What's the purpose of "universal" background checks? We already have background checks and they address the mentally ill and domestic abusers.
Why not make sure the current background check system works as intended?
1
If you want sensible gun laws there is only one answer.....Nov 6 2018....Vote.
18
Again I ask, How many of these shooters are NRA members?
2
Our greatest power to change this madness is at the voting booth. The current crop of GOP legislators has given us 100 reasons to vote them out, this among the best of them.
13
Great to learn that a Parkland student took responsibility for his own and his fellow students welfare and tried to stop the killer. I m sure he wasn't one of the students who gathered in front of the TV cameras a day or so later to chant, "We're not responsible! You are responsible."
The NRA has more sensible solutions to the problem than the adolescents or the NYT who are in many cases emothionally traumatized.
What's so vital about "Universal" background checks? We already have background checks and the mass murderers have no records to prevent them from buying guns. They buy their guns legally. So, what's so important about universal background checks?
Trump is a coward. Always was, always will be. The Republicans are a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NRA.
Vote in November. Make sure your friends do. And their friends!
11
We have two wars going now. In Afghanistan less than 1 US soldier per day dies.
On US soil, in the war against the NRA, 36 people per day die with bullets in their flesh. Like with Russia, Trump and his corrupt legislature are aiding and abetting the enemy. Maybe we should all be shouting "lock HIM up".
10
The very great challenge Trump faces on gun violence issues is that he must do as little as possible, as weak as can be enacted, while masking this with the appearance of real action, of real effort. This us subterfuge and deceit of the highest standard - but Trump is up to it! Trump has spent his whole life practicing at deceit and lying, at fraud and subterfuge, at bluster and innuendo. Trump can do little and puff it up to be "standing up to the NRA". Trump can pass empty futile legislation, and bluster it about as a big effort. This is his challenge, and he's up to it, just watch. Of course Trump doesn't do it alone, he has his sycophant enablers in Congress, firmly in the pocket of the NRA and gun lobby, spineless worms crawling in the muck and mud of corruption and slime-lobbyist money.
6
What good are background checks. You have a President who is fascinated by guns, has murderous fantasies, has racist and sexist preoccupations, is cruel and vindictive, proclaims his willingness to commit mass murder and its all out there for all to see. So what are people going to say. "He is such a good boy." "I had no idea he would act this way. "I knew he had a temper, but never expected anything like this."
6
Assault rifles have only one purpose: Killing masses of people with the wounded envying the dead.
They are such a threat that surely stand your ground provisions would cover any person neutralizing carriers of weapons of mass slaughter.
And surely the friends of AR-15s should allow the presence of their fetishized mass killing machines into their own conclaves such as NRA headquarters and GOP congressional conclaves. Only fair. Why should innocent 16 years olds sacrifice their lives to the AR-15 while corrupt and vile 61 year olds are protected?
6
It's simple, Trump is afraid of the NRA. He is the same coward - and blowhard - he has always been.
The Trump boys enjoy killing animals who can't shoot back at them, but they don't get near real combat. I guess "bone spurs" run in that family.
13
Anthony Borges, a fifteen year old, critically wounded student, is a hero, though he doesn't consider himself one. In contrast, our five time draft dodging president boasts how brave he is, saying he believes he would go in and confront the shooter. He has insulted veterans and mocked their families, while saying that avoiding getting a sexually transmitted disease was his own personal Vietnam... This so called president has absolutely no redeeming values and has disgraced this country.
16
Being Venezuelan definitely causes people to do what others who aren't would never even think to try. So true.
2
Politicians don't fear the NRA in and of itself. They fear tens of millions of heavily armed gun rights devotees who vote and have good aim.
1
We have the power of "one person, one vote" and we should use it! We have the poster child and it is the NRA. So let's vote their enablers out of office and then we'll see if we can get some REAL legislation passed to protect us.
7
The bump stock ban is good I guess, Trump is certainly giving buyers plenty of time to load up on those bump stocks.
We need some sort of bump lock to put on every weapon out there, which can only be unlocked by a police officer.
This child Anthony Borges is more honorable than every person in the White House and NRA. His hospital bill will be epic. I do hope the NRA pays for his hospital bill and his upcoming physical therapy for life maybe. The NRA should not give any money to any political campaign this year and give that money to Anthony Burges and other victims of Parkland and the next school shooting because we know this won't be the last one, I hope so but hope is fading fast.
7
Anthony is a brave young man with impeccable values. Can we say the same for our lawmakers?
"Gun advocates argued that more guns would make us safer, but instead the U.S. now has 25 times the gun murder rate of other advanced countries.
Indeed, since 1970, more Americans have died of gun violence, including murders, suicides and accidents (1.4 million), than in all the wars in American history (1.3 million)."
Yet, the NRA and its legislative lackeys continue to push for looser gun restrictions and gun lovers bemoan the possible loss of their AR 15s and similar guns.
If only legislators and gun owners had the sense of a 15 year old.
5
"Anthony, who is of Venezuelan descent. . . Instead of running for cover, Anthony blocked the door to keep the shooter out. He held his ground even as the attacker opened fire." words to ponder when considering limiting immigration into this country.
11
The analogy Mr. Kristof tries to use is absurd.
Just what, Mr. Kristof, do you want done re. the NRA, be it from Pres Trump or Congress?
"Stand up" against the NRA? You mean you want Trump to take your side in an argument. Again, what is your proposal for "action?"
BTW, I did read the article you referenced comparing homicide rates in the US (and suicides) vs other countries. It is surely cherry-picked. And the one country, Finland, which has about half the firearms suicides, has more non-firearms suicides than we (USA) do.
Nor did you reference the paper which found the US, in homicide deaths by firearms per 100,000 population, ranks 111th in the world.
Where is any notation of gang violence and high homicide rates in such cities s Chicago and DC...which skew the statistics. And Chicago is a gun free zone, just like the high school.
1
even though Trump thinks that he's doing a good thing by allowing kids to hold guns and learn about them so they can know how to "defend" themselves its actually giving kids an interest on guns and it can lead to violence. Anthony being a teenager thought about his classmates and risked his life in order for them to not get shot. while trump being a grown man is making awful decisions to this country and handling the distribution of guns wrong and he has the audacity to say that he would've walked in the building where the shooting to place unarmed? i don't believe that and neither do most people.
1
It might help in the context of regulations if Democrats didn’t regularly accuse Trump of being an autocrat. And it might help if states did not believe that they could then exempt themselves from cooperating with federal law enforcement.
1
Mr. Kristof asserts the NRA is the problem: "This will change only when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the N.R.A”
Wrong. The NRA is not a voter, gun owners are. Politicians like to pretend gun control is a public safety issue yet they know only large scale bans, paired with Australian like gun confiscation, will have any meaningful, aggregate impact. And that's simply intolerable to very large portions of gun owning America; 44% of which are veterans and 25% are high income. So politicians blame the NRA to avoid attacking a constituency that is well-off and sympathetic. That's who politicians are afraid of.
2
This issue has turned me into a single issue voter. If you don't support a ban on all assault style weapons and a buy back program than you will not get my vote.
9
"This will change only when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the N.R.A."
Money talks louder than voters. Big Money shouts...
2
Plain and simple: there is no legitimate reason for civilians to own military-style weapons. And don't give me that baloney about "collectors."
4
Not only are the NRA and its lackeys responsible for the 36,000 or so gun deaths---most of them suicides---we suffer each year, but they are promoting a wholesale attack on the Constitution. The Second Amendment in no way grants any person the right to mount an armed insurrection against the government. Yet, in all of its talk of defending liberty and patriotism and "from my cold, dead hand...," the gun lobby is claiming precisely that right. What other possible reason could there be for permitting "law-abiding citizens" to own military-style assault rifles? This is the subtext of just about every appeal by the NRA for protection against a "tyranny government coming to get your guns." Those seeking reasonable regulation of firearms are portrayed as "naive liberals" and "gun-haters" who trust in the law---and its sworn officers---rather than the gun, to keep them free. It's time to expose the NRA crowd for what they are---treasonous promoters of an attack on our government of laws.
1
No they are only baby steps all of them. Seventeen people killed and the argument is over a particular gun but every day 96 more people are killed--none by assault rifles. What a tempest in a teapot. Background checks would stop almost no gun shootings. Then what can we do? Nothing as long as we have guns. You want the single step the author says hardly exists? Ban all guns. it is practical and doable. The 26th amendment was passed in two months start to finish. Don't tell me you care for gun victims while you play this game. This is mere sensationalism. If you're serious, get serious.
2
Like his predecessors in Las Vegas, Newtown, and so on, Nicholas Cruz was a "law-abiding gun owner" until the moment he started murdering 17 people whose constitutional right to life were supplanted by Cruz's right to possess weapons whose only function is to kill people.
4
The signers of the 2d Amendment as ratified by three-fourth of the States, owned Flintstocks and Muskets. Militias were a compromise to the jittery states' rights advocates and are now redundant, Flintstocks and Muskets are by the spirit of the 2d amendment all that should be legal for civilians to buy, keep, and use.
6
Anthony Borges is an American hero and should receive the highest civilian decoration for his act of bravery. Trump doesn't deserve to share his headline.
2
Shrug.
Guns make money. We're talking $40bn / year in firearms related economic activity in this country.
Let's do the math, and say 20 kids died in Parkland - for easy math, right? If this is the catalyst for turning off the gun business spigot, that's $2bn per life.
Not worth it.
-Your Friendly Republican Representative
2
Why I wonder do I bother to respond to this article except to say that this young man is a hero who desperately tried to save the lives of his fellow students. He is a hero to me.
The NRA is evil. period, end of story.
51
It is an insult to the intelligence of readers that Kristof thinks he can deceive Americans into believing there is any equivalency between one student fighting back against one teen murderer, and the President displaying some mysterious kind of fake courage by committing treason and defying 5 million NRA members and the several other people in their families and circle of friends who agree with them in regard to the 2nd amendment. The NRA is not a corporation with a few criminal billionaire owners like those on Wall Street that the NY Times serves as a propaganda prostitute for - paid via advertising revenue. But rather the NRA membership represents the will of many 10's of millions of Americans whose interests and opinions are supposed to be obeyed by their representatives in this alleged democracy.
1
The NRA does NOT represent the will of the majority of gun owners, or even many of its members, who overwhelmingly support more thorough background checks and "common sense" gun control measures. They have gone from being an organization for gun owners to a lobbying organization for gun manufacturers.
51
NRA membership is around 5 million, not "10's of millions."
But let's grant you 20 million, just for argument. Recent polls show that 66% of Americans favor stricter gun controls. Out of 323 million Americans, that makes 213.8 millions who support greater control of guns. (That makes a majority of 193 million.)
The question this raises is just who "thinks he can deceive Americans into believing" that the NRA speaks for anything but a small and very loud minority of Americans who disagree with the rest of us about the proper and intelligent interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.
Mr Kristof clearly "represents the will" of 213 millions "whose interests and opinions are supposed to be obeyed by their representatives in this... democracy." It is the defiance and money of vocal groups such as the NRA which makes the rest wonder about "alleged" democracy.
Nothing in the Bill of Rights is sacred. The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law..." yet there are laws against incitement to violence, pornography, etc. The Fourth Amendment prohibits searches and seizures without a warrant, but the exceptions are rampant. Likewise, the Second Amendment may be restricted, even if less than one percent of the public would rather it weren't.
1
As part of my education and training as a psychologist, I worked in a state mental institution. I had a wonderful supervisor who provided excellent guidance to help patients there. He said that if people want to be truly helpful, they needed to realize that the patients did not think like people without mental disorders. So the logic in helping them was in not trying directly to use logic with them. I recall that guidance when thinking about people opposed to any limits on gun ownership--they're not rational, so we have to work around them to reach sanity and peace in this country.
45
No one is proposing to take guns from law abiding citizens you knee-jerk jerk. We are proposing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally disturbed and domestic abusers and children too young to be part of a well regulated militia. The only way to do that is to require full background checks with a waiting period on every sale, commercial or private. If you are a law abiding citizen you should have no issue with this. The other thing we are proposing is that private citizens not be permitted to own military style weapons, or magazine shows designed to facilitate mass murder. No amount of privately held weaponry will protect you against the government if it comes for you. Therefore, there is no reason for you to have such weapons. Certainly not to pretend you are a hunter. Why not just throw hand grenades, or use a bazooka against Bambi. If you want to pretend hunting is a sport, make it one by using a simple bow without laser sights and counterweights.
The second amendment is no more sacred than the parts of the constitution that allowed slavery, or restricted female suffrage, or allowed the state legislatures to pick Senators, or that nonsense about the runner up being Veep. The second amendment was written by citizens, and citizens today have a God given right, ordained in the constitution to amend it if we want.
54
In fact, the Second Amendment was insisted upon by Patrick Henry of Virginia, a slave-holding state. Henry wanted the language added to protect the South's armed slave patrols and their ability to pursue those slaves across state borders into free states. Now that we actually have a well-armed militia (it's called the National Guard), there is absolutely no reason for private ownership of weapons of war, or in my opinion, guns of any kind. Until NRA members are forced to admit that their organization is not based on supporting freedoms, but rather on white fear of black folk, there will be no solution. Innocents will continue to die and our members of Congress will continue to do nothing to protect us.
2
The Florida shooter would have failed any background check if local law enforcement and the FBI had done their jobs and reported his mental state.
2
Bravo!!
1
A few days ago, a local sheriff deputy, a young father with two young children, was shot to death by a so-called bad guy with a gun. In Indiana, the shooter, who had a prior criminal record, would have no problem easily obtaining the weapon. My member of Congress posted a video on Facebook of her honoring the sheriff deputy on the House floor - after she had voted in support of the concealed carry reciprocity bill. Somehow, praying and honoring are so much easier than doing what we pay legislators to do: pass laws that will prevent such tragedies in the first place.
45
I have two wonderful teenagers and I am not in the least surprised by the courage, passion, exceptional reasoning and articulate voice of the victims and their peers. I am fortunate to hear such voices every day.
What does surprise me is the depth of rage roused in my cynical, 50 year old self at what has transpired in our country - particularly in the last year.
I am struggling with how best to focus my rage and deeply disturbed by the fury that is consuming daily.
My life is about raising my kids well, with good values and intrinsic motivation while I also pursue my own goals a a science professional, good citizen, good friend and neighbor.
Right now I want to walk out my front door...like Forrest Gump did when he 'just felt like running'....but screaming all the way from California to Washington
What would I scream? Well that's the real kicker. How does one turn multifaceted agony into a tweet, a meme, a bumper sticker?! I think I'd just scream....i have a feeling it would resonate to a profound harmonic destruction.
22
I assure you that you are not alone in needing a primal scream. Sometimes I imagine I'm in Edvard Munch's painting, The Scream.
1
To Mr Kristof
You conclusion that "This will change when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the N.R.A" is whishful thinking.
Things will change only when an association such as a Natioanl Organisation Against Guns, or NOGUNS for exemple has more money than the NRA to pour into campaigns and discourage the politicians by financing "alternative" candidates and make those politicains fear that if they do not abandon the ship,then they will drown with it.
Let's put our money were our mouth is.
But where are the people who would champion this cause?
10
If Trump could "hammer out a bipartisan deal for universal background checks" he would earn a place in history, and not as the worst president. So why doesn't he act?
4
Because being the worst president in history is what he does.
1
Trump is the worst president. You are very right; not only does he lack the courage to face the NRA, he lacks the sense to keep wild life trophies out of our country. Why does he do it? His son hunted and killed an Elephant and wants his trophy home! Killing children gives him the opportunity to announce his "prayers and thoughts are with the people."
Sadly, Trump leads the way in not protecting children, people and animals at risk.
In the final analysis our world has become Trump Theater and he is the STAR!
1
The probability of Donald Trump entering a live shooting situation in a school is as probable as pigs flying. And Trump demonstrated how totally out-of-touch he is by asserting that their should be some kind of rating system for violent movies. Earth to Donald: There is. It's called R for graphic violence.
9
Trump is the most narcissistic man I've ever observed. Having been married to one and having observed his behavior for 19 years, I can tell you that they are all talk and no action. Trump is a coward and would run (if it's possible for him) at the first sign of danger.
1
Right now the NRA is and has been an accomplice to mass murder. They attack any and all attempts to give us sensible gun laws that could prevent some of these insane killings. LaPierre pronounces "God gave us guns." No, God gave us: "Thou shall not kill." It's something any fool or crackpot can understand, except the head of the NRA.
24
The thou shalt not kill has been more recently written with the intent/interretation "Thou shall not murder." Indeed we believe this.
Just what do you think the NRA did to contribute to this killer's crime? Background checks already in place would have stopped him form obtaining a gun...but local law enforcement and the FBI did not do their jobs. Why is your opinion stated against the NRA, instead of the people who failed to do their jobs?
1
Nick Kristof is expecting Generalissimo Bone Spurs to be a hero. Sorry Nick, The Donald doesn't do hero.
17
This young man brings inspiration and a reminder that most people are caring and thoughtful. Just what does the NRA hold over congress? It's got to be more than money ,and the misinterpretation of second amendment rights.
7
Trump displays not one shred of integrity, courage, or fortitude. Yet, he is pretending that he would suddenly summon these characteristics, demonstrated by this brave student, to put other people's lives before his own. He hasn't done anything even close to this in his 70 years. What makes him think anyone would ever believe this???
12
Anthony Borges is courageous beyond his or anyone's years. He deserves 100 Purple Hearts and hopefully he receives excellent medical care and rehabilitation. The most fitting tribute to Anthony, however, would be for our country to take guns away from citizens, with very limited exceptions. One other thing: I am surprised Mr. Kristof said "law enforcement officers dawdled outside". I wouldn't begin to judge them for not going on an obvious suicide mission. The problem was not with the officers. The problem was with our government allowing military-style assault weapons to be in the hands of civilians, including a 17 year old.
19
I WOULD judge the law enforcement officers who did not go inside to do their job and save lives from a mass murderer. It is their job. It is their duty. It is why they became law enforcement officers. Suicide mission? They are trained professionals and THEY CARRY WEAPONS, TOO. They need to do their job or find another line of work.
2
Anthony Borges should have a statue built in his honor and his name remember through the ages.
17
It's good to read a story of true heroism in a country where it is the cowards who make the laws.
41
Equally egregious is the unacceptably high probability that this brave kid has poor or no health insurance being a black Floridian. A warped government with warped values.
37
My dear Mr. Kristof,
The White House is AWOL on EVERY issue. What is your point, really? You are appealing to the void.
We put him there. He is our collective shame. FORTY EIGHT PERCENT of eligible voters stayed home. Wanna bet how many of those are today's loudest complainers?
Let us instead shout IMPEACH! IMPEACH! at every street corner, legislator's seat and journalist's computer.
We are a nation of cowards. All of us.
15
The republican party is a genuine profile in cowardice. republicans in congress don't have the courage to stand up to t rump, the N.R.A., the Russians, and as seen last year in video from those health care town hall their own constituents.
Fear is the only thing that party knows anything about. Ginning up fear about gun confiscation; dark skinned immigrants; gay marriage; anything and everything. They sell nothing but fear and their very base base buys nothing but fear.
America the chicken hearted is what these people are turning US into. Land of the fearful; home of the stupid.
19
Any expectation that this president will do something to end gun insanity is sadly unrealistic.As he has said time and again, Trump believes more guns is the answer (although he would have responded to the Parkland shooter unarmed, as he so bravely told us from the safety of the White House). Hopefully the nationwide March 24 mobilization against guns by the nation's huge non-gun owning majority will spur our more courageous public officials to action.
10
When you want to buy liquors or cigarettes, many stores have a sign that says: Be prepared to show your ID if you look under 30 years old. No exceptions please".
If you want to go to the movies they have the MPAA Rating: PG13, or R, and sometimes they have a warning: "Parents Strongly Cautioned" or "Rated R for strong violence" to mention two cases only.
And if your are watching TV, sometimes the news show have a sign too: "Warning, some scenes may disturb you"
But regarding gun control, the only real warning appears to be: "Don't forget your bullets"
Warning: this "Wild Bunch" movie segment, shows disturbing scenes that occur everyday in America. The number of deaths that you will watch is, according to statistics, what happens in about half a day. Remember, gun deaths are always violent: https://youtu.be/1Ki-IpSjJO4
8
Any one who thinks Republicans intend to do anything that might benefit average Americans but does not clearly reward their economic donors with even more money is truly a cockeyed optimist! Although all politicians may give deference to their supporters, Republicans clearly worship at the feet of the top 1% of our economy and the corporations these wealthy people control. That average people buy any of the conservative hogwash dispensed to thinly disguise this reasoning that justifies this sad fact just shows how little literacy has benefited the lazy. I fear for the future of our democracy.
6
Mr. Kristof, you are correct sir!! Keep writing about this. The cowardly cowering before the threats of the NRA must stop. When will leaders and candidates understand that standing up to the NRA will garner more votes than capitulation? Want a positive platform to run on in 2018? Call out the NRA. Take a moral stand. Voters are sick of this.
8
In my travels overseas the past two weeks, the question i am asked most often is, "why are Americans okay with slaughtering your next generation? Who will fund your social security when you kill off young taxpayers?"
17
Dear Lord, make this young man whole. May he stand and walk from this hospital without aid. May he live a long, whole, complete life and father children and be a grandfather and even a Great Grandfather.
Let him be all he can be in this brief moment we all share under the sun.
Let's just call it a devine "make-good".
Amen
16
Thank you Anthony.
No small irony that your family immigrated from Venezuela, a country the US is apparently so intent on emulating. The first time I heard trump speak during his campaign, Hugo Chavez immediately sprang to mind. Twitter today, eight hour rants on state TV tomorrow...
8
Young Anthony showed real courage! Trump, on the other hand, asserted that he'd rush into a shooting situation even if he was unarmed. I wish he would.
12
Why should we limit SACRED SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS? In order to preserve our liberty we must ignore that nonsense about "well regulated".
4
so Cassandra, those 17 students lost their liberty, pursuit of happiness, and their lives because of our national fetish with guns.
4
You took me seriously? No wonder Trump is President.
1
This young man is truly a hero. Yet, even though there are 17 students and teachers who perished in this tragedy, this is the true cost which is rarely published anywhere. This young man has probably already incurred thousands of dollars in medical expenses, and if he is paralyzed, then those costs could go into the millions of dollars. Who will pay for this? We the people will pay for it. This is the real price of our gun fetish. Billions of dollars wasted every year and lives cut short, along with debilitating injuries for others, all in order to satisfy the fanaticism of the NRA and its supporters.
11
Could some of our gun lobbies be funded by the Russians too? Sounds like the enemy is in charge. Gun safety, family planning, trade, treaties, workers, climate change, environment. Everything seems under attack by the devil. Who is the wizard behind the curtain?
7
Explain to me again how taking away my Constitutionally guaranteed right to self defense is going to fix the problem in Chicago or Memphis or Baltimore?
Explain to me how the FBI's failure to act in the Florida case is going to be fixed by banning and confiscating firearms fro law abiding citizens?
You know how we fail Anthony and the rest of his classmates?
By passing knee jerk legislation that will do NOTHING to prevent the next mass casualty event.
I'm curious to know if you have any thoughts abut why the US has 25 times the gun murder rate of other advanced countries. It has nothing to do whatsoever with the availability of guns? It's all attributable to something else?
5
And how exactly do you know that. Simple and thorough background checks are needed and badly. Trump of course won’t do that.
2
If a tank was legal would you buy one and park it on the front lawn? Where does self defense end & full on war start?
Do you really think carrying an semi automatic rifle is self defense? Wouldn't a handgun do the same? And be easier to carry around?
5
"This measure has already passed the House of Representatives, but attorneys general are fighting it. They warn that it would let a stalker, domestic abuser or suspected terrorist from a low-regulation state tote concealed weapons at will around the country" More ignorant hysteria! The reciprocity law is about concealed carry licensees having the ability to cross state lines, which is already legal under certain state laws in many of the concealed carry states, The suspected terriorist, domestic abuser, or stalker is not likely a trained concealed carry licensee. Lesson: criminals do not obey the law, do not nor can they obtain concealed carry licensees (including domestic abusers in most states). Sensible guns laws are already in place but as an NRA member, I would support elimination of bump stocks and hardening of schools much as our government buildings are hardened with security measures and armed guards. If on a fall Saturday afternoon, a college football coach can have a state policeman or two escorting him on and off the field, we can protect our children. As Ozzy Osbourne said, "if guns really kill people, why send people to war with guns? Why not just send the guns?".
You have 25 times the possibly of dying from a gun that every other civilised country. It is proven because you have so many guns which are freely available. In the last 45 years 1.4 MILLION of your fellow countryman have died from guns.
If you want to protect your children, keep the guns out of the hands of those who cannot pass a proper security check , and remove semi-automatics as a starting point. You add more guns you get more deaths. That is a proven fact.
Did you ever consider giving up a little of your liberty for the sake of your fellow Americans. I find it strange that American war heroes are always well know for always protecting their mates from being killed, but that attitude does not seem to extend to the NRA, to give up a little (not your guns as they say) to help save the slaughtering of 30,000 of your fellow countrymen every year....
4
“I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” he said. As if Trump could run.
And by the way, a lot of young people were saved thanks to Anthony Borges, of Venezuelan descent. You know, the kind of hombre Donnie's wall would keep out.
14
Time young adults took their destiny into their own hands. Voter turnout among 18-19 year olds is less than half the turnout among those 50 and above. If these teens and young adults, who overwhelmingly support relatively liberal positions turn out in droves, the political map will be radically altered, as several Red states will suddenly become Purple or Blue. Hey people, get off your duffs and smart phones, stop going to the mall, and go to the local political clubhouse, and start learning how to make the system work for you
9
"This will change only when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the N.R.A."
And THAT will change only when we remove the counting of votes from the partisan, proprietary, pitch-dark of cyberspace and restore public, observable vote counting to our elections.
Anyone have the courage to go THERE?
7
The NRA members need to take their association back from the gun manufacturers. The NRA should represent the interests of their membership rather than the interests of the gun manufacturers. And I sure hope Mueller is looking into the +$30 million the NRA donated to Trump's campaign. Why would the NRA membership feel Trump's iffy election was worth that much to them? Although Russia certainly was very interested. Here's a good article on the immorality of the 2 biggest U. S. manufacturers of weapons. My takeaway is that they want to keep sales increasing annually regardless of the level of carnage.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gun-debate-firearm-industry_us_5a9e...
4
People of extraordinary courage and selflessness can come from anywhere. Character is always what matters most, not origin, ethnicity, race or gender.
7
The most likely route to sensible gun control is emphasis on the designed ability of military weapons to create horrible, life threatening damage. This was emphasized in a great article by Gina Kolata and is the subject of a suit brought by a resident at a NYC hospital who was shot with an AR15. Even staunch gun rights advocates are struck by how damaging wounds from high velocity rifles are. Control should move towards favoring those guns that are specialized for target shooting, hunting and self defense (e.g. single shot shotguns) and not those designed for inflicting maximum casualties.
4
Lots of things may only change when politicians are more afraid of voters than of lobbyists who operate behind the scenes. Do politicians act on public policy more based on their own public stances or more on the basis of the vested interests and prejudices of their friends and their political connections, even in direct contradiction of their stated public policy positions? At the same time, it might help if the voting public paid more, and more open, attention to the moral force of intellectual honesty; if the public debate were more open and honest, less structured by repetitive and often disingenuous but politically comfortable talking points. Mr. Cruz committed horrifying and vicious crimes; but the discussion of the failure to intervene early has seemed to focus on the missed opportunities to lock him up or prevent him from buying a gun. In a nation as awash with guns as the United States, universal background checks won't necessarily stop mass shootings; if police delay charging in, greater difficulty in getting a snazzy gun like an AR-15 won't necessarily save lives. What if there were flatly more concern for helping people with serious mental health and other problems get help that genuinely doesn't involve coercion? Certainly we could, for example, more effectively bar people from buying loads of guns in Virginia to sell in NYC, but might we also prevent crime more effectively using compassion, rather than either coercing messed up people or abandoning them?
1
And just when we thought our legislators were just a bunch of lazy do-nothings here comes the Hearing Protection Act. This vital legislation will legalize silencers and muffling the harsh crack of muzzle fire and preventing damage to the sensitive and gentle eardrums of shooters everywhere.
Thus proving a) the bravery of legislators in standing tough in front of the NRA by passing gun-legislation, b) through Don Jr's support that the apple does not fall far from the tree, and c) also through Don Jr's support that mental illness might actually be a hereditary condition.
Bravo to all involved!
3
Mr. Hoax may have been (after the fact) willing to save lives, but I imagine him too busy bullying or groping or lying to have reacted as a hero. You know, just basing this feeling on what he has said and done. He has told the world exactly who he is, so why should be believe otherwise?
Best wishes and a long life to young Anthony Borges. We need people like him.
3
This is in reply to "Mon Ray". I agree the students from Parkland were selected, but they were self selected for their abilities as public speakers and drama students, something they no doubt learned in school.
As to President bashing, the author of the opinion piece questions whether President Trump really would have run into that school when the shooter was there. As far as we know, the President hasn't ever tried to save another's life. Even he admitted that he wasn't sure what he would have done in the instant.
The rest of your comment had to do with immigration. What does that have to do with Anthony Borges, the NRA, or gun control? I will say only this. There is a great fear rampant in this country that there just isn't enough. It's a massage that's been taught to many because of their parents and grandparents own insecurities. If our country's lawmakers didn't keep giving money to the wealthiest Americans there would be a much more vibrant middle class and far less fear to teach our children.
25
Bravo, Mr. Kristof!
7
The problem with guns is not that nothing can get done, but that Congress and the Repugs are lock stock and barrel, not a pun, in the pocket of the President. Three branches of government is a joke. The future of our country is at stake and this is while Rome is burning. I hope this is not a harbinger of the end of our great country as we knew it even two years ago.
15
The 2nd Amendment was ratified to the United States Constitution in 1791.
There were no AR-15's at the time - or anything even close to the current carnage by means of modern "Assault Weapons" -
The guns of the day were Muskets and Flintlocks - Single Shot with time delay of manually adding powder and ball between shots.
The interpretations of this amendment and more troublesome the misinterpretations are at the root of where we are today.
Anthony Borges is an extraordinary young man.
No apparent formal training for such an horrific position of being on the receiving end of an AR-15 . . .
Without Hesitation - or fear for his own life - he protected his classmate while being repeatedly wounded by Cruz.
It is sickening to witness our cowardly president state that he would have run into the school unarmed if he was there -
Equal to the Cowardliness of our President, is the GOP - where they all would have "run for their lives" regardless of who fell victim around them.
We're not done . . . the copycats are now planing how to out-do the current death tallies of innocents while money is slipped under the doors of our GOP Legislators to remain under their desks . . . as "this is not the time to talk about this."
27
The republican party IS the NRA.
26
One of the best I have ever read. Thank you, Mr. Kristoff.
18
Young Anthony is a hero. There is no doubt about that. And the National Rifle Association holds an evil influence over our country. It will use any dirty trick to push its deadly agenda, using the tools of corruption to buy votes in state and federal governments.
The news media talks about this or that lawmaker being afraid of the NRA. They aren't afraid; they are extremely reluctant to lose the millions of dollars the NRA has donated to them. This they are bought by the NRA, and lack the moral will to say, "No more."
Of course there are those citizens who feel they have to own an AR-15 assault rifle at all costs because they see a dystopian future in which they might have to take back the government, never mind that we have the most powerful military on the earth. Or they need an AR-15 to mow down a farm yards worth of hogs as one news story put it. When will reason have it's day? Start by banning assault rifles and acknowledging who the real heroes are.
16
The context of the 2nd amendment is important. The colonies were rebelling against England. It fought back by trying to take away the colonists' guns. This was fresh in the minds of the drafters of the Constitution and amendments.
1
How can we help support this boy and his family? Please let us know if we can make a contribution to his care.
17
I would like to help. I hope there is an answer.
2
Call your congressman. The goal here is to not have a country that is ruled by fear. Just like this young man. Perhaps afraid in that moment, but overcame it in his selfless, very American, just and right action.
2
Maybe the NRA and its members will contribute to Anthony's hospital, doctor and rehabilitation
expenses. AR-15 manufacturers, ammunition makers, assault weapons owners?
2
At my kid's college, they started a go-fund-me, or something like that for Anthony. He and his family will need it. He deserves the best for the rest of his life.
14
The difference between Trump, Congress and the hero of this article are obvious ones, as well as major ones. Anthony Borges cares about his fellow Americans and he is brave and true. He has principles. At fifteen he already has a working moral compass to guide him throughout his life. One that points true north without wavering. At fifteen he is a man and not a man baby or a one dimensional figure. As our new young American hero, he put others before himself and faced down a crazed murderer.
Trump cannot and will not place anyone first above himself and definitely will never place his country before his own interests. Trump is all about Trump and has spent a lifetime in service to himself only.
Wake up America and listen to these kids as they know right from wrong and will not go away on this issue. Follow Australia's working gun control policies and ban military assault weapons.
We already lost so many children because Congress will not do the right thing. They are still waiting out the heat of the moment to continue to do nothing to save the lives of our youth or fellow Americans from mass shooting kills. In fact, the manufacture of the AR-15 used in Parkland doubled in 2016 and don't think that this is one of the major reasons why nothing is being done in a Congress ruled by the GOP who are in turn ruled by the NRA and other special interest groups who have donated heavily to them.
21
Exactly. Thank you for articulating the heart of this national, preventable tragedy.
1
I'm watching and hoping, but I am not expecting anything serious about gun control. Once you get off the blue coasts, any kind of gun control is a political loser. In Arkansas, say anything about guns other than "more, please" and kiss your political prospects good bye. I hate to say this, but having Democrats take back at least one house of congress is more important than anything we are likely to do about guns. The people who want to vote against guns know who to vote against without Democrats taking a beating over the issue. I suspect we're going to continue to shoot ourselves and each other at rates at least twice that anywhere else in the developed world. No sense in helping Republicans maintain political dominance to boot.
7
I would change the final sentence of this article to read: This will change only when we remove politicians from office who support the NRA.
18
Why is Congress irresponsible? What is holding back the Congress from passing
gun control. It is simple. The members are only interested in themselves, money and power. As Mark Twain put it, perhaps too bluntly, there is no distinctly american criminal class, except Congress. Only a great leader can get them to do the right thing. FDR and LBJ come to mind.
13
"Even worse, the N.R.A. is pushing concealed-carry reciprocity, allowing people to carry concealed guns with them from places that permit them, like Alaska or Wyoming, to any other part of the country, regardless of local prohibitions."
Haven't we seen this before? In the antebellum 19th century U.S. the federal government allowed the Slave States to impose their laws on free states. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, states with anti-miscegenation laws refused to recognize interracial marriages conducted in states were they were legal.
9
Polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans favor some type of gun control legislation. Voters have power but have to use it. We need to vote for candidates who are in favor of such legislation and vote against those who side with the NRA against it. Until that happens nothing is going to change.
SMK
64
Everyone wants Gun Control
For the other guy
No one wants the Gov't to take their Guns
Where I live in Oregon my next door neighbor who is card carrying Gun Grabbing Lefty just asked me last week about firearms as he was going to purchase one for his wife as he travels frequently.
I think someone broke into a car in my neighborhood 7 or 8 years ago... that's the extent of crime here...
The guy voted for McGovern in 72 and never looked back...
Yet when it comes to his personal defense - He wants the choice.
The minute you pick up a gun, you've lost.
9
Corporal heel-spurs tRump: fraudulent COWARD. Alex Arreaza: consummate HERO. SHAME on Florida legislators. I hope voters will make their wishes clear, in the upcoming election. You don't need an assault rifle to go hunting, unless you just like to kill living things, and you don't plan to eat them. Really, really stupid.
13
The difference between Anthony Borges and Donald Trump is very simple. Anthony Borges is a courageous kid and he values life. Donald Trump is a coward who refused to go to Vietnam and he values money.
15
This young man is a hero. The rest of us should be ashamed of ourselves. Not just the crooks and cowards in the Florida state legislature. Everyone who voted for them, each one, is a disgrace. And any person that sits on his or her hands right now is in the same category. Time to vote them out.
12
Mr. Kristof, you have never written a better op-ed. Or one that is more disturbing. Please continue.
12
70% of Americans are with these kids and a mere 1.5 % of the US population actively support the NRA. Why do we keep giving the NRA power to pretend they speak for anyone? They don't even represent gunowners, 98% of whom are not NRA members and who statistically mirror the 70% of all Americans who want sane gun control. All the NRA has is their potemkin village illusion of support and billions from the firearm industry with which the buy politicians. Vote the puppets out.
19
Mr. President, run over to 11200 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA. Run in there and tell them how you will end school shootings by assault rifle.
3
Accidental shooting in an Alabama High School, one child killed, another wounded. Two shots, accidental?
Now Florida pols are voting to allow guns on campus.
It is clear that the GOP, the NRA, Fox News, and others are all part of a vast terrorist network. This network is aided and abetted by those who continue to vote GOP. Cowards all.
Anthony is indeed a hero.
13
Does anyone really believe Cadet Bone Spurs would sacrifice his privileged life for anyone else?
12
What in God's name is Trump, Jr. talking about regarding silencers?? "Hearing protection?!" Are these real people?
13
There's a fundraising page for this brave student: https://www.gofundme.com/anthonyborges
4
Thank you, Blue Jay! I've been unemployed for eight months, so I wasn't able to contribute as much as I'd have liked, but without your post, my contribution would have been zero
6
Anthony Borges is indeed a hero, and the members of congress who prostitute themselves to the NRA, and who couldn't fill an inch of Anthony's shoes, should be voted out in November.
Not sure if/how much the NRA donates to your representative? This chart will tell you.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/nra-donations/?utm_term...
9
So Junior advocates for suppressors? The macho guy who kills elephants and has Daddy fix it so he can bring his "trophies" home....ugh!
9
Trump passed legislation to save his family over $1 billion in taxes. He won't lift a finger to save America's kids.
What more does anyone need to say?
16
Hearts and prayers to Anthony.
Shoe leather and $$$, campaigning against gun supporters.
4
You know what gun regulation I'd like to see added to the list? I'd like to see a law passed to fix the ATF's "non-searchable" database restriction. Without going into too much detail, law enforcement is basically tracking gun sales with a computer system less efficient than your an old-school library catalog. Remember those index cards? Yeah, that would be an improvement on the current gun trace system.
This is a system intentionally retarded by pro-gun legislation. No one ever seems to mention this problem on their legislative wish list though. The average civilian can search a live database of every airplane flying in the world on a cell phone but it takes a police officer 10 days to figure out where a gun was purchased. Even then, the search procedure is tedious and sometimes unsuccessful.
Give law enforcement the tools they need to track criminal patterns of gun purchasing. The current system is just wasting their time and your tax dollars.
14
Forget the President. He is a vainglorious braggart, a bully, a coward, and his words are not worth the hot air he blows. Ditto Congress.
It will be the young people who will do something.
13
"[T]he larger picture is disgraceful: the president and congressional leaders dillydallying on the sidelines, sending 'thoughts and prayers' and nothing else." That statement is about "leaders," and the truth is that we don't have any leaders. All we have are cowards who do nothing but parrot the fact-free opinions they think will keep them in office. They promote measures that are merely ways to avoid facing and solving the real problem: too many guns. Let's hope the students from Parkland grow up quickly so we can vote them into office. They're already the adults we need and don't have in government.
5
Let me get this straight.
Because of a visceral desire to "do something," many are proposing 18-20 year olds not be allowed to purchase weapons for hunting, sport shooting, or self-defense; yet we allow them to vote for the person who could launch a thermonuclear strike!
What's wrong with this picture?
3
This whole notion of needing guns for "self defense" vitiates the rationale for consent to be governed. It treats us all as each other's cannon-fodder.
5
In order to consent to be governed, you need to have a choice. When you take away the guns, you have no choice. They come and drag you off to die by the side of the road. In a feudal state, it is a crime for a serf to own a weapon. Serfs don't consent to be governed and they have no right to protect themselves.
3
Right. Not that many actual serfs in today’s civilized world. Plenty in the world’s high gun access zones run by terrorist warlords. All other “advanced” societies today do consent to be governed by those who can use constitutional powers with awe and grave responsibility. And in those gun-free societies, there are a great many more freedoms than we have. Starting with the freedom from endless mass shootings.
Which kind of society would you yourself like to live in?
3
Anthony thought of others- not himself. Trump thinks ONLY of himself.
6
“I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” - Donald Trump.
That's OK, Donald, not to worry about lost opportunities for Profiles in Courage, you still have time to demonstrate your courage: release all your tax returns. I'm sure a big He-Man like you would not cower at the prospect.
Hey, if that make you a tad nervous I will help bolster you up a bit, I will release all my tax returns side-by-side with you - we can do it together! Is it a deal?
11
When schools are hardened they will need bullet proof doors so someone like Anthony, who bolted the door with his body , will not get shot up,
Make those doors AK-15 proof . And a teacher with a pistol is no match for an AK-15.
Ban the assault weapons as well. Toss out the NRA , have background checks, raise the gun age, end the gun shows, restore the 2nd amendment part about being in a trained militia - we got a lot of work to do.
10
Howard, I like your point that a pistol and an AR15 are not in the same class. Maybe the way to express the idiocy of gun choice is to push for school safety people to be armed with actual machine guns so they can duke it out with attackers. I would never announce my presence to an AR15 wielding active shooter by taking pot shots at him with a pistol. Kalashnikovs are not PC since they are not a US weapon, but they are cheap and can keep up with an AR15. Non-lethal weapons like smoke and tear gas grenades would free users from the challenge of hitting the shooter while missing lots of milling students.
1
Why hasn't his story been told before? A failure of both broadcast and written media- inexcusable.
2
If all the NRA-backed politicians are voted out of office, they just reappear in some fancy lobbying firm down the street. The lobbyists and their corporate masters will continue to further erode the freedoms of this country in the name of, wait for it....shareholder profit. Follow the money.
2
The next time a politician utters the phrase "thoughts and prayers" to the victims of a mass shooting, his next words should be his explanation to his dentist why half his teeth are in his hand and not in his mouth.
5
Do we really have to wait for politicians to do the right thing by fear of voters rather than the N.R.A.? How in the world did we elect such a bunch of unrepresentatives to do as they please, especially the republicans, disregarding the wish, and plea, of the majority of people, in this by now bruised democracy, with uncounted deaths by guns, weapons freely available for the asking? Can't we see that they are political prostitutes that sold their souls, so to keep their miserable seats in congress, totally undeserving? We are living in an institutionalized violence of our own making, currently with coward and hypocrite Trump leading the way. My hat off to Anthony, the only mature guy in the midst of, as you described, political frightened toddlers, shamelessly cowards; if they had one ounce of decency, they would apologize for their inaction and allow real men/women to show the way, to prevent the mowing down of innocent folks at will. Can't they see the N.R.A. is drenched with blood of thousands of people, an awful, and irreplaceable human talent, so the gun lobby can go on selling arms and satisfy their god, greed. What's wrong with American culture (or lack thereof) that makes it so violent, compared with other civilized nations? Are we a psychiatric case, in need of remedy? It sure looks like it. And as surely, felt deeply by those affected.
3
Trump would have run in there but his bone spurs were acting up.
7
No thoughtful human finds it hard to understand what you did. What is difficult to accept is Mr Trump's trivializing.
At 15 you have more courage than Mr Trump has or will, and more than most of his supporters understand.
You are a brave person and one who I respect.
Gracias, señor.
4
Last night on TV I saw and heard a Florida legislator compare the demands of Parkland students for gun safety laws to a demand to end homework. If there are Republicans with functioning minds and consciences why are they not speaking out?
Never mind. I already know the answer to that question.
9
While the high schoolers in Parkland, Fl. speak and act truth to power, the politicians in Washington and across the nation, speak power to ideology, first and foremost. The national welfare is held hostage to rabid ideologues, who cater to a large and ignorant base.
While Nicholas Kristof continues to voice the corruptive influences in this country and around the world, ideologues here and elsewhere drown out this voice by preaching and fostering lies.
I hold my breath on whether this country can survive the reality of a divided nation. So far nothing indicates the possibility of that happening. But hope rises eternally.
Picturing donald being as courageous as Mr. Anthony Borges, when he claimed that he would rush into that school empty handed is surely an example what a simple minded narcissist would say to the roar of his base.
4
Talk about a hero! Where was the Donald when the guns came out? Yammering away before his sycophants about how good he is at ... well ... something er other. He would have done better to visit this hero and ask him what thought about his Presidency. He might have gotten the truth for a change, only to scurry from the room just before the press had a chance to ask him if he was going to take the hero's suggestion and resign.
Anthony Borges for President. God Bless this young man.
2
“I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” huh? Dear fellow readers, surely you’ve read the account of Cadet BoneSpurs at a fundraising dinner for himself at Mar-A-Lago. An older man (in his 80s) experienced some sort of emergency, fell out of his chair and cracked his head on the floor. Blood was everywhere. Our Cadet had to leave the room at the sight of blood.
Mr. Borges, you have been added to my growing list of heroes. As a retired high school teacher, these situations and your reaction hit very, very close to home. You, sir, should give us all hope for the human race.
6
I wonder what the writers of the Constitution and the Bill or Rights would think of the Second Amendment being interpreted as:
The people have no right to regulate a militia of one person.
If you read through the Constitution you will find that the writers knew quite well the difference between “the people” and “a person”.
2
Reading Junior Trump's comments about silencers ("Getting little kids in the game.”) reminds of a recent Stephen Colbert comment. I won't repeat it here because its not likely to be published but it had to do with something not falling far from something else. Regular Colbert viewers should remember it.
1
Had Trump had his way with immigration, this brave young man might never have gotten into this country. How many others would have died had Anthony Borges' family not been allowed into the USA? These stories don't count though. The only story you'll hear from Trump and his like thinking conservatives is the ones about immigrants who have committed crimes (at a rate no higher than citizens born in this country).
3
That teenage student who served as a human shield to protect his classmates during the latest school shooting rampage has more courage in one fingertip than Trump has in his entire bloated bodfy...
20
Is there a Gofundme to help Anthony's family with his medical bills?
6
Trump the 'Hypothetical Hero' brags about hypothetically defending these children after the fact of their slaughter.
To be a 'Hypothetical Hero' is to be a coward.
7
Why are they afraid of NRA? Mr. Kristof, when will you finally grapple with campaign finance related to the tragedies you vividly detail? The media gets huge profits from campaign ads paid by corporate wealth. When will columnists stop avoiding this money factor setting our warped political norms?
How many more heart rending stories, Mr. Kristof? Like “Anthony blocked the door to keep the shooter out. He held his ground even as the attacker opened fire. Shot five times in the legs and torso”
And “The U.S. now has 25 X the gun murder rate of other advanced countries.” Mr. Kristof how much $$ do these countries spend on elections and where do they get it?
We need more than the horror & injustice you fill your columns with, and constant expressions of fury against GOP/Trump, yada yada.
See law professor. media commentator Richard Painter’s past NYT op ed --- “The N.R.A. Protection Racket”---that applies to most issues --- “if US politicians don’t play ball, their donors threaten to run somebody against them in a primary who will”.
See NYT “How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries” –it’s difficult, vs so easy here.
Now trace to who pays for elections. Discuss how many EU nations actually BAN the US style campaign ads that flood our media, costing billions.
They don’t have a powerful gun lobby “calling the shots”, politically for their elected parliaments. They save money and lives. Contrast with US---big money is shredding our democracy and public safety. Any comment, NK?
4
Thanks Nick, but fake forty five won't hear you over the Fox News din. Taking a line from GW Bush (Yeah who knew). "The terrorists (GOP & their subsidiary the NRA) who did this to us we hear all of us soon." 11/6/18! Register and vote.
5
Mr. Kristof should do another article to tell us how Anthony is coping with his health care bills. And how they would be affected by the policies GOP want to pursue in addressing health care. Strange world GOP want us to live in - allow guns on the street, let them injure and at the same time take away the health care. There is no hope here. March 24th will come and go and the guns with unlimited capacities will not be silenced. We as country continue to move in the direction where just a few will determine our fate. A few in NRA, a few who got the biggest tax break, just a few who do not want anything to do with the climate change and the list go on!
5
Another well written article. Was hoping Parkland tragedy and the student's courage would represent a tipping point towards sensible gun control. We need to vote those aligned with the NRA out of office. This fall?
2
I commend this youngster's bravery to the highest degree. I support the 2nd Amendment, but don't see a need for people to have access to, or own semi-automatic weapons, of which the AR-15 is only one of them. Now, would Mr. Kristof also go ahead and condemn the inaction of the ARMED agents outside the school while the gunman was killing innocents inside? Never waste a crisis to score political points.
What is our highest civilian honor? Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Whatever it is. Whoever awards it.
They should be busy (very busy) figuring how to quickly award it to Anthony Borges. He is an American hero deserving all our praise. May he recover well and live a long happy life.
7
This young man's heroism while noble is not very relevant to how most Americans die from gun shot each year.
While the number of mass shootings including schools are on the rise they are still a minority of gun shot deaths in America. Of the 33,000 Americans who die from gun shot every year about 2/3rds are suicides. And 80 percent of suicides are white men who tend to use handguns.
Moreover, there were professional law enforcement officers at this school. Including the armed badged uniform School Resource Officer from the Broward County Sheriff's Office there were reportedly three officers from the Sheriff's Office who arrived while the shooting was going on and remained outside and took cover. With their handguns they were out-gunned by a teen with an AR-15.
2
Why hasn't this young man been visited by high profile politicians? It seems that President Trump, who "said that if he had been on the scene, he would have rushed into the building to confront the shooter" even if he didn't have a weapon would have seized the opportunity to congratulate someone who actually DID confront an armed shooter... but doing so might have undercut his assertion that foreign counties are sending us their worst people...
4
The last sentence says it all except for no one ever mentioning the contributing factor of the gun industry itself. They are as influential as the NRA and not for the good. Someone please call them out.
1
Unfortunately, the views and policies of the NRA has also influenced the subject of suicide prevention and guns. Although there are more than 23,000 firearm suicides each year in the U.S. (40 percent of child gun deaths are suicide and the child gun suicide rate has increased 95 percent between 2007-2016), the nation's most powerful suicide prevention organization has partnered with a leading gun lobby organization and now is "neutral" on any kind of gun legislation. As a survivior of suicide loss, I am inspired by the courage of Anthony Borges and the students of Parkland and look to them for leadership in helping us to save lives by reducing the growing number of gun suicides in our country.
8
I've been watching the news and reading the papers since this particular mass shooting and I never heard a word about Mr. Borges.
Interesting that his coloring is considerably darker than the other students we"ve seen and heard so much about.
Just wondering.......
14
Is Don Jr. out of his mind??? This is, of course, a rhetorical question. The spineless congress and the completely indifferent president are giving this issue nothing more than lip service, even as Anthony lies in his his hospital bed, unable to walk, weeks after the shooting. 45 shoots off his mouth about bravery but has no clue about what bravery really is. I am truly nauseated over this issue. I fear it will take something very personal, like maybe the shooting of a child or relative of a member of Congress, before anything is done. If nothing was done after Gabby Giffords, and then Newtown, I have little hope that the Parkland shooting will change anything. Does no one do the right thing anymore? I’m talking to you, Florida legislators!
11
Florida politicians are counting on people forgetting about Parkland by November. I am betting on them being wrong
8
Sadly when it comes to guns we're a nation of cowards. We've had several opportunities since Columbine to make sensible changes that respect the rights of gun owners while acknowledging that the public has a right to life but when push comes to shove we always blink. When it comes to guns we're a little unhinged. How many people must be slaughtered in one setting for us to finally act.
11
If Donald Jr.is so worried about our hearing, why hasn't he done anything about hair dryers and and leaf blowers, which are assaulting our ears on a daily basis? His concern for our hearing health is a BIG LIE to justify shilling for gun manufacturers, who, I am quite certain, value money over anyone's hearing....or life.
12
'.. sending “thoughts and prayers” and nothing else.'
And really, just how well have all those "thoughts and prayers" helped lower the rate of gun deaths in the U.S.?
5
"I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon" DJT
“It’s about safety,” Trump Jr. explains in a video. “It’s about hearing protection. It’s a health issue, frankly, for me. Getting little kids in the game.” DJTjr.
Are these statements from people who deal with reality?
These are statements from people who are not healthy.
11
It is ironic that 15 year old Anthony showed he cares more about his fellow students by becoming a human shield then the whole of the old, white guys in the Florida Legislator, more than the House and Senate in Washington, more than the Trump Administration and more than the NRA leadership.
A 15 year old boy from Venezuela. Not even from the States.
And the all-American white guy from New York, Donald Jr. is advocating for gun silencers. Striking difference. One boy with a compassionate heart saves lives
and the other privileged white guy, Donald Jr., who is a father by the way, would have silencers available so that no one would know you were coming to shoot them. Junior is a chip off the old block.
I hope when Anthony is healed, that he will seriously put in his life's plan, a run for office. His has the courage we need in this country. No more Trumps, no more Republicans. They have done enough damage.
Thank you Anthony for your courage.
And one more thing, I hope Anthony does not receive a huge bill for his care in the hospital. The Police. the FBI and the NAR, who did not do their jobs should have to pay for this and his rehabilitation, at the very least. He should also receive the Medal of Honor for his service to this country. He was as brave as any soldier who has served their country.
14
I need to make a correction. Anthony is if Venezuelan descent. Not from Venezuela
Sorry for the mistake.
2
Why is it necessary to mention Mr. Borges' Venezuelan descent?
1
Because he might just be someone we would deport as "undesirable".
3
The righteous outrage after Parkland is already subsiding. The cowardly clowns in the White House, House and Senate have had a stern talking-to by La Pierre who warned them not to bite the hand that feeds them.
Instead of showing an ounce of courage they started shining tariffs in our face to take our minds off the slaughter. Let's send the bills for all the funerals and medical costs to the NRA and every politician who accepts money from them.
I hope the kids and parents of Parkland keep calling out the deplorables in the Republican party.
6
Anthony Borges you are a hero. I sincerely hope you recover completely and live long and prosper. May you never have to be that close to a gun again during your lifetime. We will stop the NRA and their guns in your name and the name of others injured or killed by these weapons of destruction.
8
The Florida legislature showed themselves to be cowards and shills for their rich donors and the extremist NRA when they undid their proposed two year ban on assault weapons.
Utterly disgraceful. Cowardly. Everybody knows that no other single measure than banning military assault weapons and high capacity magazines would reduce the carnage and the number of injuries and deaths.
And yet the Florida legislature pretends this isn't so and so failed to pass the assault weapon ban. There are not true public servants carrying out the will of the people. The polls have made clear, there is a bigger majority for the ban of weapons of mass destruction than almost anything you find in a democracy.
And as for the coward that flatters himself that he would have run into that school without a weapon. Please. Bone spur Don? Five military deferments, Don? NO end to how Trump will flatter and deceive himself about who is really is. Pathetic. And don't kid yourself he's afraid of the NRA too, just like those congressman he chided for their fear.
On this one issue alone most of these frauds need to be voted out of office in the upcoming elections. Make no mistake, it is they and Trump who are the disgrace.
6
Does this extraordinary boy have health insurance?
7
What does one do with numbers when, increasingly, they replace human beings in a range of stakeholder mantras. If the numbers in this article are verifiable , and not alt-numbers, 96 Americans die each day because someone’s gun.Just a number! But when 100 people die daily from an opioid overdose, if verifiable,that’s an “epidemic.” And when 25 times as many people die by gun-fire in the US, compared to other advanced countries (cultures ??), since 1970, that’s just a number.And what are the numbers of those selected, “other -people,” named and nameless, Americans and “nons,” who are harmed, daily, dying as well, in our enabled WE-THEY Constitution-based culture? The excluded? Dehumanized, not withstanding Ammendments? The “rightfully” disempowered? And those who are, and remain, marginalized and discriminated against? What are the numbers of the complacent? The willfully blind? Deaf? Willfully ignorant of words and deeds which should not BE in a freedom loving democracy, whatever its population’s nuanced colorations? What are the numbers of the silent who could choose to be rightfully outraged; focusing their energies on creating necessary mutual trust? Mutual respect? Caring? Mutual help, as this young adolescent chose? Are we playing a numbers game?Will this make America great again?1776? Numbers. Graphic symbols?
2
I wanted the NYT, NPR to individually list each name or at best list the numbers that died by grouping them into ages. This in an effort to inure the horror into our heads. NO response so far, just one number that no longer numbs.
" More Americans have died of gun violence.... than in all the wars in American history".
That is a horrifying statistic that should be uniting all Americans, those who read the NYTimes and also the ardent fans of Fox News.
Why has this not happened? The Second Amendment? America's history of the Wild West?
In 2018 why does the NRA carry more political weight than dead school kids?
It is only through the ballot box that America will stop this slaughter.
The Parkland students who challenged politicians receiving blood money from the NRA are showing the way.
6
The NRA would not exist but for the huge amount of money it gets from the Gun industry. Membership dues are a drop in the bucket of the NRA's income. The NRA spends more money buying legislators than it does on its membership. I'm a gun owner but I am totally against the NRA and the possession of guns like the AR-15.
Nikolas Cruz, the shooter, is male. Anthony Borges, the hero, is male. So why does the former represent young men in general, according to more than a few commentators over the past few weeks, but the latter only himself?
1
Meanwhile, Trump has diverted congressional and media attention from guns to a trade war.
5
NRA backed politicians should be afraid. Very afraid. Voters will be hunting them down in November. Start looking for a new job now. The job market is going to be flooded with out of work politicians really soon.
4
We can only hope that you are correct... the deflections and not defections have already started
1
Excellent, thank you. It's a deep sickness rooted in greed. Vote.
2
Any politician with an A or B or C
Rating by the NRA needs to be voted out! The kids will do the right thing . Alleluia
5
Kudos, gratitude, and prayers for this young man. I hope he soon will be able to walk, and will be able to hold his head up high (no rationalization needed.)
These Parkland kids’ stories are amazing and impressive.
Trump, his sleazy cabinet, and gutless Congress......not so much.
6
The children TARGETED by gunmen know that THEY are the prey.
This is a different thing than the fear felt by myself during “duck and cover” bomb scares of my youth.
In countries that have strict gun laws people still get killed by axes and knifes by mentally ill perpetrators.
Guns give an insurmountable advantage to killers, this is stupid in any world.
6
I am going to procure a shoulder firing missle launcher. I have the right to bear arms so why not? Makes as much sense as having an assault rifle. Donald jr. on the silencers. Does he know how dumb he sounds? Nothing is getting done, folks. We just have to hope we aren’t in the wrong place when the next one happens.
6
Donald Jr. and other pro-silencer people are not the least concerned with hearing loss. i regularly practice at the local gun range. i use a headset style hearing protector. It works very well.
1
Trump, Trump Jr. and the GOP continue to show their cowardice. There is no bar too low for them to crawl under. Hopefully 2018 elections will send them packing.
5
Kristof's excellent article paints the sharp contrast between a courageous and brave Borges and a Cowardly Trump. This article destroys any notion of Trump's worthiness as a President.
4
“I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.” - Trump. Right. He can't even admit to starting an affair in the months following his son's birth. He is a coward on so many levels.
5
This 15 year old stood up to a killer. When a man rushed the stage where trump was speaking trump ran like a scared rabbit. Which of the two would you call a hero? My vote is for the 15 year old man, not the 70 year old boy.
5
The only way to beat NRA is to elect more pro-gun control members of congress this November. Folks, let’s make up our minds and DO IT!
4
A rough calculation: The United States has more that 33,000 gun-related deaths annually -- homicides, suicides, accidental shootings. The United Kingdom has about 150. If the U.S. had the U.K.'s rate of gun deaths, we would have about 750 gun deaths annually, not 33,000, more than 32,000 fewer than we actually have.
The difference? The U.K. has very strict gun ownership laws; the U.S. has the Second Amendment.
Doesn't it take real blinders to not see that the Second Amendment is the real problem, perhaps costing 32,000 U.S. lives annually?
The Second Amendment isn't worth it. Let's get rid of it.
1
"This will change only when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the N.R.A."
And politicians will only be more afraid of voters than they are of the N.R.A. when Citizens United is overturned.
4
As long as there is no profound cultural change happening in America, the nation will be condemned to Gun Terror Under The Second Amendment. Let's rid our everyday language from all and any reference to The Gun, for starters. Kids need a fair chance at good education, not a "shot". Movies are made, not "shot". A model is at a photo session, not a "shooting". I am happy to tell my business associate to simply send me the email with the latest numbers instead of "shooting" it to me. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger states that language is the abode of being. The Gun is so deeply ingrained in American culture (Being) that it is an integral part of the nation's language. So, let's undertake the effort and start right with ourselves, by purging The Gun from our daily language. It's our moral duty to give it a chance. No shot needed. Over time, hopefully, we might achieve what failed legislative attempts have not and never will: saving human lives. In addition, let's call the NRA for what it is: a Domestic Terror Organization.
1
Sadly, Mr. Kristof's last sentence sums it up.
1
Anthony should be at next year's state of the union address. When Trump announces that we finally have background checks.
Anthony Borges is undoubtedly a hero, no question about that. However, Mr. Kristof tries to use Borges' heroism as a framework for bashing the President and policies with which Mr. Kristof disagrees. The article and resulting comments raise several issues.
The students who appear on TV have been carefully selected and prepared; they are not chosen at random from the student body at large and they do not simply walk into a TV studio and start talking extemporaneously. Their appearances and presentations are part of a well-funded and extensive anti-gun effort. (No, I am not an NRA member and yes, I do believe in regulating the possession of guns.)
Most Americans have nothing against LEGAL immigrants; indeed, most of us are descendants of legal immigrants. It is the ILLEGAL ALIENS who, by definition, are in this country illegally, to whom most Americans object, and who create an insupportable drain on American resources.
American taxpayers cannot remotely afford to meet the needs of deserving and needy American citizens: veterans, the elderly, the infirm, the disabled. It is therefore folly to suggest that we should allow illegal immigrants into this country, or permit them to stay in this country, or support them; no country in the world has enough resources to afford that.
4
Mon Ray You are completely wrong about the students from Parkland. They were not "selected and prepared". They are simply students who lived through a horrific time and have chosen to speak out against Legislators who refuse to protect them.
I am also speaking out here in Cincinnati Ohio about gun violence. The only ones who "chose" me were the shooter and the Legislators who have over the years enabled people like him.
Yes, I too was "chosen" to speak out....My granddaughter Jaime Guttenberg was one of the students murdered in Parkland and I, and my family, will not rest until we help stop the carnage that has gone on for far to long..
7
So your response to this news is to bash immigrants?
If this hero had been named John Smith and had light skin you'd be singing his praises unreservedly. Thank goodness Anthony Borges is a citizen or you'd be complaining about Americans getting stuck with his medical bills. ICE would be swooping in to deport him.
For shame.
This young man is a national hero.
His fellow students who are speaking up at great personal risk to their own well being are also heroes.
4
What an opportunist response! You're missing the point: the young man has more courage than the entire Congress of the United States, and a President who never worked an honest day in his life!
The point is that immigrants are not the depraved bunch that the President makes them out to be publicly. There are youngsters alive today because this young man did the brave act that saved others. Far from being a drain on American resources, this young man gave life to many who are American citizens. Oh, the cruel irony of it.
Yes, we need a rational immigration and guest worker program in this country. This kid could probably fashion that policy better than the wimpy Republicans and Democrats who are more worried about their campaign contributions than the welfare of our nation. And make no mistake: our country is "off the rails" at the moment, but it WILL come back. 2018 people! VOTE! Get the "do nothing but harm" Republicans out of office!
4
Hearing Protection Act?
Is that the legislation that protects legislators from hearing the screams of children and teen-ages facing a gunamn who is shooting at them?
Are the men in Congress already protected from hearing the voices of parents of victims? Are they protected from any moral concern about the right of young people to live and grow up and learn in a safe environment ? If silencers are legalized we must abandon any hope that this Congress and this president and his cabinet will show any compassion and any sense of duty to protect citizens. Shame.
1
I live in the Kansas City area, near the state line between Kansas and Missouri. This morning immediately upon turning on the news I heard about 3 policemen getting shot in Clinton, MO by citizens who placed an emergency call for their help. It makes me sick to hear about this. The same thing happened in the same town recently, also. Seems to me these shooters shouldn’t have guns any more than Nickolas Kruz in FL should have them. WE NEED GUN CONTROL!! I understand the reason for the 2nd amendment, but guns and many gun owners are out of control. Our government needs to put some controls in place!
1
There is a Go Fund me page for the Stoneman Douglas Victim's fund. A donation there will help this young man and the others who were injured and the families of those lost.
Very few adults care about children. 9 responses in an hour. Another NYT column got over a hundred in a twenty minute portion of that same hour. That column was about a very rich man who got what he wanted from Trump and walked away. He don't care about schools becoming killing fields nor do the voyeuristic commentators on that silly column. Where is are breaking point for the lives of our children.
3
Suicides are a symptom of a societal disease. This has been shown and known for more than a hundred years. Same is true for terrorist acts, same for assassinations, same for mass shootings. They are not just individual perpetrator’s issue. They don’t “just happen”, as many other countries are testament to.
America, collectively, does not want to admit something is rotten at the core of its society.
We won't be able to find it, because a single cause for the killings does not exist - it is not assault weapon availability, nor mental health, nor inadequate background checks, nor income equality, nor family disintegration, nor teenage bullying, nor lack of opportunity, nor culture of violence, nor celebration of warriors, nor permanent state of war, nor alleged police incompetence, nor lack of communal spirit, nor - one can go for a long time …
But - yes - if we put all this and more together - United States are a sick, unhealthy society. Symptoms are everywhere, if one just bothers to look. They start at the Head of State level and go down to the drug infested middle and high schools of suburbs and armed gangs of inner cities alike.
How shall America heal itself, I don’t know. I do know it won’t be until something drastic happens and its population starts to understand the gravity of the disease we all are living daily. I'm not looking forward to that day.
1
In the November 2018 Election, I will NOT vote for any candidate who is taking, or who has taken campaign donations from the NRA. [That info will be available; or I will find it.]
2
i fear it will take a while for politicians to be more afraid of voters than the NRA. In India at election time votes are bought with a chicken or a sari. In America votes are bought with phony tax cuts. The American voter can be so gullible.
2
On the average, there is a shooting spree in which four or more people are killed or wounded every day in the United States. Half the world's firearms are in the United States. There are more gun stores than McDonald Restaurants and Starbucks combined. 33,000 Americans are killed by bullets every year. As Jesus said, "A nation that lives by the sword will perish by the sword." My advice to young Americans is to leave the USA, as I did fifty years ago, and start your lives over in a less violent country.
6
Bravery and courage are not part of Trumps lexicon. He and Lapierre are cut from the same cowardly cloth. It's rough and touch to tell what you would have done - had you been there. Trumps tough talk about what he will do with the NRA will disappear like a puff of smoke from a discharged AR-15. He has no convictions of his courage. I wish Anthony a speedy recovery. This should have never happened.
4
What our generation does not understand, is that Anthony and h is peers are just as courageous if not more so than the past century of suffragettes, civil rights activists, and equal rights proponents. I see this ferocious courage in my students everyday. A new wave is coming that will drown out this post baby boomer wave of greedy hypocrites and sycophants who would betray our country, our country's youth, and our country's future for the ideologies of power, control and wealth. Shame on these hollow windbags and shallow legislatures. It is ironic but fitting that so many are save by a Venezuelan immigrant who knows full well what dictatorships can do to a country. Anthony your simple courage is inspiring and we are grateful. God speed your healing.
8
You want to be a hero Trump? Pay for this kids medical bills.
And no, with the extreme damage done by these high velocity bullets that should never have been legal, this kid is probably not going to walk again.
6
Anthony Borges is an amazing young man - selfless, courageous, heroic. To think that he STILL will not feel safe in his city, state and country is deeply disturbing.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, but I wish every legislator and congressional representative could feel the terror of those children, the terror of an assault rifle being aimed directly at THEM, wielded by a maniac on psych meds. If wishes were horses...
3
Our politicians won't care about solving the gun problem until all of them have one of their own loved ones destroyed by an AR-15. Until that happens, it's just an abstraction to them and they'll continue to care only about whatever opinion they can spout that will keep them in power.
1
Let's add to the fact that the Trump Admin may deport his parents and not provide adequate healthcare since he now has a "pre-existing condition." Really, the Trump family is cowardice in action, mind, body, and on paper.
4
It is indeed Trump turn to end this madness of uncontrolled gun accessibility and gun violence. As a conservative Republicans I support fully control of guns and even the outright ban of weapons that have but one purpose, mass slaughter. The NRA position that any gun control is a attack on the rights of Americans to bear arms is ludicrous. President Trump stand by your promise and achieve something that will save young lives.
4
Bravo!!
Lawmakers paraded around their Steve Skalise and made him out to be such a hero!
They should all be required to visit 15 year old Anthony, who actually is a hero. And if they can step away from him without doing anything about gun laws, they should automatically lose their next elections. We dare them!
5
'When politicians are more afraid of voters than the NRA'. In that case the NRA has nothing to worry about. It's supporters show up on every election to vote for pro gun candidates. Gun control advocates don't vote with anywhere near the same intensity or on this single issue no matter how many kids are killed. If only they could be taught that voting matters.
This is a staggering statistic," ...since 1970, more Americans have died of gun violence, including murders, suicides and accidents (1.4 million), than in all the wars in American history (1.3 million)."
It completely debunks the argument that we need more guns for personal protection when the increase in guns demonstrably results in more deaths from guns. We don't need to worry about Russia or any other world power as a threat, we are our own greatest existential threat.
3
No one would expect Cadet Bone Spurs to show courage. He showed what he was made of when he dodged the draft with his specious bone spurclaimt. In Donald Trump's mind, protecting Donald Trump and his personal interests, including NRA campaign contributions, is more important than any number of other people's lives.
1
It is not necessary to repeal the Second Amendment as long as we recognize the NRA interpretation is an egregious fraud - junk scholarship designed to advance private profit over public good. Remember even conservative Chief Justice Warren Burger openly called the NRA interpretation of the Second Amendment "fraud."
The Second Amendment did not grant the American people the right to bear arms. They already had that right under the English common law, but it was never an unlimited right. The right to bear arms for self defense had to be balanced against the government's rightful power to regulate arms in the interest of public safety.
The Second Amendment was a response by slave states to the Commander in Chief clause. Slave states feared an anti-slavery president would use the powers under that clause to disarm slave state militias. Slave states relied on their militias to keep a police state style surveillance over slaves and suspected anti-slavery activists.
It is perhaps unsurprising that this poorly worded amendment, created to protect slave states' police state style militias, has now been warped into a system for holding the American people hostage to an egregiously greedy and corrupt arms industry.
5
According to today's Times, a congressman from Utah wants to name a highway after Donal Trump. I suggest that the highway be named after Anthony Borges. It's the very least that can be done for this genuine American hero.
1
Many who oppose gun regulations either hyperventilate about the sanctity of the second amendment (too bad these folks don’t pay attention to all the words in the amendment) or lament that since so many guns are “out there” it would be impossible to limit gun ownership (given the right price, I think many would respond to a gun buyback). This young man featured in this story contradicts almost every lie promoted by this administration- from the young man’s heritage to his willingness to do the right thing, no matter what the cost to him personally. I hope his healthcare covers the cost of his horrific injuries—just think how much money his heroism saved —how many more kids would have been shot had he not shielded them—and I hope that Trump spares some time from his weelky golf games to visit a victim that would be difficult to use in his re-election campaign literature or his twitter page.
1
With 300 million guns in circulation in the US, and several million of those being so called "assault weapons," the only gun control measure that would possibly deter any determined criminal or nut-case from obtaining a gun would be total confiscation of all firearms. So, once you anti-gun folks get your assault weapons ban, that will just be the start. Semi-auto handguns will be next. And then, as soon as a typical hunting shotgun is involved in a school shooting, you'll come after those as well. Why don't you just admit it?
Dudley, Kind of sad that due to your bizarre fears of losing your guns you cannot take part in thinking about solutions to what many people feel is a real challenge. AR15s are widespread and greatly loved by their owners. The biggest societal issue with AR15s is that occasionally (and it is becoming more frequent) some young guy shoots lots of kids in a school somewhere. This is the copycat crime of the moment, although we remain equally vulnerable in shopping centers, beaches and sports events. The solution is tough to think about, although people like you might well come up with clever directions. The murder, robbery and suicide issue is also with us and some parts of this are particularly problematic in urban areas. Fortunately, we do not currently have the high rates of armed robbery that came with crack, but that could happen again as people vary their drug of choice. This also requires some thoughtful solutions, and Atlanta is certainly one of the many places where this is a concern. Sure would be better to have you thinking about the challenges and proposing solutions that dont stir gun control angst.
I think it's 'our' turn. The teachers of West Virginia stood up. Anthony Borges stood up. When will We the People?
The conservative right-wing can no longer try and hide behind some idea of being better or more spiritual; for they have given us Trump and continue to support him. That must be some kind sin.
Equality and compassion and community and love. We are that and we can achieve that. But, we cannot love money and fight like dogs for wealth and property and power. We cannot do both of those.
We've help create a system of corruptions where the richest hire lobbyists, lawyers, politicians, media, judges, etc. to get their way. The latest tax cuts are a great/terrible example. The poor Republicans that vote for these guys are not without blame. They must know that voting for the rich is not right. Moneychangers are not the answer. Sometimes the issues of guns and abortion are just excuses to not see all the other issues and sins of their politicians, starting with the President.
Trump will go down in history as the worst. Worst President. Worst person. Worst example of America.
We all don't need to be 'heroes', just be good and kind and stand for what you know is right. Be humble. Help US.
2
The president certainly does not share the moral and physical courage shown by Anthony and his schoolmates, nor do other Republicans in office. They'd rather have children die than cross the NRA, which uses every mass shooting as an excuse to make more money for gun manufacturers. It's really this simple and stark: These Americans do not value children's lives or, really, anyone else's.
5
Moving and Powerful. And yes infuriating.
2
Politicians are likely to be "more afraid of voters than the NRA" as long as so many voters fall unquestioningly in line behind Democratic politicians, most of whom are and have for decades been incurable cowards. It is little use replacing a few Republicans in government with Democrats who then let the Republicans walk all over them, again and again and again.
2
Gruesome comic books, violent movies, TV shows that failed to preach morals, rock n roll, the Internet, and video games. What do they have in common? They have all been blamed for youthful misbehavior in my lifetime.
Tens of millions of children have engaged with these media over 60 years, but the vast majority have gone on to live decent lives free of homicidal outbursts. Our gun-industry apologists are once again chasing the wrong varmint up the wrong tree. Let the president meet with video game execs, if it makes him feel better. But it's not going to make any difference to the real-life gun violence threatening the American public, and let's not pretend it will.
70
The NRS is nothing more than a shill for the gun and ammunition manufactures. I'm not sure why it has the power over gun owners to see that they are being taken for a ride. There has to be a better way.
1
sure Cadet Bone Spurs would have runin unarmed, and I will be
playing center for the Knicks although I am shorter than Slater
Martin.
2
Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a ...
matter of life and death, can we refocus on the ban on research into gun violence? Repeal this stupid, head-in-the-sand, smoke screen measure to shield the gun industry.
I gots to know!
2
Trump will probably order Jeff Sessions to deport Anthony.
2
But - but Trump said he wished he’d been there so he could’ve gone after the gunman! Donny saaaid!....
If any of Trump's toadies bring this moving and inspiring story to our illiterate President's fickle attention, you can bet that Trump will do everything he can to rush to Anthony Borges's side and try to suck off the attention belonging entirely to Mr. Borges.
2
On March 24th I will be at the University of Arizona campus to march against gun violence in the March For Our Lives. I hope my congresswoman Martha McSally (R) will be there as well. (that was a joke) For all Tucsonans and Arizonans who cherish the lives of our children and want them to be able to go to school without fear of being murdered, I hope you will be on campus to lend support to this vital cause. Then I encourage you all to march to the polls in November to give your voice its real power.
5
See you there! As a grandparent, this March is the most important thing in my life. We must protect the children.
1
"covfefe" and his NRA-GOP think themselves heroes for supporting domestic terrorism committed by combat murder weapons, and will never let an actual hero like Borges get in the way of record sales for their AR-15 Rubio.
The Senator that now shares that gun's name (thank you, Sarah Chadwick!) says that lots of people "buy into my agenda". Sadly, after every such terrorist attack, lots of gun zealots and future murders do just that by buying their very own Rubios. Let's fix that in November with a cleansing Sane-ami.
4
It's pathetic, isn't it? "...run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon." At best it would have been an accidental stumble through the doorway, but we would have witnessed a 360 pirouette par excellence worth witnessing, leaving us all amazed at how fast this gutless human being can exit from any responsibility for anything he doesn't want to be blamed for...
1
Every Republican who supported concealed carry reciprocity should have his or her tongue cut out the next time they pretend to be the party of states rights. Same for Jefferson Beauregard Weasel, that unregenerate Confederate attacking California’s reluctance to spend its resources enforcing federal law. If he is such a believer in the law, why hasn’t he started to press charges against Dirty Donny for charging the Government for golf carts etc. at his courses, or bringing charges against the Administrator of the GSA for not cancelling the hotel lease.
3
Dear Nick,
We are at war and the people representing us could care less. They are conservatives and are only interested in protecting their seats.
This statistic says all you need to know: since 1970, more Americans have died of gun violence, including murders, suicides and accidents (1.4 million), than in all the wars in American history (1.3 million).
This madness has to stop and the only place where we can fight this madness is to vote this November. #resist #neveragain
4
I could scarcely read to the end without my anger boiling up and over. A boy of 15 takes the bullets meant for his classmates. And the "president" said "I would have gone in unarmed." You know, it's always the bravest guys who, distanced from the drama, speak the cruelest words.
Anthony Borges lies in a hospital bed and may never walk again. Donald Trump sits in a bathroom in his gilded bedroom, eating double-cheeses, washing them down with diet Cokes while watching the state-run Fox Propaganda Service, and all he can do is...nothing.
This time, it seems less like a debate (have we ever really had one?) about gun control than it is about manhood. No. 45, long ago, ran from combat because his heels hurt. This young boy, frightened, stood manfully in front of his fellow-scholars. If anything, this impostor of a president should step up and put by the hissing fit that the NRA would certainly visit upon him if he should--however timidly--back away from the full-throated roar of Second Amendment protections that has poisoned the national DNA since, oh, 1776.
When nothing was done after Newtown; when nothing was done after Charleston; when nothing was done after San Bernardino; when nothing was done after Umpqua in Oregon; when nothing was done after Sutherland Springs; when nothing was done after Las Vegas; the roll call of slaughter continues and "we, the people," have had enough. Our "representatives," though defer to the NRA.
And the "president" hides in his bedroom.
7
How ironic that Anthony is of Venezuelan descent! For Venezuela right now is allowing its children to die slowly from disease and malnutrition. America has a stranger but quicker way, as poor Anthony found out: schools as killing fields.
1
"the president and congressional leaders dillydallying on the sidelines, sending “thoughts and prayers” and nothing else."
Also don't forget the media (NYT and others) will essentially give free advertising of the gun companies' products and use these victims to sell associated ad clicks that lead consumers to websites that sell the same guns and products this article complains about. Can you understand the hypocrisy?
1
Only a few weeks out and already the feckless GOP cowards led by their blowhard, lying leaders seem ready to resume business as usual - line their pockets with lobbyist NRA blood money and talk about disgustingly inappropriate programs focusing on "school safety." POTUS, he the one who would run into the school and take on the assault-weapon wielding demon, has moved on as well - he all to too eager to sweep gun control under the rug while innocent victims once again needlessly suffer and their voices are once again ignored. Well, prayers and hollow condolences don't work anymore and it is well past time for voters to hear the voices of those maimed and scarred forever - the parents, children, loved ones of victims - and stop supporting the legislators and government personnel who continue to line their pockets with NRA blood money. Identify them and vote them out of office ASAP.
2
Of course the bone spur President would have run into the school unarmed. This is about as believable as some politician running into a burning building without fire gear...
Oh, yes. That was Senator Booker when he was Mayor of Newark.
How about Cory become President and the Don becomes Mayor of Newark??
6
Trump's approach is to go with whatever the NRA wants. The result will be "#MAGA" : Make America GRIEVE Again"
3
When it comes to actual courage, Cadet Bone Spurs of the 101st Chairborne, Fighting Tweeter Division, is AWOL.
7
... When children behave as adults and adults behave like toddlers ... The lack of spine in Florida and Washington is breathtakingly putrid. Once again, murdered children fail to impel public servants to lead.
5
The second amendment calls on the government to regulate the people who "keep and bear arms" into a "well-regulated militia". Today we have about 30% of American households with private arsenals and zero responsibility to the government to be that "well-regulated militia".
Rather than trying to regulate the hardware make sure that everyone who has or wants a gun is a fully screened, trained, qualified and disciplined member of the state militia/police. They already know how to screen applicants as well as assess and train them. As far as the infamous "assault weapons" that would require additional screening and training as well as regulation of the individuals who are certified to keep and bear them.
While some will argue that the militia clause is out-of-date, no it isn't. That clause says that the founders of this nation understood that people have to be regulated. If someone cannot qualify to be a police officer, why should that person be allowed to keep and bear deadly weapons? Even Texas recognizes that armed teachers would first have to qualify just as police officers do.
It time to enforce the entire second amendment, not just the words the NRA likes.
6
The unarmed must have the power to vet those who are to be armed to protect their own liberty and property.
'The world turned upside down: Armed law enforcement officers dawdled outside during the shooting, but a 15-year-old kid without any weapon at all used himself as a human shield to protect his classmates.'
I am totally in favor of gun controls, but I think the key in this, and many issues, is demostrated in the above statment: the key is not to be found in guns or the absence of them, but in moral values. Let's forbid guns, but let's focus on a moral education, and in building an ethical society, where children grow surrounded by love and values
3
I wish our president was as heroic and as brave as this 15-year-old high school student. We need action, not pretty words.
5
While the FL House made some progress yesterday and passed some measures, they fell embarrassingly short by not disallowing high capacity rounds and automatic and semi-automatic weapons. But some progress is better than none. PLEASE, Governor Scott, sign the bill; protect our citizens, especially the children. Maybe other states and the federal government will start to follow suit.
1
Anthony Borges' story brings me to tears. What can we do for him?
4
I would like to think I would act like Anthony Borges and use whatever I had available to thwart a gunman threatening the people I care about. My grandchildren deserve a life.
The real key to this problem is not how we might act as individuals in defense of our kith and kin. The problem is how we enlarge the circle of people we care about. My grandchild deserves a life but so does yours and our neighbor's. And so does the Syrian child in Goutha.
If I knew the armed juggernaut was lumbering toward my grandchild, I would do whatever I could do to stop it, change its course or slow it down. Banning assault weapons and extended magazines and requiring universal background checks would be done in a flash.
Let the closing lines from John Donne's No Man is an Island ring out in the land:
"Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee."
They are all our children.
2
It is amazing that we have laws requiring parents to buckle their kids into specially-made car seats and to purchase helmets for them to wear when they ride a bicycle, but cannot seem to bring ourselves to protect these same kids from school shooters. This is utter madness: we need a federal assault weapons ban, a ban on high capacity magazines, a background check system that includes ALL weapons purchases together with a reasonable waiting period, and a requirement that a gun buyer be 21 years old.
5
One perspective is to look at Anthony Borges and think: "well, this kid is only 15; he's not fully mature, he was acting instinctively; he's a hero, most of the other kids would not have done what he did, but if he were an adult, would he have acted in the same way?"
This view is not meant to downgrade the actions of Mr. Borges, but rather to get us thinking about the value of our lives. What are we here for, anyway?
As we age up, we are burdened with ever more duties. We get married and have kids. We are promoted to positions of greater responsibility in our jobs. We have friends and community responsibilities and commitments.
And as we get older, a feeling develops that we are more important, simply because we have managed to live longer. We have gained knowledge and experience, so we should stay around so that others may benefit from our acquired wisdom. We are needed.
So what would you have done if you were placed in this same position with a shooter? Would you readily respond in the same way that President Trump has: that you would rush into the school, unarmed, and take on the assailant? Would he have done so, in reality? Would you? What, exactly, would you be thinking about at that moment?
It's not so easy, is it? If we could all be more like Mr. Borges, we would live in a better world. The question is: do we want that badly enough to overcome ourselves? If so, then we must act, as much as we can.
Can’t we at least rein in our politicians? Why not?
1
Please write about the health care costs related to gun shots. Survivors have thousands of dollars in medical bills. For most GOP members, money seems so much more important than people. Perhaps that will make a difference.
3
Mr. Kristof says the present situation will change only when politicians are more afraid of the voters than the NRA. The best way to do that is to target politicians who take money from that loathsome organization and vote them out of office. The one thing most politicians don't want to be is ex-politicians.
3
Mr. Kristof got it right when he wrote " (Mr. Trump), really? Even though he is armed with the power of the White House, he still doesn't have the guts to confront the NRA". As we all can see, the emperor wannabe, has no clothes when it comes to just about anything of substance, and literally has no guts either. Yes it would have been great if he had run in, brave soul that he isn't!
1
Nick, I share your sense of outrage. This is an absolutely maddening time to be an American.
Anthony, you are a much finer person than Trump, and our country is lucky to have people like you. Your courage and bravery are commendable. Best wishes for a full recovery from your injuries, and best of luck in all your future endeavors.
1
Yes, Mr. Kristof,
it will change when politicians are afraid of voters than NRA. But How?
when 35% deplorable voters equate AR-15 and other automatic rofles to the second amendment
when many GOP leaders think shooters are liberals and demcrats
when voters become self centric - I am ok with it as long as it does not hit me or my family directly
when the current president born with silver spoon always follows money legally or illegally
when the white house deals with nonsense staff than the national issues
This young man knowingly offered up his life to save others. He is a genuine American Hero. The very least the Nation should do is recognize it and praise it at the highest level of our government.
3
Why should the politicians be afraid of voters when voters either don't vote, or believe a draft dodger when he says he would have run into the building unarmed? The NRA is a single-issue society, and their success hinges on this one thing: they don't get involved with other issues. For voters, there are myriad issues clogging up the thinking process. Gun safety is one of dozens, and the public is so easily manipulated by advertisers that many still believe Hilary Clinton ran a child sex ring from the basement of a pizza parlor.
Congress has feathered its nest so well over the years that losing one's position in Congress is what most Congressmen are afraid of. And it's not the campaign contributions from the NRA that they fear losing, it's the primary battle. Any member who chooses to go against the will of the NRA risks a very well-funded opponent in the next primary, so even Republicans in safe Republican districts are not safe if they vote contrary to the NRA's wishes.
As we see time and time again, the issue is money in politics. We need publicly funded elections and a much, much shorter election season. And we could use some well informed voters - something America hasn't had much of since Fox "News" began polluting the airwaves.
4
Anthony Burgess and the president: actions speak louder than words. Thank you Anthony for your courage!
3
The present infusion of energy into the movement for ballistic sanity derives entirely from the furious will to survive exhibited by Anthony, but look to your left, look to your right. The implacable resistance, from public health to personal health to mental health to environmental health, the implacable refusal is Republican. Now, let them take credit for that.
1
Anthony Borges did something that is counter-intuitive for most of us: he willingly faced gunfire because his courage and concern for others was stronger than self-preservation.
2
I take serious exception with your definitive statement that 'universal background checks... is the single step that would make the most difference'.
HIPPA would prevent most therapists from disclosing their fears about individual patients who pose extraordinary risks. I'm appalled that virtually everyone in the mainstream media, including you, are overlooking this obvious, and significant obstacle.
Ban semi-automatic weapons and bump stocks. It does not remedy the problem but it significantly limits the carnage one is capable of accomplishing. Most trained police officers 'miss' their targets when shooting a single shot weapon. I suspect that the numbers are the same or worse for civilians bent of shooting random strangers.
Courage comes in all sizes, ages, and ethnicities. How proud his family must be of him. We often use the word "hero" too loosely, but Anthony at great personal risk, saved lives. HE IS A HERO.
3
Anthony, you're the kind of person that the president wishes and fantasizes that he is. You acted bravely and instantly in a situation that most people would run from. How many people would react in the way you did ? You set an example for personal courage. I, and my entire family wish you a complete speedy recovery. You are our new American hero.
Wishing you a long, healthy, and prosperous life.
2
Thank you for shining light on this brave young man that may have saved several lives. Trump should follow in his footsteps and take a risk for people who really need it.
1
I understand that politics is difficult. Mr. Trump feels that he has to keep the good opinion of the (waning amount of) supporters he has left. However, I fear that Mr. Trump and most people in Congress right now have their priorities disturbingly misplaced. I hope they know their positions mean nothing if they cannot pass legislation to make real change. I hope they know that any mildly-intelligent person can see through this facade of "Gun politics are actually so much more complex than any of you common people could know."
A 15 year old child risks his life to save other children, while Trump and the Republican Congress won't even risk their political careers.
So much for a traditional conservative values.
3
A brave boy. I hope he grows up to be a wonderful person, and I believe he will. Never give up!
Everyone else, register and VOTE!!
3
Great column...I am the grandmother of 14 year old Jaime Guttenberg who was murdered at school in Parkland on February 14th.
I am pleading with the mostly Republican member of Congress, who have the power to stand up to the NRA and do the right thing. And do it today. Every day brings new reports of gun deaths so there is no time to waste.
They know what to do,
Ban assault style weapons and high capacity magazines for public use,
Expand background checks,
Raise the age limit at least to 21 (It is 27 in Israel for those not in the military)
Register guns sold in gun shows, etc.
These things should be done quickly so other families do not go through what to many have gone through, most recently in Parkland .
Mr. President and Congress, it is time to do the right thing.
6
So sorry for your loss. Must be doubly tragic to lose her to a nonsensical act of violence and then watch politicians argue about assault guns.
2
I hope Anthony and his family do not have to pay the medical treatment he receives. If so, does someone have a fund going? I'll be happy to contribute.
2
Mr. Kristof: Thank you for writing about this young man. However, I think you might want to flip the page and read the letter printed today in the Times, authored by Joel Savishinsky, and take it to heart. He writes “It shouldn’t be necessary to vilify one generation to support claims of another one.” There are people alive today in all generations who have acted heroically. Or with cowardice. Sometimes, if not usually, one person will do both at various times in life.
Absent details and an opportunity to face a specific challenge yourself, it’s probably best not to judge-as you have done in this column re the “Armed law enforcement officers [who] dawdled outside during the shooting.” This reads like a statement from Trump. I suppose Nick Kristof would have charged into the school and taken care of business?
Cowardice is fueled by greed and thirst for power and privilege, among other things. Florida legislators fit this, but there is absolutely no reason to lump these older people with law enforcement officers. The proportion of millennials who will lead lives characterized by heroism will be no different from the proportion of other generations who have done so. Is there really any value in twisting the 2nd amendment battle into a war between generations?
Here’s to all the Parkland action kids! Anthony is a true hero in every sense who risked his own life to save loads of lives. His classmates have woke Florida to hopefully save many more. But there is still another grownup in the way of their Florida success. Talk to the governor kids. There’s much more to be done...kids, more help please? We grownups can’t get much done, and we just keep making the place worse.
1
We need more people like Anthony Borges, and far fewer people like Trump. To hold that classroom door while being shot and enduring horrible pain is almost beyond most people's capacity to imagine. And on the other end of the scale there's Donald-How-Do-We-Know-He's-Lying-Trump, moving his lips making totally false claims about his own supposed bravery (right). We all know he could never be as courageous as Anthony Borges. Anthony Borges is a born leader who performed one of the most heroic actions I've ever heard about--all the more so because he made the decision consciously without worrying about himself.
If there is a place to make contributions for Mr. Borges health care and physical therapy I hope the NY Times makes that info front page news so we can all be enabled to honor and support Anthony as he so richly deserves.
3
Thank you, Mr. Kristofferson for highlighting the heroism of immigrant from Venezuela, Anthony Borges. Let's keep him in the public eye to support and protect him. His valor is the counter narrative to nativists.
3
I hope you and others will follow the young people who were physically wounded at our most recent massacre. This courageous young man is at the very beginning of what will likely be a complicated recovery in all senses. His is only one story of the devastation caused by guns. Please continue putting a face on this story about the aftermath of gun violence. The aftermath is very real for Anthony, his family, friends, teachers, community. Make it real for your readers, please.
1
I'm a lifelong Democrat who is tired of hearing liberals and progressives opine about how we all have to unite. However, it's the NRA that has the superb organization that liberals and progressives lack. This is an organization whose members contribute money, show up at demos and at state capitals, and contact their representatives when asked. Time to adopt NRA means for much more progressive ends. If liberals and progressives ever united like that, there wouldn't be an NRA at all. It's time for liberals and progressives to ask themselves, why can't we organize ourselves the way the NRA organizes its members.
4
We can, and do. What we don't have is lobbying power to throw millions of dollars at Congress. Get it? Money
Since the 1970s the country has decided they agree with being an oligarchy rather than a democracy. The majority of the people are appalled at the amount of gun violence in this country, but the oligarchs find it to be a great wedge issue to keep us divided so they can continue to rule in secrecy. They pay the right wing media to gin up fear. Fear of people of color. Fear of government. Fear of those who don't attend their church. Fear of their neighbors. Then they claim that guns will solve all of those fearful problems.
In the end a few hundred thousand dead kids just give them more ammunition (pun intended) with which to gin up more fear and distrust.
1
We Americans have so little control over our own government that we can't even get laws passed to protect us from the NRA and it's gun loving supporters.
Trump is lying when he claims he would run in and save the day even if he had no weapon. He would do the same as most of us and save his own life.
That's why he and I both evaded the draft so we wouldn't be killed in Vietnam. Both LBJ and Nixon tried to draft me into Vietnam before my draft board approved my conscientious objection work as a psychologist in a community mental health center. After that the district attorney in Los Angeles, Evelle Younger, went to court to overturn my c.o. status with some success. When I appeared at my army physical exam screening, I was immediately disqualified by a civilian doctor, apparently because my anti war attitude would present a threat to the other soldiers when I questioned orders to take a hill or follow someone into battle.
If your survival instinct is too strong, you won't make a very good soldier!
Even the wounded young man's attorney in florida asked why he would risk his life when obviously hardly anyone else would.
1
There are 5 million members of the NRA. They are outnumbered 64 to 1 by the rest of us. Change will come when the majority in favor of gun safety speak up as loudly and as often as the NRA advocates.
2
If Obama was president, he would have visited Anthony Borges in the hospital and invited him to the White House. He would have told the country what a hero Anthony is.
Instead we have a president who tells us a deluded fantasy about how brave he would have been under fire.
That we can't get the simplest gun control law passed tells us how far we have sunk as a nation. We know the facts. There's nothing to debate. Fewer guns means less gun violence.
Republicans in Congress (and some Democrats) are responsible for the murder of thousands of people every year. And so are the people who vote for them.
3
Mr Kristof, thanks for waking up. Actually, it is not gun control alone, it extends to almost every aspect of life, starting from basic decency and health care, social net. Clearly, you were MIA/AWOL during Bernie Sanders' primary season cuz you were riding the bandwagon like the rest of the media, chasing your heroine Hillary, around.
"And now it seems that the grown-up world is again going to fail Anthony and other young Americans. Congress and President Trump have stalled on a push to pass meaningful gun legislation that has overwhelming public support. The grown-ups are once more loitering in a crisis, leaving kids to be shot."
2
The bully which is the NRA was bragging about its 5 million members in the midst of the latest tragedy, and a few of us furrowed our brows: that's hardly anyone among our 327 million. At 20 million members, AARP dwarfs it. Even the ACLU, has a million.
We are constantly told that gun owners are an unsurmountable and inflexible political force. Is it possible that they are just better represented and more unbridled than the rest of us? Googling "percentage of Americans," my question was automatically completed with "who own guns", which means many of us are asking this question. 3% of Americans own half of the total stock. Another 18% own one or two.
If such a minority has cowed or commandeered the rest of us, its reprehensible. The presence of guns in America is a choice, which reverberates throughout our society, from our streets to our prisons. How many are deciding it?
Lately, we've seen politicians ignoring the views of large majorities of constituents with an unprecedented boldness. Most of us are far less radical than the Republican Congress when it comes to gun control.
The hearts of Americans go out to Mr. Borges and are outraged at the insincere and compromised alternatives politicians are presenting us.
Our leaders don't need to be as brave as he. But like him, they do need to make a stand, for all of us, against the force of violence.
Unlike him, they might find we have their back.
3
Brave and selfless Anthony was protecting his classmates against not just a mass murderer, but against a congress responsible for arming this and countless other murderers. Our youth have to fight for the protection and safety that adults are responsible for providing. We stand in shame - the blood of our young is on the hands of Congress members bought off by the NRA and it’s also on our hands for allowing this to happen. What kind of society allows the gunning down of the innocents? What have we come to? What have we done?
2
Republicans living in areas with rabid defenders of the 2nd amendment and gun rights won't, "become," afraid of the NRA. The only answer is for Democrats to mobilize and get each and every eligible Democratic voter out to the polls. Too many are apathetic and don't pay attention to midterms and local elections. That has to change in order to achieve results.
1
These are democratic regulations, laws not seen through. The guns are not the problem. When people want mass murder they do it. When laws, rules, etc. bury people down in time, they do not do their jobs such as background checks. Schools and hospitals should be locked at all times and admittance gained ony with a pass. Mass murder happened in this country long before 2018.
Yawn, Jan. "When people want mass murder they do it." That is foolish. Without the ease of buying a gun, an aggrieved person would have to fashion a bomb himself, or arrange for a gang, prepare poison, run into a crowd with a big machete and hope for the best...
Schools as prisons? Armored military vehicles for school buses? Metal detectors at school entrances? All to stop GUNS. And you say easy access by anyone to guns is not the issue. Then why must we all wear bullet proof vests to work, movies, concerts, restaurants, etc? Complete lunacy.
If you want to live in an armed world, for heavens sake, move to Somalia! It's a gun owner's paradise....
For a while it's been clear that NRA stands for No Reasonable Answers.
Now, it looks like GOP stands for Guns Over People.
The kids seem to have learned some critical thinking skills. I hope they can convey those to more of the adults in our society - through modeling and soon through voting.
1
So the main thrust of this article, what I took away, (ignoring the Trump tie-in which is irrelevant), is while Borges' actions were heroic, when one has a gun, and another doesn't, the gunless guy just gets shot like a human shield. Sad.
About time for armed security on every campus. And yes I'm aware there was supposedly an armed guard present who ran away. The answer? More ARMED guards. You fight bad guys who own guns with more armed good guys.
Is this your idea of the founders' concept of a well ordered militia, Jackson25?
I'm curious. When was America Great for you folks? Whenever it was, no one - NO ONE - at that time would conceive of an America where we are mowed down at school, church, movies and concerts, at random, with weapons meant for death/combat/war. The reason mentally ill people have power to vent their rage on a massive scale is the high capacity, rapid firepower to which they now have easy access.
WW1 saw the advent of tanks, mustard gas, land mines. Should we have them in our homes? Nope. WW2, Vietnam, on and on. Should we have them in our civilian homes? Nope. Same for these war weapons.
I asked the woman who cleans my house, here on a green card from Ireland, what she thought of the firearm violence in the U.S. She told me a story about her father who let his rifle permit lapse. The police came and confiscated it a week later. This is what being serious about guns looks like.
1
Thank you for showing us what courage looks like, Anthony Borges.
And thank you NYTimes for sharing Anthony's story with us!
5
We don't need public policy that tacitly supports the belief that we have a God-given right to use deadly force on each other. That is what arming up the public with military weapons does.
I may not always agree with Mr. Kristof, but to this, I say "Right on!"
One thing that occurs to me is how often we make sloppy use of the word ‘heroism’ and the cheapening effect it has when real heroism surfaces.
1
Trump doesn't have to be bought off or threatened with retaliation like other political figures who are afraid of the poison pen of the NRA.
No, Trump comes to the NRA with his hand out willing to sell policy. He did it, too, with the steel companies. He is refining the fine art of the political pay to play deal.
3
It's refreshing to hear some of these students speak on national TV, especially when they call out leaders for hypocrisy. An informed electorate is our only defense to tyranny.
7
You say Anthony Borges is of Venezuelan descent. I don't know when his family moved to the US, but they added one great guy to the American people.
Families from all over the world have been doing that for generations. Meanwhile, a man who fears and resents immigrants continues to set a sickening example of selfishness and empty self-confidence as President of the United States.
Donald Trump will never have what it takes to earn most people's respect and gratitude, but Florida's legislators and other politicians across the nation can still distinguish themselves. Now is the time for all good men and women....
8
Trump, the draft dodger, and fake news guy (I would have gone into the High School unarmed) will never have a turn at being a hero. A cowardly bone spurs guy who was exempt from the Vietnam. aA bully in his empire who shilled construction companies out of millions, and a cheater on his wife, will NEVER, NEVER, ever give himself a turn at being a hero. People like that just don;t deserve or do heroic acts - they stay in their dark caves and dark world!
33
And each of US, in our doings, and not doings, enable.Trump, and his trumpistas, may be able to live each day not feeling, or being, unaccountable for words and deeds. What about eachbif US?
If more guns meant more safety, we would already have the safest streets. Single issue voters are a danger to all of us.
49
"Our children must die...so our guns can live"
Support the National Terrorist Association, the Guns Over People party, and 2nd Amendment Derangement Syndrome and our draft-dodging Chicken-In-Chief who proudly believes he "could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters,"
Vote on November 6, 2018 for public safety in record numbers, America....not for a sick national shooting gallery.
127
I always try to find your comments. Thank you for so often voicing what I'm thinking so eloquently.
3
Thank you Mr. Kristof for bringing us this inspiring story so we have another hero to look up to.There are no heroes among the legislators in the states or in Washington.I hope everyone marches on March 24 in the name of Anthony and all of his brave and determined friends.The students at Parkland school in Florida have all lifted our hopes and touched our hearts with their pleas for change and compassion.They have found their voices- we should find ours.
76
"This will change only when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the N.R.A. " No, Mr. Kristof. This, and other actions akin to those taken by this administration will change only when politicians are willing to say, "I am voting to do the right thing even if it means I lose the next election. "
134
With so many people in this country agreeing that we need stricter gun laws, you'd think they would be re-elected. Seems to me it's the N.R.A.'s rating for politicians that scares them the most. So, in effect, it's the N.R.A. that's in control of the country.
It needs to start with the voting citizens. Once they send the message by voting some of the bums out the elected officials will either change their stance or continue to be voted out.
Too many of our Politicians have demonstrated, repeatedly, that supporting the extreme positions of the NRA leadership takes priority over the rest of us. These craven politicians have declined many chances to do the right thing while instead voting to loosen gun laws. It’s time to vote them out of office.
Anthony is a very brave young man. Best wishes to him for a full recovery.
After all the mass shootings, each one sparking calls for change that fizzle out after awhile, the students and parents at Parkland had had it. They demanded change and got it. The Florida legislature just passed a new gun law that students and adults alike had pushed for. It awaits the governor's signature. These students, some who are not old enough to vote yet have inspired a movement in this country. They have the energy and persistence to confront politicians and the NRA. Good luck to them! Finally change may come. And not have to hear of another mass shooting.
74
Anthony Borges is a hero who deserves the gratitude of all Americans. He has shown true courage and greatness.
Anthony, I admire you more than I can adequately express. I hope that you and your family will see this message.
208
And we should hope that he and his family can prove that they are citizens or else ICE and Trump will drag him out of the hospital and and ship all to Venezuela.
1
Some people have character and dignity. (The trumps have neither.)
Anthony Borges will always be a hero to those who know him.
237
And to many who will never meet him!
3
Dorothy, may I respectfully amend your statement to the following: Anthony Borges will always be a hero to everyone,whether or not we are acquainted with him. What an incredibly brave young man.
1
More gun-owners and their family member are killed by guns than are people who don't own guns . So where is the NRA with its compassion and condolences? It's completely obvious that Pepe le Pew and company are far more concerned with gun dealers and gun manufacturers than they are with those gun-bearing citizens whose Second Amendment rights they keep extolling (and lying about). The NRA is in it for the money- the more guns that get sold the more money they make (give or take a little something for the boys and girls on Capitol Hill). NRA: No Rectitude Allowed.
128
The brave teen voices of Parkland echo loudly as their pleading for sane and sensible gun regulation has had a profound effect on our country. Just today, Ted Cruz in a radio program interview expressed his alarm and his fear that it is possible that both houses of Congress may become Democratic majorities with the upcoming mid term elections.
We have witnessed since Trump’s election, an unprecedented and welcome change, with people awakening to what has been happening, many feeling held hostage by the lunacy and delusions of the NRA.
From the recent mammoth tax cuts, all unfunded, snuck through with as much secrecy as possible with benefits mostly to the very wealthy, talk of cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, Orwellian banning of terms like 'climate change' and abandonment of the the ideals that the EPA has stood for since its inception, and unfailing allegiance to the gun lobby, many people are seeing just what today's Republicans stand for, and in so many instances, they are not for the people of our nation but only out for themselves.
I am grateful for the privilege of living in a nation where I can vote my conscience this coming November, and to vote for those who appreciate life and equality and sensible gun safety, and against those whose only mantra is money, power and control.
120
They do it through a fractured system of radically distorted representation that renders a majority of all votes cast moot simply for where they were cast.
1
I do wish that Donald J. Trump had run in. He could have been my hero.
49
Yes, but Trump's departure would be the greatest service to country he is capable of performing.
2
The catch is, had Trump entered the building during the attack, Secret Service would have been right there with him. So it would have been a much different and less heroic scenario from what Trump would have us believe. And his armed protectors running in with him would make it a moot point whether or not he had a weapon. ;)
1
I believe that's the point.
2
I think we should stop comparing ourselves only to "other advanced countries" because we are not advanced according to these gun violence statistics. For comparison's sake, what are the countries that have similar per capita gun deaths to the United States?
88
Somalia and Columbia come to mind. Generally only countries with no effective government or rule of law have gun deaths as high as the USA
If you exclude countries at war, I don't think there are any. The prize goes to the USA.
The gun epidemic and the response of our politicians to make it easier for anyone to buy guns is like thinking that giving more sugar to a diabetic will cure the disease. I personally love and am addicted to sugar, but I know it will kill me if I do not control my cravings. It takes a strong person to recognize this and do something about it, but it seems addicted gun owners and their political pawns will just go on with their addiction despite the warnings that more guns could kill them. But in this case it is all the rest of us who do not feel the itch for a gun who must live in fear and frustration. But our arguments fall on deaf ears as the NRA representing the most addicted just repeats the same old excuses and gun carnage goes unimpeded.
I know their are sane gun owners out there and it is you who must take the lead as your addicted react only in fear to the possibility that they might lose their guns. We only ask for changes that will protect us all to keep guns out of the hands of crazies and promote responsible gun use, something I know most of us whether we own a gun or not want. Please, we must stop this carnage.
46
Whatever doesn't work for Republicans is only because we don't have enough of it yet.
This young man is a true hero.
But what does this have to do with Trump? What's with the pretense here? During Obama's tenure we had many mass shootings. What did Obama do about guns, gun control? Not what did he say--what did he do? Very little. So where were these sorts of articles then?
6
Obama tried. Congress wasn't with him.
234
74 per cent of NRA money is from gun manufacturers . @6 per cent from dues of members. Who do they really represent?
3
Obama said a lot,but since he wasn't in control of the Republican-led Congress, there was little he could do. The latter deserve ALL of the blame for this.
6
I’m getting sick of 2nd Amendmenters pushing the notion that AR15’ s have anything to do with the 2nd Amendment which in my opinion should be abolished . This ghastly part of our constitution has absolutely NO relevance in today’s society .
There is a huge difference between thr way an AR-15 bullet hits the body and one from a handgun . The bullet from a semi automatic gun shatters the muscles , organs and whatever it hits rather than a normal bullet either getting lodged or coming out from another part of the body . If this young man was hit with a normal bullet , not one that shattered his muscles and bones , his chances at recovery would be greatly increased.
Donald Trump is the worst kind of coward . I don’t understand why thr NRA even gets a seat at the table after one of these horrors.
Because this country is so entrenched in guns , laws can’t prevent everything , but it WILL help .
There is one way and only one way anything will get done and that is to vote on this issue , period .
I hope that candidates in Florida run on the issue of gun control so that this young man’s courage will somehow be rewarded and that maybe , just maybe he can go on knowing that his injuries which may impair him for a lifetime , were not in vain .
157
While I admire your passion, and agree that there is an element of our society with an unhealthy fascination with firearms, please take the following information as it is meant: There is no difference between wounds caused by a semiautomatic weapon and those caused by any other firearm. The manner in which the cartridge is placed into the breech does not affect the physics of the bullet. (Indeed, since some energy is used to cycle the action of a semiautomatic, it could be argued that there is LESS energy in a semiautomatic round than say, a bolt action). And your implication of a "normal bullet" does not make sense, either. There are different types of cartridges, different types of bullets, different velocities - all of which don't pertain to the type of action.
So keep your passion, continue to fight for reasonable regulations on firearms . . . but don't publicly argue the mechanics until you have studied the physics involved and understand how firearms work.
In the meantime, talk with your politicians and neighbors about how a 2nd amendment written when the firearms of the day were single shot muzzle loaders, can be sanely applied to the firearms out there today. Ask about the "well regulated Militia" clause in the amendment. Discuss whether or not a registration law would "infringe" upon the right to keep and bear arms.
I own and use firearms. Registration would not bother me in the least. Neither would a requirement to give a reason for their possession.
1
The bill of rights consists of ten amendments to the original constitution. The first eight of those amendments deal with personal rights. Seven of those eight are widely copied in constitutions around the world. The Second Amendment is the exception.
With good reason.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
1
If the AR 15 must go, then you must keep going down to every last 12 ga. pump shotgun,94 winchester lever action and everything in between... those with malicious intent can do great harm with common sport guns,just a little slower.
If Mr Kristoff could avert his fixation on the NRA boogieman to the shooter, 35 police reports,,the Promise program that prevented this guy from being prosecuted early on..
3
OK, let's get rid of all of them. Sounds good to me.. .
162
I agree with Stu Freeman. The 2nd Amendment was ratified when a well trained soldier could shoot their black powder firearm every 15-20 seconds, and it fouled and had to be cleaned after 4 minutes of that. So I think we ought to limit firearms to being able to shoot no faster than every 15 seconds for up to 4 minutes.
11
After Regan was shot - the Regan Bill to Ban Assault Rifles was passed and mass shootings dropped by 42 percent. Of course people still die by handguns. 7 children die everyday because of them. But that 42 percent has value - it's important that you see that - it could be someone you love. Also, there are other countries that have common sense gun regulation - so your argument is faulty. Guns for hunting and protection are still available. Your slippery slope argument doesn't hold water.
14
I think politicians better start getting more afraid of voters than the NonResponsibleAddicts group, because too many regular people are too fed up. The times, somehow, ARE changing. We have to keep pushing.
52
Anthony, bravo! We're praying that you get well, soon, and fully. You saved all those lives.
The politicians who can't push for sensible regulation of lethal firearms aren't worthy to even wish you well. That includes "President" Trump and almost a;; elected Republicans in Washington and all the states.
Virtually no one outside the military and law enforcement needs an AR-15 type rifle and its high-velocity, organ-shredding rounds. If you really HAVE to have one of these, enlist, get trained, and make something of yourself other than a wannabe.
65
And his own. Fortunately, the door slowed down the bullets before they struck him. It was probably made to stop handgun bullets altogether.
As a Middle School Principal for the past 15 years, I frequently come across comparisons of the 7th and 8th grade boys in my school with Mr. Trump. Truly, there are many similarities. Too many of the boys in my school make fun of those with handicaps, grope younger girls, swear, make racist comments, threaten, bully, lie, form cliques and remove those who don't follow them. Those boys receive counseling, but it is hard to make them change. We often demand a psycho-educational evaluation by a certified child psychologist before allowing them to go to class. Trump needs a certified child psychologist, as a start, anyway.
245
Thank you for your astute observation!
1
The guy on top, leads by Example.
Whoops. Thanks, republicans.
1
The turnout for Trump demonstrates how prevalent this personality type is in the US.
1
Anthony Borges has become my hero and the MSD students have become effective leaders, with more sense and less fear than our nation's elected office holders. The latter are not leaders. They are craven pawns to their wealthy overlords.
Because of them I too will be at the March in Washington D.C.
"Repeal and Replace" the Second Amendment to reflect the lack of need for and absence of state militias, and the lethality of modern weapons, which do not belong in the hands of civilians.
62
Thank you Edward for your thoughts. The problem is that "repeal and Replace" the 2nd Amendment is probably not possible. We must Repeal and Replace the Legislators who are beholden to the NRA.
2
I cannot for the life of me understand how Republicans, who have always been the champions of State's rights, can support concealed-carry reciprocity. The N.R.A clearly has them on a leash. And mass shootings indeed are great for the N.R.A. and the gun manufacturers as they get to yell about "good guys and bad guys" and gun sales always go up. Ka-ching!
50
Look again, onslo, and look closer this time. Over the past 30 years, Republicans have become the Party of Lip Service. They'll say exactly what they know their constituents want to hear, particularly at election time. When they return to Washington, they do as they please, which is, frequently, the exact opposite of what they promised.
It's gotten worse since the Tea Party hijacked the Republican Party. Year after year since 2009, they've been electing woefully inept individuals to political office. The Republican Party went along with their extreme partisan politicking, in the belief that the Party would co-opt the Tea Party and bring its voters under Party control. It was after Trump's inauguration that the Party's Congressional leaders, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, realized (rather belatedly) that the Republican Party had, in fact, been co-opted by the Tea Party.
Given that the Republican Party is now under the control of the Tea Party - McConnell and Ryan having abdicated any actual responsibility and control they once had - and that Trump is the Tea Party's fair-haired boy and idol, what, exactly, the Republican Party now stands for is anyone's guess. But I'm betting that they'll stand true to the NRA motto, "The only good gun control is NO gun control."
1
Republicans champion state rights when it suits them, when it comes to weakening federal rules and regulations - like taking away health care to millions who cannot afford private health insurance. Then, they deny state rights when it suits them, on issues like gun control, abortion and marijuana. Lets face it, they lie when it suits them and call it governance by the people.
1
They are simpletons who cannot imagine how much they don't know about anything.
1
Once again, Nick Kristof gets right to the heart of the matter. Anthony Borges is indeed, a hero, as are all the students and teachers from MSDHS who have rallied over evil to fight for a sane approach to our violent gun murder rate. What will it take for the president and Congress to pass meaningful, common sense legislation? The mid-term elections cannot come soon enough!
41
I agree wholeheartedly with every word. However I would make your last sentence in ALL CAPS.
Mr. Kristof writes that things will change "only when politicians are more afraid of voters than of the NRA." But a recent article in the New Yorker explains that politicians fear the NRA not for its financial resources, but for its ability to mobilize fervently pro-gun voters. So a better way to put it would be that things will change only when politicians are more afraid of voters who want sensible gun control than voters who don't. The way to make that happen is to let our elected representatives know exactly how we feel about our right to a reasonable degree of safety and to vote against the politicians who don't care.
254
There are only 5 million NRA membersand as many as 80 million gun owneres, a majority of whom view the NRA negatively. So the NRA only represents about 2% of actual gun owners, and within both groups, roughly 70% of those side with the general American population and those choose gun safety measures over NRA radicalism. So the actual number of NRA mmembes that are allegedly fervent progunners in the NRA mold is approximately 0.6 percent of the UUSpopulation, about half the number of people living in Boston. The NRA is promoting an illusion of support for themselves that does not exist , about a voting block that does not exist, using a propaganda campaign of lies and buying, bullying and threatening politicians. Time to call their bluff.
1
The NRA's mobilization of voters who oppose restrictions on firearms costs money. "Mobilizing" anti-regulation voters is not the kind of simple door-knocking or telephoning familiar to campaign workers. It is expensive advertising campaigns that shout, "They're coming to take your guns away!" And sophisticated get-out-the-vote activity. That's the power of NRA money, provided mostly by gun manufacturers and retailers.
To oppose this profit-driven, sophisticated election activity, those of us who support sensible gun regulation need to develop equally sophisticated, well-funded election activity. While I'm grateful to those who have given large sums of money to the 3/24 March for Our Lives, it would help if they invest large sums in election action. Horrifying as the prospect would be, perhaps the only effective contrary message is, "They're coming to kill your children!"
thank you mr kristoff i hope mr trump goes away soon it is very hard to have him in the white house our democracy is under threat
14
Thank you, Mr. Kristof, for bringing this important and unique story of the exceptional bravery, self-sacrifice, and mature composure of a remarkable teenager, literally under fire, to the attention of the greater public. We all hope that Anthony's recovery from his terrible wounds is as speedy and thorough as possible, and that he and his family are well-provided with the continuing support and comfort they so deserve.
On a deeply upsetting note, I found the mindless braggadocio of our Fake President's imagined reaction to this horror, appearing in the same piece as Anthony's actual heroic acts, to be obscenely revolting. He is the worst of the worst.
59
I do hope Anthony Borges is rewarded for his heroism by either the State of Florida or our Federal Government; it is time for Mr. Trump to step up and lead like these children have done.
27
On the day Governor Scott (hopefully) signs the bill now before him, he needs to appear at Anthony's bedside and award him Florida's highest honor for heroism. We need to give Anthony encouragement in any way we can as he works toward healing from his wounds.
1
Let's take "gun control" and rename it "gun safety," and then start out by simply making it easy to take guns out of the homes of people who psychologists say pose a threat to themselves and others. Add universal background checks. Impose nationwide limits on how frequently you can buy handguns to prevent easy resale for criminal activity. There's so much that can be done even before you ban semi-automatic weapons. And then, short of banning semi-automatics, we could do a lot of good by simply regulating them tightly. Some machine guns are legal to own in the United States, but they are never used in mass shootings. Why? Because they are regulated as collectors' items. Nikolas Cruz never could have walked into a store and just picked one up.
37
I agree with tighter regulation without bans. As the writer noted, regulation under the NFA for machine guns, SBR's and suppressors has nearly eliminated them from crime. The same approach, legal but restricted should be applied to AR and AK platform weapons. Bans do not work and create black markets, prohibition is a great example.
2
Back when I was in High School....almost the stone age but not quite...the NRA came into the High School and offered classes in gun safety....now look where we are just 50 years later: gun safety takes a back seat to guaranteeing everyone can have a gun who wants one---just some simple requirements. My children aren't in school except for my son who teaches in a High School in Maine. he does have two boys who are in a grade school in Maine---I worry about them all being the targets of mass shooter disease! I think we need to evict those who are supposed to be our representatives and find some who will really do the job! Finally, everyone needs to read the 2nd Amendment and realize it doesn't say what you think or hope it says and it states clearly what it's purpose SHOULD be!
21
None of your other recommendations will prevent murders by semi-automatic weapons. None. If the guns are available, they will be used.
Why MUST people own semi-automatic weapons.
MUST -- as in we must have water in order to stay alive.
People couldn't use anti-freeze to poison dogs if anti-freeze was not available.
So I ask: If you had to choose between having your child or grandchild murdered by a semi-automatic weapon or voting to eliminate semi-automatic weapons, which would you choose?
dg
18
Anthony Borges is a hero. The political leadership of the United States has devolved into a collection of dunderheads who would not know the truth if it smacked them in the face, which it has. Anthony and many of his classmates survived the 2/14/18. This means, hopefully they will get to age 18 and they will vote. If there is any justice in the world, Anthony may just get elected to office and do something about the lax rules that have caused so much havoc in so many places, not just Parkland, FL. It would be a great honor to see him follow in the paths of Sen. Max Clelland, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and yes, President Franklin Roosevelt -- people who did not let physical disability get in the way of anything.
153
It's all about the money. Killings promote fear which leads to gun sales. That's great for the NRA and its corporate bedfellows. It is not a bug. It is the business plan. Concealed carry, reciprocity, stand your ground, and silencers are all great for more killing and maiming, more fear, and more gun sales. That's all that matters to the NRA. And their A-grade endorsement and resulting support are all that matter to their GOP marionettes.
There is no reason, including no second-amendment reason, we can't have universal background checks. Or computerized rather than ancient paper records of gun ownership. Or scientific study of gun ownership effects on public health. Or a ban on individual ownership of weapons of war. If the point is it's a great thrill to go to a shooting range and fire an AR-15, make a special permit for the shooting range owners to provide the AR-15, which the visitor uses and leaves at the shooting range. It would be easy to create a far safer country, if we elected representatives with the political will do do it.
85
Please let's honor Anthony Borges and hold him up. Not as a counterpoint to the craven, and frankly, corrupt politicians who leave children in harm's way in so many ways, but as a beacon of courage and selflessness for us all to follow. If our communities, institutions and democracy are to withstand this multi-frontal assault, we all must stand up for each other and be prepared to sacrifice. Anthony Borges has humbled and inspired me.
111
“It’s about safety.” Please, stop presenting a viewpoint that is absolutely false. The silencers Donald,Jr. advocates would be a financial bonanza to the gun manufacturers (silencers are not cheap!) and allow horrible mass murder to occur - before anyone knew what was happening. Safety we have been shown again and again by the rest of nations of our world is obtained through fewer weapons, not more availability. It is beyond infuriating that the Trumps, NRA, GOP can talk about protection - safety - while advocating more guns, including AR’s, less background checks, and even silencers, etc. These well dressed, well paid representatives are complicit in the murder of young & old. We are not safe with these people governing our nation.
96
"These well dressed, well paid..."
Where's the Well Regulated part come in?
1
Anthony Borges may not yet be able to walk, but tens of thousands of us will be Marching for him, led by his classmates from Parkland, on March 24 in Washington.
My husband and I made the decision to go march the day after we heard the students were organizing. For far too long, too many "grown ups" have been in the grip of a mass delusion, either that we can't "do anything" against the NRA or, even worse, that "guns keep us safe."
I was on an organizing conference call today for new volunteers for "Moms Demand Action." Some the statistics they cited: 96 people are killed by guns EVERY DAY in the U.S. That's 30,000 gun deaths per year. As Kristof cites, an American is 25 times more likely to killed with a gun than citizens of other wealthy countries. Another statistic cited on the conference call: thousands of new volunteers for "Mom's Demand" have come forward from every state in the union since Feb. 14. The NRA and the gun manufacturers they front for are no longer in control. We are reclaiming our society and our public spaces for the lives of our children; your gun profits can no longer trump our lives or safety.
Guns. Don't. Keep. Us. Safe.
161
Anthony Borges is clearly a hero. However, Mr. Kristof tries to use Borges' heroism to bash the President and policies with which Mr. Kristof disagrees. The article and comments raise several issues.
The students who appear on TV have been carefully selected and prepared; they are not chosen at random and they do not simply walk into a TV studio and start talking extemporaneously. Their appearances and presentations are part of a well-funded and extensive anti-gun effort. (No, I am not an NRA member and yes, I do believe in regulating the possession of guns and yes, I believe that those who oppose guns have the right to march in protest. But please don't pretend that a nation-wide protest movement is being organized by a handful of high school students.)
The article says Mr. Borges is of Venezuelan descent, though I don't see the relevance of that fact. Most Americans have nothing against LEGAL immigrants; indeed, most of us are descendants of legal immigrants. It is the ILLEGAL ALIENS who, by definition, are in this country illegally, to whom most Americans object, and who create an insupportable drain on American resources.
US taxpayers cannot remotely afford to meet the needs of deserving and needy American citizens: veterans, the elderly, the infirm, the disabled. It is therefore folly to suggest that we should allow illegal immigrants into this country, or permit them to stay in this country, or support them; no country in the world can afford that.
The modest numbers of NRA members cannot defeat the rest of us in the long run. It is only with their partnership with Paul Ryan and other Republicans that they maintain the status quo. The end of assault weapons and school shootings will come, if we want it to.
45
‘What’s so hard to understand about what I did?’ He had no issue with risking his life.” Gotta love this young man. Perhaps this generation will save our country.
63
Words fail me. I have zero respect for those legislators who fail to protect the citizens of this country under the guise of protectng 2nd amendment rights. They are not even protecting gun owner rights as much as they are protectng gun manufacturer rights.
Shame on them for considering this piece of legislation for gun concealment rights in other states, and considering allowing silencers. The noise of a rifle gives away a shooters position. Why would you want to prevent police from discovering where a shooter is ?
We have become an INSANE country.
58
I don't see how anyone, after reading your column, could possibly vote for a state legislature or federal position or president who used politics in the issue of reasonable gun control and banning assault weapons. Unfortunately, Trump has been pretty successful in convincing his base that the mainstream media is Fake News! I hope you, Mr. Kristof, will forward this column to everyone at FoxNEWS. They all need a wakeup call.
37
It is time for the gun owners to be obliged to buy a license for every gun they own. The revenue could then be directed to remedy the damage caused by the gun using public.
31
Treat guns like cars. You're required to pass a test to get your drivers license. Then you have to get a license for your car. And you have to have insurance.
Let the insurance companies determine the cost based on probability charts they would create for each style of weapon.
23
Please pay for the exercise of your first amendment rights, if I have to pay for the exercise of my second amendment rights!
1
Plus make it a felony for the owner of a gun used in a crime unless it has been reported stolen previously. Adding a $1 or $2 tax per bullet sold could help as well. Few know how to pack their own bullets, safely.
2
The story of Anthony Borges makes my heart hurt - good, brave, selfless and modest. Everything that our President is not. I doubt I would have done what he did - and am filled with tears of admiration for his courage. What I owe to him and all the younger than me people out there is to continue to fight for gun reform. For me - I'm with Mr. Stephens - we need to repeal the 2nd amendment and move all guns from civilian ownership aside from the odd hunting rifle that is heavily regulated in order to obtain. No American should die from gun violence. It is a national horror. Child protective services removed a 10 year old boy from his loving home in Florida because the parents got stuck in traffic on their way home from work. However, owning an assault rifle in your home is not grounds for removal. Even an accidental shooting of a family member would not be grounds for removal of either the child or guns from the home. It is insanity.
40
Best wishes to Anthony for a full recovery.
Anthony's experience - finding he didn't even have time to lock a door behind him - demonstrates the fallacy of arguing that if only someone else had a gun somewhere, they would have stopped the gunman. Trump in particular spreads this myth of "a good guy with a gun," and in the wake of the Florida school shootings, went so far as to speculate that if the slain Coach had a locked gun in the building, he could have hit the killer. But why would anyone trust that circumstances would work that he, or anyone, would have had the opportunity, in the middle of an attack, to grab their gun?
It was nonsense for Trump to say he believed he would have been a hero that terrible day. It is nonsense, too, that he doesn't have the courage to offer anything more than the tired lie that more guns around - for teachers and citizens - would stop the massacres.
38
Agreed. Fighting fire with fire is only an option for firefighters.
10
The NRA has succeeded in nearly every facet of the gun control debate. We have made no laws that infringe on the Second Amendment rights of American citizens. Federal agencies do not research the causes of gun violence or ways to reduce the number of Americans who die each year from guns. After a mass shooting we send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families because it is too early to talk about making changes to the existing laws. We know, because they tell us every time, that only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun. Besides, guns don’t kill people, people kill people. And be very, very distrustful of the American government because they may come and take your guns from you. Our elected leaders in Congress have allowed the NRA to dominate the firearms discussion. They influence the debate more than all the rest of us put together. No where else in the world does the NRA hold sway over gun control or the lack of it except in this country. The results speak for themselves, one place at a time. Columbine, Virginia Tech, Orlando, San Bernardino, Charleston, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Parkland. We cannot bring those who were killed back to life but we can speak on their behalf with our votes. Let’s elect some lawmakers who will stop listening to bad advice.
19
Would it be possible to know if Anthony, who so heroically saved so many, is in need of fund-raising for health care?
I have not seen this mentioned, and if this is a consideration I'd like to be able to help spread the word so he can get the help he needs.
I am amazed by all the courage the young people have displayed.
I am not at all encouraged by the non reaction, sand bagging and normality of their day to day lives coming from DC and the FL Legislators who are so far into the NRA money they can no longer recognize the difference between right and wrong, sin and morals.
I can no longer find any pity for the politicians, no matter where they are located. They have blatantly shown their priority to be $$ and not the people who they were elected to serve. If they can not stand up for the most innocent and needy of all: the children, they need to go and they need to go quickly.
All these shootings, from the first to the Parkland event should have led to changes to better protect our children and other citizens. Instead the children are leading us - the US adults in the way we should have reacted from the first.
No wonder other countries are fast losing respect for us. I know I find it harder and harder to say I am Proud to be American, every single time one of these awful events happen.
275
Here is the link to the GoFundMe page to offset the high-cost of Anthony’s healthcare and rehabilitation costs.
https://www.gofundme.com/anthonyborges
Please donate - as his family cannot afford the sky-high costs.
4
re: Fund raising for Anthony Borges
This 15-year-old Florida shooting survivor was shot 5 times while saving 20 of his classmates — and now people have raised over $500,000 for his hospital bills http://insder.co/2ETlKLr via @thisisinsider
1
There is a "gofundme.com" page for Anthony. Please consider helping him. He may be permanently disabled.
2
The extraordinary teachers of West Virginia, the brave teachers of Oklahoma, the beyond magnificent students of Parkland. Different sections of freedom's chorus stepping forward. Here, there. Everywhere.
68
I agree with Mr. Kristof with everything I have to give: Anthony Borges is a HERO FOR THE AGES. He picked exactly the right phrasing to describe Mr. Anthony Borges, too: "undaunted courage."
“Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction, careful as a father of those committed to his charge, yet steady in the maintenance of order and discipline. . . ."
Those are the words no less than Thomas Jefferson used to describe the sustained, vitally important, virtually superhuman efforts of another tremendous and exceptionally consequential American hero whose name will live on forever: Meriwether Lewis, the leader of the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery.
Mr. Anthony Borges deserves national thanks. Give this incredible man a medal. If Congress does not have an appropriate medal for the behaviors and character he displayed, START ONE!
Take care of every single medical bill he incurs and after that, give this bona fide HERO a big scholarship. Make it easier for him to get the resources needed to do what he wants to do. Whatever that is, clearly it will be something beneficial to society.
What an absolutely amazing man!
366
A congressional medal might do it, along with health care for life. The bone-spur-in-chief should have been the one behind that door - or perhaps he should just stand at ready front of a wall with his good pals in the NRA so that some future army can take aim and fire at the guy who 'would have rushed in.' It would be a good experience for him and his pals to walk in this young man's shoes.
3
Thank you for honoring this young man's courage and how it may affect his life honor and rally to protect him and then complain about gun control and other lethal weapons hope NYTimes makes this a ny Times pick
2
We can all donate to his GoFundMe account to help him with his medical bills and other expenses:
https://www.gofundme.com/anthonyborges
One or two swallows don't make a summer, but there are encouraging signs that people are beginning to stand up for themselves.
First the Parkland students. Second, the West Virginia teachers. Next, maybe, Oklahoma teachers. Then the nation.
206
We're not interested in hearing that Trump would have run in to save some lives. We want him to take care of our State of Affairs which is never going to happen.
Fortunately, we have good people like Anthony Borges to give us hope and keep us going in 'All Times'. Thinking of him this evening and thanking him.
Perhaps Mr. Kristof could ask how we can help this hero.
164
Gofundme Anthony Borges
"Gun advocates argued that more guns would make us safer, but instead the U.S. now has 25 times the gun murder rate of other advanced countries."
What part of "look for evidence when making policy" don't we understand?
262
Howard, most of us DO understand evidence and the role it should have in policy making. The GOP, however, has perfected the art of ignoring pesky facts that don't support their greed and immorality. And now they just refer to 90% of facts as 'fake news'
The president made a very good proposal, he used a lot of political capital in doing so. Get your dems to vote for it, do it immediately. If not they like power more than children. And no type of gun is the real issue, mentally ill people getting guns is.
1
vulcanalex....Trump backpedaled on his proposal after the National Terrorist Association told him to shut up about gun control.
http://www.newsweek.com/nra-chief-lobbyist-says-trump-does-not-support-g...
The USA, with 5% of the world's population, owns just under 50% of the world's civilian guns.
America's gun ownership rate is a mental illness and national pandemic...and Republicans have shown only lip service to funding mental illness treatment.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/americas/us-gun-statistics/index.html
The Guns Over People party deserves to drop dead on November 6 2018.
283
There is no Trump proposal, just a lot of vague talk, sometimes contradictory. If there is a written proposal, give us a link to it. And we have no more mentally-ill people than other countries with 1/5 of our gun homicides, just five times as many guns, or more.
38
Are there 25 times as many mentally ill people in the US compared to elsewhere. I think not. Guns are the problems. The more guns - the more death.
98
God bless Anthony Borges, hopefully he will have a speedy recovery and a successful life. Complications like bone spurs didn't prevent him from saving his fellow students lives. But we have to ask ourselves, why are we finally addressing an issue that no other country on earth has to address (besides Yemen)? Just a thought, who out there knows what the Third Amendment is (without cheating)? If you do you realize why we need a new Constitution, every other country has done it.
74
Yeah, I really appreciate that the Army needs to get my permission before it sends soldiers over to occupy the guest room. I sleep much better at night now.
7
Yes, but there are no set rules around a constitutional convention. My concern would be it being hijacked to enshrine some pretty nasty things. Tihs is not the time.
I sincerely hope Anthony Borges all good things. His actions come much much closer to the definition of a hero than 95% of the nationalistic blather I've heard in recent years.
1
"Polls show that voters overwhelmingly favor universal background checks, a 21-year-old age restriction on buying firearms and a ban on high-capacity magazines."
We voters want lots of things Republicans controlling Congress refuse to give us.
Why people keep voting them in is beyond me.
Anthony Borges, as I struggle to maintain any sense of idealism and optimism, I thank you for inspiring me with your courage and selfless honor. We will never meet, but I am glad to know that you stand for the best in us.
453
Why people vote them in? The right-wing master plan -- (1) gerrymandering [boosted by the intrinsic imbalance of federalism, which gives Wyoming as many Senators as California] (2) voter suppression (3) Fox News (4) Citizens United, allowing unlimited corporate money to flow to campaigns.
Abortion, gays and guns: a concerted effort to concentrate the most irrational, gullible and angry voters and to get out the vote by enraging them.
The entire game plan depends on artificially boosting the voting power of the base, then riling up that base with fear and fury over imagined attacks on their identity and dignity, getting out the vote over these gut issues, and then betraying them by passing laws that rob those same people to benefit the kleptocrats. Rinse and repeat.
6
Just a reminder: while plenty of people vote who marinate in Fox News or their pastors' rants about the Republican "pro-life" salvation, the majority of A A majority of Americans do not vote for these idiots. Hanging chads, jerrymandering, fake ballots in the mail, etc., continue to be deployed despite wide exposure. Trump lost by almost 3 million votes that we know of, despite voter suppression, etc. The last two Republican disasters were arrived at by theft from the voters by the Supreme Court and Electoral College.
2
Possibly the answer to your question about why people keep voting Republicans into office is one word: gerrymandering. They are not the majority, but they have created voting boundaries that skew voter representation.
Rebecca Peters, Australia’s National Coalition for Gun Control: “[Australian] gun owners recognized that they had bought [assault weapons] because they were available, and were promoted and marketed by the gun industry. But they recognized that these guns were not suitable for civilian ownership in a country not at war, that they’re not sporting weapons.
“The Professional Shooters’ Association, which is like the original Crocodile Dundee, these more-macho-than-macho guys who shoot feral animals in the wildest parts of Australia for the National Park Service said ‘If you need a semi-automatic to kill an animal then you’re a city boy who shouldn’t be out here in the first place.’”
New Town to Newtown: How ’96 Massacre Spurred Gun Laws in Australia https://tinyurl.com/y9azfbz6
Australia had about one mass shooting a year prior to 1996. Since then there have been no mass killings and gun deaths are down 50%.
Australia had different state laws like the US. A conservative government put forth a comprehensive set of nationally uniform gun laws:
–a ban on semi-automatic and assault weapons
–higher standards for background checks on all gun sales
–higher standards for gun licenses and waiting periods
–registration of all guns
–strong standards on safe storage of guns
–a mandatory buy-back program for assault weapons
If Australia—a country of hunters, gun lovers, and a strong gun lobby—can adopt sensible gun control measures then the US should find the will to do what’s right.
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Australia also has universal healthcare. It all falls on deaf ears here. It’s sick.
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We don't have to look as far as Australia. Look at our next door neighbor, we share miles and miles with, up north.
"“When looking at firearm-related homicide rates in comparable countries, Canada’s rate is about seven times lower than that of the United States (3.5 per 100,000 population), although it is higher than several other peer countries. While Canada’s firearm-related homicide rate is similar to those in Ireland and Switzerland, it is significantly higher than the rates in Japan (0.01 per 100,000 population) and the United Kingdom (0.06 per 100,000 population),” states StatsCan’s findings, which do not include Quebec figures.
Presently, Canadian law classifies firearms into three categories: prohibited, restricted, and non-restricted. Prohibited firearms include military-grade assault weapons such as AK-47s and sawn-off rifles or shotguns. Handguns are generally classified as restricted weapons, while rifles and shotguns are usually non-restricted. The AR-15 rifles used by the San Bernardino suspects is classified as restricted."
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Should, but won't. Our legislators are cowards and the NRA is the real government of the United States. We spiral into chaos and insanity. Wake up, America: VOTE!!!
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