The New Normal: Gun violence in America and striking a deal on Capitol Hill

On The New Normal, Erin Colton and guests discuss what can be done to curb gun violence in the U.S. and if the new bipartisan agreement in the Senate goes far enough.

News 12 Staff

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Jun 14, 2022, 2:16 PM

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Updated 1,062 days ago

Senators have reached a bipartisan framework on gun safety after a 20-year stalemate in the wake of recent mass shootings.

What’s in the new deal? It includes:

A red flag provision that would help states create laws to keep weapons out of the hands of those courts deem a threat to themselves or others.

A thorough review process involving local law enforcement for anyone under 21 looking to own a gun.

Funding for school resource officers and mental health programs.

But does it go far enough? Joining Erin Colton on The New Normal was Dr. Chethan Sathya, the director of Northwell Health's Center for Gun Violence Prevention, and Michael Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven and the author of the 1999 Connecticut Red Flag Gun law.

Gun violence, the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership:

Suicides and murder-suicides: According to PEW research, suicides have long accounted for the majority of U.S. gun deaths. In 2020, 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (24,292), while 43% were murders (19,384), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gun violence as a public health issue: More live are lost to guns in America than car accidents each year. It’s also the leading killer of children. "We live in a country where the most likely reason your child will die is because of a firearm,” said Dr. Sathya.