gunshot | 09 months of gun violence after Newtown

In the nine months since the slaughter at Newtown, Connecticut, the gun deaths of about 8,077 Americans have been crosschecked in media reports.

This does not for the most part reflect suicides which account for about 60% of US gun fatalities.

Federal legislation to restore and extend previously effective firearm regulations is stalled in Congress.

If this stalling doesn't bother you, no action is required unless and until the death toll reaches a number—or includes a name—that gets your attention.

If the stalling does bother you, you can tell your members of the US Senate and House of Representatives you want them to #makegunviolenceharder.

Gun Deaths Since Newtown | A Moving Total

Slate and the Twitter feed @GunDeaths are posting data in an interactive record of every gun death in North America regardless of cause and without comment.

UPDATE | May 06, 2013

Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut school massacre topped 3835.

1,102 1302 1516 1703 1901 2237 2605 2763 2971 3192 3700 3835 gun deaths in 38 45 52 58 65 73 87 94 101 108 138 142 days. Are you OK with that?

How about your Senators and House Representatives? We know 45 Senators who voted against more thorough background checks in April (and it doesn't seem to be helping their cause).

Tell your Senators and local Member of Congress how you want them to vote on background checks for internet and gun show firearm sales: 

Senate email  House email

UPDATE | April 29, 2013

Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut school massacre topped 3700.

UPDATE | April 1, 2013

Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 221, from 2971 as of March 24 to 3192 as of March 31.

UPDATE | March 25, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 208, from 2763 as of March 17 to 2971 as of March 24.

UPDATE | March 18, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 158, from 2605 as of March 10 to 2763 as of March 17.

UPDATE | March 11, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 368, from 2237 as of February 24 to 2605 as of March 10.

UPDATE | February 24, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 336, from 1901 to 2237.

UPDATE | February 18, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 193, from 1708 to 1901.

UPDATE | February 11, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 192, from 1516 to 1708.

UPDATE | February 4, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 214, from 1302 to 1516.

UPDATE | January 28, 2013
Coming into this week, the moving total of US gun deaths in since the Newtown Connecticut massacre climbed by 200, from 1,102 to 1302

As of 9:00am Eastern Time January 21, 2013, the moving total of US gun deaths in the 38 days since the Newtown Connecticut massacre stands at 1,102.

the silence of the lambs | what do we tell our children about gun violence in the sanctuary of learning?

It's not supposed to be like this. Just so we're crystal clear about that.

No one is supposed to walk into a grade school and slaughter children. No one has that right.

Someone has to say this clearly and compellingly to the children we are nurturing toward wholeness.

Today, and this weekend, and next week—long before we know why those children and their teaches were stolen from us, if indeed we ever come to know that fully—we will be face to face with kids who, in the teeth of this grotesquely efficient evil, question God and the adults who present themselves as being in charge of the world as it is.

We must tell the children it's not supposed to be like this.

We must tell them the God who spoke through the prophets at many times and in various ways—who in these last days has spoken to us by his Son—this God takes no pleasure in the suffering and death of his creatures.

We must tell them it's not supposed to be like this, and someday it won’t be.

We have to tell them the hope of the gospel includes a new heaven and a new earth where goodness is at home—we haven’t seen it, but in faith we see it coming.

In the meantime, we must tell them, life is grace and horrible things happen; people are capable of breathtaking acts of love and staggering acts of violence and oppression; the sun rises and the rain falls on people who are good and people who are horrid.