Lawmaker Who Lost Son In Aurora Shooting: Politicians Opposing Gun Control Reforms Aren’t Listening

Colorado State Rep. Tom Sullivan, who lost his son Alex in the 2012 Aurora shooting, tells Geoff Bennett that national politicians opposing gun control reforms aren't listening to their constituents. "At some point, those that you're not listening to will turn into a passionate, driven father who's going to run against you," he says. "And we're going to come and take your seat." Aired on 03/24/2021.
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Lawmaker Who Lost Son In Aurora Shooting: Politicians Opposing Gun Control Reforms Aren't Listening

46 comments

  1. If you think having a gun is a right, you weren’t listening. Americans still think they’re living in the cowboy era… Just get it together, ffs!

    1. Ironic given that the old west Had gun regulations cause they wanted folks to stop shootin at each other.

  2. Diminishing people’s (apparently) out of control desire to shoot one another should be target #1. That is a dreadfully high hill, but we better get on that PDQ. Access to technology is also at the core of this problem. We have ‘built in’ assumptions in our society and in our laws regarding responsibility for the operation of technology (smartphones, automobiles, chainsaws and of course guns). Society has changed since 1796 and most certainly technology has changed. A gun is no longer defined as a single shot, front loading, flint lock, black powder rifle as conceived and understood by the framers of the Bill of Rights. Applying the 2nd amendment to a Mac 10, Glock or AR-15 is absurd. Getting ‘control’ of technology, whether printing and publishing or firearms as now manifested is difficult to fathom. How does government regulate access or use of technology, particularly when that technology is daily made smaller, cheaper and more powerful? We do not actually have a lever to pull. I favor registration and background checks and not killing people. Having said that, the process of regulation is inadequate to the issue(s) at hand. We are not seriously thinking about the technology of ‘gun’ or our societies access to ‘gun’. Mostly, it is just thoughts and prayers and repeating things about regulation in one abstract form or another. Outrage is easy. Thinking is hard.

    1. And this is why you will forever have a gun problem. I know, Americans think they are special and so different from anyone else on the planet, but if they took a step back and made even a cursive comparison on why every other country does not have the same gun violence problems, they would come to a conclusion pretty fast.

    2. @TrixiLovesYou

      By “other countries” you mean the ones more homogeneous excluding Africa, Middle East, Central and South America, right?

    1. @Nyan Rapier no you dont have to scan your ID. why do you idiots always think, you can just lie to make fake points.

    2. @Eric Yes, you do. You’ve had to do that for some time now. Also, your gun control laws seem to be failing only in the places where they are enacted.

    3. @Eric they want voters to show ID at the polls, but they can skate easily buying ammo and guns online and just do everything virtually.

    1. Sad that it has to be so close to home for lawmakers to see the need for gun control. It only makes sense.

    2. @Charles Vane: Disarm right-wing cowards first, last and always, then the problem will be solved, you coward.

    1. They already are. Gun control doesn’t work. So far, the mass shootings are in blue cities which have gun control laws.

    1. @Charles Vane We’re having a civil and reasonable discussion on how one might deal with and enforce sale transfers of legally owned firearms, without trading barbs or acting inflammatory towards each other. Why do you feel the need to behave aggressively and change subjects here?

    2. @Dean F Consignment would be similar to what I mentioned earlier about the California method of involving a dealer, and I think that’s probably the simplest way as a seller since the shop handles everything for you. I as a buyer would prefer that as well, since it means I can be confident everything is on the up-and-up and I don’t need to worry I filed something wrong.

      I’m pretty sure in California you don’t need to involve a broker/dealer when selling a privately owned firearm to a family member (though if it is a handgun they need to have a current safety certificate at the time of sale; you don’t have to maintain the cert to own a handgun though, just to buy a new one). As I understand it you simply have to change the registration when selling to family. This is important for me because at some point I’ll be getting my great-grandfather’s WW1 officer’s pistol, and will need to do the safety course to get my certificate before I can register it.

    3. @Dean F Have never sold a firearm myself, nor bought one second hand, so I honestly couldn’t tell you what they charge in my city.

  3. Was this a “gun free zone”? Gov. cant stop gun violence, Good guys with guns can though. Use your brain people.

  4. If the mass shooting of 5 and 6 year olds wasn’t enough for gun reform, then nothing will be enough.

    1. Weird how its enough for leftist politicians and celebrities yet kids dont make the cut?

      Fake outrage

  5. It’s great to finally see Colorado’s Tom Sullivan. I read about him in CPRadio news last night. He’s fierce. Colorado has had….many mass shootings. It’s not an easy way to be. It’s very difficult. Colorado has this agricultural base, where I live. But, he’s….on the Front Range, where all the city folks live. (My son spent 3 years …there recently. ) He returned to the Western Slope and back to Durango, Colorado, where he was in college. It’s difficult. Colorado has these Rocky Mountains… which act…as shields! We hide behind em! Yup. So, Tom talks about the roughness of being a legislator. (Our state representatives are not from where we live here either. They are from towns of bigger populations …like Montrose, Colorado, where they return home. ) But, they sure do campaign here! And, yet, Tom is now famous for his legislative work. Nice to finally see him. Oh!

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