Mass Shootings
4 Reasons 'Universal Background Checks' for Gun Buyers Are a Bad Idea
An expanded requirement would be ineffective, unjust, and unenforceable.
Hillary's Gun Proposals Assault the Constitution
Clinton wants to make gun manufacturers financially liable for misuse of their products and require background checks for all gun transfers.
Watch Matt Welch Talk Ben Carson and Guns on MSNBC's All in at 8:30 pm ET
Would losing the 2nd Amendment be more 'devastating' than losing innocent lives?
How to Create a Gun-Free America in 5 Easy Steps
Guns - and the Second Amendment - won't just disappear.
Did Ben Carson Really Say the Second Amendment Is 'More Sacred' Than Murder Victims' Blood?
The New York Times, in a not-so-subtle slam against gun rights, says he did.
Hillary Clinton's Simple-Minded Gun Control Ideas
Like the president, the presumptive Democratic nominee assumes we can identify mass shooters before they strike.
Why Was There a 12-Year Gap in the Gun Debate?
What happened to gun control from 2000 to 2012? Funny you should ask...
Washington Post Fact Checker Calls Obama's Statement About 'Gun Laws' and 'Gun Deaths' Misleading
Talking about mass shootings, the president cited data on suicides.
Hillary Clinton Reacts to Gun Tragedies with Old Policy Proposals
More background checks, more assault weapon bans, more suits against gun makers and sellers, and expanding group of people to whom gun ownership bans apply.
Oregon Killer's Father Says No One Should Own So Many Guns
How would the government enforce a limit on the number of firearms people may possess?
The New York Times Explains Why Neither Psychiatry Nor Background Checks Can Stop Mass Shooters
Their profile is shared by many people who never kill anyone.
Ending Gun Violence: Common Sense Versus Magic
The only defender guaranteed to be present at any attack against you is you.
First Report on Oregon Shooter's Guns: Legally Obtained
Obama's talk of common-sense gun safety laws don't seem to apply to this tragedy.
Watch Matt Welch on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher Tonight at 10 PM ET
Oregon shooting, Planned Parenthood, Iran nukes, plus Richard Dawkins and Neil deGrasse Tyson!
Obama's Empty Gun Control Promise
Any attempt to stop would-be murderers from buying guns is bound to be overinclusive, underinclusive, or both.
Obama Talks Earnestly of Simple Laws that Could Have Prevented Oregon Shooting, Names None
How can we know simple gun safety laws would help when we know nothing about circumstances of how the killer got the gun?
The Roanoke Shooting and Forcible Psychiatric Treatment
A psychiatrist argues that "a vast majority of these tragedies" could be prevented by more aggressive mental health interventions.
Congressional Research Service Releases Study of Mass Shootings
One criminologist's reaction: "This report should calm the fears that many people have that these numbers are out of control."
Why Disarming the 'Mentally Ill' Is Not a Sensible Response to Mass Shootings
The dragnet would ensnare many harmless people without having a significant impact on gun violence.
Massacres and Magical Thinking
The urge to "do something" after the Charleston church attack inspires half-baked proposals.
Obama Wonders If Dylann Roof, Who Passed a Background Check, Could Have Been Stopped by a Background Check
Why "common-sense gun safety reforms" would not have "prevented what happened in Charleston."
Charleston Shooter Dylann Roof's Racist Manifesto
On what appears to be his website: "We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet."
Rand Paul: Mass Shootings Symbolize a 'Sickness' That Can't Be Fixed by More Government
Comments cater to religious conservatives without supporting a federal role in solutions.
A Frustrated President Wants But Doesn't Expect New Gun Controls
Why the Charleston church massacre isn't likely to lead to stricter gun laws
The Truth About Mass Public Shootings
Why do the numbers appear to be going up? Because previous shootings have been underreported.
Mother Jones Claims the Rate of Mass Shootings Has Tripled Since 2011. Is That True?
A new bottle for some old data
The FBI Says 'Active Shooter Incidents' Are On the Rise. What Does That Mean?
Decoding a new crime study
The Case Against Active Shooter Drills
A criminologist criticizes a popular school security measure.
Why Mass Shootings Haven't Ushered In a New Age of Gun Control
And why people think mass shootings are more common than they actually are
Newtown: The Moral Panic That Wasn't
A year later, Newtown's legislative legacy is far less dramatic than it might have been.
Why Can't Anyone Agree How Many Mass Shootings There Have Been In 2013?
Making sense of the competing statistics
How Should We Classify the Sandy Hook Killings?
The social construction of a mass shooting epidemic
New Gun Laws Won't Prevent Another Sandy Hook
There's no guarantee new regulations will prevent another tragedy.
Receptionist Mistakes Fresh Prince Theme Song for Threat; School Goes Into Lockdown
Zero tolerance for 1990s television.
Wrong Answers for Mass Shootings
Rounding up the usual suspects: certain firearms, mental illness, and video games
Are Mass Shootings Becoming More Common in the United States?
Making sense of the data
Back to Columbine
Looking back at the baseless speculation and scapegoating that followed a tragedy.
