Gun Control: Knee Jerk or Necessary?

News Director Sally Mauk and panelists Dana Gale, Doug Webber, Ed Monnig, Sheriff Chris Hoffman

Gun control continues to be nationally debated in the wake of the most recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school. As part of the Montana Public Media “Guns in the Big Sky” series, Montana Public Radio recently aired a live, one-hour discussion of whether new gun control legislation is necessary, or simply a knee jerk reaction to tragedy. News Director Sally Mauk hosted the discussion, featuring four panelists: hunters Doug Webber and Ed Monnig, Dana Gale of “Moms Demand Action”, and Ravalli County Sheriff Chis Hoffman. Listeners also submitted questions online. The discussion covered everything from universal background checks to banning semi-automatic weapons.

President Obama’s former campaign manager says fight over gun control not over

Jim Messina, Sally Mauk

The former campaign manager for President Barack Obama, Jim Messina, was in Missoula over the weekend to deliver the commencement address to his alma mater, the University of Montana. Messina currently has his own consulting firm, and also is national chairman of “Organizing for Action”, a nonprofit group working to help the president achieve his legislative agenda. In this feature interview, Messina talks with News Director Sally Mauk about OFA’s priorities: climate change, gun control and immigration reform.

Congressman Daines on guns, conservation and his political future

Congressman Steve Daines has spent this week touring Montana businesses – from gun manufacturers to lumber mills. He’s in Missoula today to tour the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and meet with a local sportsmens’ organization. He also took time to sit down with News Director Sally Mauk to talk about guns, conservation – and his political future. Daines would have voted against the bill to expand background checks on gun buyers.

Missoula moms say “Shame on You” to Senator Baucus for voting against background checks

  About a dozen people, including moms pushing babies in strollers, held a small rally today outside the Missoula offices of Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester over the issue of gun control. Organizer Nancy de Pastino of the group “Moms Demand Action” says they wanted to thank Tester for his support of expanded background checks on gun buyers, and to say “shame on you” to Senator Baucus for voting against the expansion.

“”It’s not infringing on anybody’s Second Amendment rights,” said de Pastino.”The whole point is to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the severely mentally ill.”

  Baucus’s office was closed during the lunch hour protest. The senator has said he voted against the background check expansion because that’s what the majority of Montanans wanted him to do. He says if a new bill is introduced he will evaluate it based on the feedback he gets from Montanans.
    Maggie Angle brought her two young daughters in a stroller to today’s rally. She says the Newtown shootings changed everything.

“”As a mom, obviously it hit really close to home,” Angle said.”The idea that you could send your children to school just like any other day…and something completely and totally devastating happens.”

Angle says she supports the Second Amendment but believes some measures, like expanded background checks, are reasonable

 

 

Senator Tester says yes to Keystone, no to assault ban, and maybe to immigration reform

The N.R.A. doesn’t speak for these Montana gun owners

In recent weeks, News Director Sally Mauk has done feature interviews on gun control with a Montana sheriff opposed to any new gun control, and a small businesswoman and mom who favors stricter gun laws. Continuing that conversation, in this feature interview Sally sits down with two long time Montana hunters and gun owners – retired emergency room physician Doug Webber and retired forest service supervisor Ed Monnig  – to get their views on gun violence and gun control…

After Newtown, a Missoula mom forms a Montana chapter of a national gun control group

    Nancy de Pastino was heartbroken when she heard about the Newtown shooting. The Missoula mom and portrait photographer first hugged her children, then went and hugged her daughter’s first grade teacher. Then she started a Montana chapter of the national organization “One Million Moms for Gun Control”, an organization started by a mom in Indiana, right after the Newtown massacre.
In this feature interview, de Pastino tells News Director Sally Mauk she took the Newtown shooting “very personally” and decided to become an activist for gun control.

 

Sally Mauk talks with Lake Cy Sheriff Jay Doyle about why he thinks the government wants your guns

Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle

Five Montana sheriffs so far have publicly stated they will not enforce new executive orders or laws that seek to confiscate or control guns. The sheriffs from Sanders, Ravalli, Powell, Wibaux and Mussellshell counties believe such laws are a violation of the Second Amendment. Lake County Sheriff Jay Doyle has also sent out a press release saying law-abiding citizens have the right to own firearms, whether it be “one or one hundred.” He also vows to stop any federal effort to take guns away.
All of this is in reaction to proposed new legislation to once again ban so-called assault weapons, and tighten federal gun control laws. In this feature interview, Sheriff Doyle of Lake County talks with News Director Sally Mauk about his concerns, first outlined in his recent press release.

Sally Mauk talks the politics of gun control with political scientist Rob Saldin…

President Obama’s gun control proposals face a tough road in Congress. The lobbying power of the National Rifle Association is immense, and many members, including all of Montana’s delegation, are longtime supporters of the Second Amendment. In this feature interview, News Director Sally Mauk talks with University of Montana political science professor Rob Saldin about the politics of gun control…

Sally Mauk talks with NPR reporter Kirk Siegler about his coverage of the Newtown shootings…

Former Montana Public Radio Capitol reporter Kirk Siegler is now a western reporter for NPR, based in Los Angeles. Prior to his new job, Siegler spent a few years reporting for public radio in Colorado before making his recent move to California. One of his first assignments for NPR, was to cover the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Siegler was back in Missoula for a visit recently. In this feature interview, he talks with News Director Sally Mauk about covering the Newtown tragedy….