Gun advocates heckle father of boy slain in Newtown massacre
The Connecticut Post has published an article about the Gun Violence Protection Working Group's hearings addressing gun control in wake of the Sandy Hook massacre.
Gun advocates heckle father of boy slain in Newtown massacre
Neil Heslin holds a picture of himself with his son Jesse as he testifies. His son was among the 20 first graders killed in Newtown, Conn. (Jessica Hill / Associated Press)
The Connecticut Post has published an article about the Gun Violence Protection Working Group's hearings addressing gun control in wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Some 1,500 people made their way to the Legislative Office Building at the Capitol complex in Hartford. Neil Heslin—whose son was killed in the rampage—spoke about the need for change.
"The Second Amendment!" was shouted a couple of times by as many as a dozen gun enthusiasts in the meeting room as Neil Heslin, holding a photo of his slain 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, asked why Bushmaster assault-style weapons are allowed to be sold in the state.
Heslin continued to speak, unwavered by the cries from the crowd.
"That wasn't just a killing, it was a massacre," said Heslin, who recalled dropping off his son at Sandy Hook Elementary school shortly before Lanza opened fire. "I just hope some good can come out of this." [Connecticut Post]
Comments (203)
Most of these NRA nuts never had the courage or conviction to join the military yet they like to drive around town acting like Navy Seal bullies, shouting down people that try to have a civil debate about gun violence. Shame on them. Bunch of wimps that rely on inanimate objects to feel like tough bullies.— masterncommander- Whether one supports / opposes new restrictions on guns is irrelevant. The issue here is one of simple human empathy for a man who's son was killed by a loon with a gun. What else could the hecklers possibly expect him to say under the circumstances? Sad and pathetic...— Paul G
- Most of these NRA gun people are respectful and understand what needs to be done. The other part of that group are sick. They want to have guns so they can fight the government. There nuts! They would last 5 minutes against a SEAL team.— kingofpoker
- wokmaster: Yes we are. We have the FACTS to back us up. Maybe just once you anti-2A losers could come on here with FACTS instead of stupid comments about the size of one's genitalia or the other pathetic attempts at arguing. BTW in response to that last one. It might surprise you that lots of WOMAN carry. I suppose they have small ones too.— Larry Cheswald
- What makes you believe that you are more "qualified" on this issue than someone who lost their child as a consequence of the law? I'm not even sure you're "qualified" to comment on philly.com, let alone a subject of this importance.
— wokmaster - The 2nd Amendment does not provide an absolute right any more than the 1st Amandment (you can yell fire in a crowded theatre for fun for example).— BobSG
- assault rifles did not exist when the second amendment was made - it was to ensure that farmers could own rifles. I'm sure they didn't imagine every farmer owning a canon - because a canon is basically an 18th century equilvalent to an assault rifle. Who am I kidding, folks who shout "2nd Amendment" at a guy holding the ornately-framed picture of his dead son that usually hangs above the fireplace in his living room aren't interested in putting our Constitution into historical context - they can't even do that with the Bible...— hooded_crow
- "assault rifles did not exist when the second amendment was made"
The 2nd amendment protected the right to own state of the art weapons. Otherwise, it would protect the right to own swords and bows.
— DeltaV - I'm sorry your kid got killed, but infringing on our 2nd amendment won't change anything, LEAVE OUR LIBERTIES INTACT!— mystikast
- hoodedcrow: Internet, cell phones, social media, etc didn't exist when the 1st Amendment was created. I guess we should clamp down on those rights too? Sorry you don't get to pick and choose which Amendments you like and don't.— Larry Cheswald
- The right guaranteed by the Constitution to speak is important for an expression of viewpoints. There are people who choose not to allow others to speak...and in this case, Mr. Heslin deserves the right to be heard I civil discourse without those who would have him not speak. Those who interrupted are just a indication of a need for education in civil discourse and good manners.— 5thstrretpast
- I'm still waiting for some FACTS from the anti-2A crowd. So far nothing but insults, hot air, and emotional arguments. But that is about all they can offer.— Larry Cheswald
- Cheswald: So, you don't consider Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris to be facts? You don't consider a seminal 2004 study, showing that there are more homicides and suicides in homes with guns, to be a fact? (Hepburn, Lisa; Hemenway, David. Firearm availability and homicide: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal. 2004; 9:417-40.) You don't consider it to be a fact that the United States, a country that is engaged in no internal wars and isn;t threatened by any invader, possesses nearly 90 guns per 100 residents, double the rate of the next country on the list, Yemen (Small Arms Survey)? You don't consider it to be a fact that the United States has the highest per capita rate of murder by firearm of any developed country. 3.2 per 100,000 residents (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Homicide Statistics)? You don't consider it to be a fact that there have been 62 mass shootings in the U.S. in the past 30 years, with most of the guns used having been legally obtained (A Guide to Mass Shootings in America, Mother Jones)? So much for facts. I was going to close by insulting you, too, but I decided that your own posts do a fine job of that.
- Statistically, doctors are 9,000 times more dangerous to the public health than gun owners.
Between 1974 and 2012, the total number of privately owned firearms in America increased by 85 percent, to 300 million. During the same period, national homicide and robbery rates did NOT significantly increase.
Less than 1 percent of all guns are involved in any type of crime, which means that 99 percent of all guns are NOT used to commit any crime.
— Hobo Floto Voto - Why are you adducing statistics about doctors? Are you saying that because doctors aren't as skilled as they should be, we should pay no attention to gun violence? I leave it to others to judge how much sense that makes. And your statistics about national homicide and robbery rates don't move me. The fact that our already sky-high murder rate -- WAY higher than that of other comparable countries -- didn't rise is not a cause for celebration. Finally, would you agree with the proposition that it's OK to drive drunk if I could prove that only 1 percent of drunk drivers actually succeed in killing someone?
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Mike Bertha
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