NRA’s Schoolteacher Gun Proposal Garnering Support, Rebuke

Gun buybacks and free handgun trainings represent sides of the issue

It’s been nearly two weeks since the world was shocked by the Connecticut elementary school shooting massacre and the gun control debate still rages on. Public officials and gun rights advocates are making their positions known. In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced police are trading grocery gift cards for guns, as a crime fighting response to the Newtown, Conn. shooting. Officers on Wednesday handed out $200 gift cards to people who turning in an automatic weapon, and $100 gift cards to people who turned over a handgun, rifle or shotgun. Gun rights advocate in Utah were responding to the National Rifle Association’s call to arm schoolteachers with a free training for 200 teachers. The Utah Shooting Sports Council on Thursday will waive a $50 fee for concealed-weapons training for the teachers. An Ohio gun group is also considering the same, while Arizona’s Attorney General Tom Horne has proposed amending state law to allow one educated in each school to carry a gun. The debate around gun control has been heated since the Dec. 14 shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. (Reuters + Associated Press)

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Utah Boy, Scared By Conn. Shooting, Brings Gun To School

Sixth-grader has been detained on assault and weapons charges

An 11-year-old Salt Lake City, Utah boy, who said he brought a gun to school to protect himself from a Connecticut-style attack, has been detained and charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school property, a school spokesman said on Tuesday. The sixth-grader, who is not being named publicly, took an unloaded .22-caliber handgun to school in his backpack on Monday, then pointed the weapon at three classmates during recess. Some ammunition was found in his backpack, but the rounds did not appear to go with the gun. No one was injured in the incident, which undoubtedly jolted the school’s community, as the nation remained shocked by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last week. The boy was briefly questioned and spent Monday night in juvenile detention on the possession charge and on three counts of aggravated assault for brandishing the weapon at classmates. He was also suspended from school indefinitely. Last Friday, a 20-year-old Adam Lanza forced his way into the Connecticut school and killed 6- and 7-year-old schoolchildren, before turning the gun on himself. (Reuters)

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5 Reasons Mia Love Lost Utah Congressional Race

Mia Love’s hopes of becoming the first black Republican congresswoman were dashed on Election Day.

To say that Mia Love is an anomaly would be an understatement. She’s black, Mormon and Republican. Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Love sought to make history on Election Day 2012 by becoming the first black Republican congresswoman. In the end, however, Love lost the seat in Utah’s 4th Congressional District to Democratic incumbent Jim Matheson by a margin of 48.1 percent to 49.3 percent. So how did Love manage to lose the race when she had overwhelming GOP support? She was even featured at the GOP convention in August. Here are five reasons Love failed to edge out her competition.

All Style No Substance: Love had the backing of the who’s who of the Republican Party. U.S. Sen. John McCain, U.S. Rep. and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, House Speaker John Boehner, Condoleezza Rice and Ann Romney each endorsed her. Add in her appearances on Fox News, CNN and NBC, and the amount of star power Love had amassed is clear. However, some Utahans questioned if Love was nothing more than an “it-girl” who had little substance behind her campaign.

Disorganized Campaign: Brigham Young University political science professor Quin Monson told Utah paper the Deseret News in August that Love’s campaign was disorganized. In fact, from April to August, Love switched campaign managers several times, the Deseret News reported.

[ALSO READ: Mia Love's Rousing RNC Speech]

Reminiscent of Sarah Palin: Voters told the Utah Pulse business website that Love reminded them of former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential contender Sarah Palin. One remarked, “She was a mild version of Sarah Palin; an empty suit who couldn’t go off script from her simplistic, partisan messages. If she did go off script she sounded uninformed, contradictory, and dare I say, unintelligent.” Another told the Pulse: “Mia Love was hugely extreme and poorly informed -- a deadly combination. “

Formidable Opponent: The incumbent in the race, Jim Matheson, was difficult to beat. A fellow Mormon, he’d served for six terms in office when Love challenged him. Moreover, Matheson is the son of beloved former Utah governor Scott M. Matheson, now deceased. He’s a political legacy in the state.

Extreme Views: While Love’s opponent is widely viewed as a moderate, Love made headlines for her extreme views. She supported ending the federal school lunch program, student loans and citizenship to the children of immigrants born in the United States, according to Mother Jones magazine.

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GOP’s Mia Love Poised For Impressive Showing In House Race

Black House Republican hopeful has garnered more support than other challengers

Mia Love’s star has continued rising since her electrifying speech at this year’s Republican National Convention in Tampa. The 36-year-old black, female, Republican mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah and candidate for Congress has surpassed all other House GOP challengers in the number of high-profile endorsements this election cycle. The New York Times reports that Love has raised nearly $2 million for her race, nearly half of it between July and September. Rep. Eric Cantor, the second highest-ranking House Republican, stumped for Love at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser last week. And, if elected, Love would become the first black female in her party to serve in the House. “The only history I’m interested in making is getting out country on track,” Love said in a Times interview. (NYTimes)

[ALSO SEE: Mia Love’s Breakout Speech at the RNC]

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