Guns abound and the far right’s interpretation of the second amendment (the only one that seems to matter) is now inviolate.
Peter Daou, The Demise of the Left

Ah, another day, another campus shooting. This time it happened in my home town of Austin, TX. I'm surprised to see the author of "More Guns, Less Crime" is cancelling his speech scheduled for tonight near campus. Apparently there is just a tiny modicum of shame left on the right. But never fear, UT Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (yes that's a real organization) are working to get his speech rescheduled ASAP.

I wonder if they'll even pay attention to the latest research on gun trafficking. The New York Times reports on a new study released by Mayor Bloomberg's Mayors Against Guns:

A study due to be released this week by a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns uses previously unavailable federal gun data to identify what it says are the states that most often export guns used in crimes across state lines. It concludes that the 10 worst offenders per capita, led by Mississippi, West Virginia and Kentucky, supplied nearly half the 43,000 guns traced to crime scenes in other states last year.

The study also seeks to draw a link between gun trafficking and gun control laws by analyzing gun restrictions in all 50 states in areas like background checks for gun purchases, policies on concealed weapons permits and state inspections of gun dealers. It finds that, across the board, those states with less restrictive gun laws exported guns used in crimes at significantly higher rates than states with more stringent laws. An advance copy of the study was provided to The New York Times.

It's sad that it requires research to show what ought to be obvious. But I guess if house flies had a lobby as well-funded as the NRA, window screen supporters would have to organize and put out studies like "screens on your windows keeps flies out of the house."