassioned but respectful. Although there were disagreements, everyone benefitted from hearing both sides and getting to the crux of the issues.
The topics included personal safety, mental health, the culture of violence, politics, background checks, banning certain types of guns, second amendment rights, and much more. The program was enriched by the activists and experts, and also by people who told their personal stories.
The next day Anderson, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jeffrey Toobin and producer Jack Gray met again via Google+ Hangout to answer your questions and address the points you made on social media.
If you missed the program or the Hangout, find video highlights below. Let us know your thoughts on the gun debate in a comment or by tweeting @AC360.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWBML9GobhQ?rel=0%5D
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Post by: Ella Chick Filed under: AC361° • Anderson Cooper • Behind The Scenes • Guns • Town Hall: Guns Under Fire |
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The press and subsequently public continue to be duped by the NRA– first in their inability to appreciate the the NRA successful effort to their redirect focus from limits on gun sales to security checks and now with their efforts to focus on mental health patients. Yes , it is a given the perpetrators of the recent assaults are emotoinally/mentally troubled but it is also the true the majority of people receiving mental health treatment are less likely to commit horrific crimes than the general public. We are also setting up the potential for severe civil rights violations if we attempt to deny a sale of a gun based on professional opinion ( Dr. Master 's level therapist. review panel) of threat in the absence of in the absence of criminal history. One must also appreciate the potential costs of this endeavor and the reality that the severe mentally ill patients are not going to seek help anyway.