Devin Hughes and Jen Pauliukonis devin@gvpedia.org and jen@mdpgv.org Alternative facts. Fake news. Post-truth. America seems to be awash in misinformation. Perhaps in no other space is this deception felt more keenly than in America’s gun debate. For decades,…
Data, Debunking Myths, Short Read
Guns as a Defense Against Terrorists? The Stats Say Otherwise
Two weeks ago on CBS’s Face the Nation, GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio boasted about purchasing a handgun on Christmas Eve. When asked why he had bought the weapon, the Senator from Florida explained that personal firearm ownership is the…
Philosophy, Short Read
Why I Want Crooks to Know That My House Is a Gun-Free Zone
Forced to choose, would you rather have a sign in your front yard announcing you are a proud gun owner, or one that your home is a gun-free zone? For gun advocates, the choice is obvious: As widely-discredited researcher John…
Debunking Myths, Short Read
A Thanksgiving-Edition Cliff Notes Guide to the Gun Debate
Thanksgiving is a time to eat, drink, and, inevitably, fall into heartburn-inducing arguments with family members over politically charged topics. When the topic on the table (as it were) is gun violence or gun laws, things can get heated…
Data, Debunking Myths, Short Read
Harvard Study Embraced by Gun Rights Advocates Is Neither a “Study,” Nor From “Harvard”
In the wake of the Oregon college shooting, the website beliefnet.com caused a stir on social media with an article titled “Harvard University Study Reveals Astonishing Link Between Firearms, Crime and Gun Control.” The post pointed to a “virtually…
Note: this column originally appeared in the Washington Post on October 15th, 2015 In the wake of yet another mass shooting, this time at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., conservative commentators have largely resisted the familiar impulse to…
Data, Debunking Myths, Short Read
More Guns, More Suicides: Why Suicide Prevention Depends Upon Gun Restrictions
Note: This article originally appeared in The Trace on September 16th, 2015 Last week the Brady Campaign released an extensively researched report titled “The Truth About Guns & Suicide,” kickstarting a long overdue conversation on the role firearms play…
Debunking Myths, Short Read
Good Guys Without Guns Thwart French Train Shooter, Validate Data
Note – This article originally appeared in The Trace on August 25th Late last Friday afternoon on a train bound for Paris, a man armed with an AK-47, Luger pistol, and a box-cutter opened fire after being confronted by a passenger on…
Constitution, History, Short Read
Gun Control and the Evolving Second Amendment
By: Devin Hughes In The Second Amendment: A Biography, Michael Waldman, President of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, provides a detailed yet highly accessible examination of the Second Amendment. Rather than becoming bogged down…
I have a new article out in Slate Magazine, one of the most shared columns in the last several months. It is reproduced below. Co-authored with Devin Hughes Caroline Sparks was 2 years old. Her 5-year-old brother was playing nearby…