Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Era Of Conspiracy Theorists, Sandy Hook Families Are Having To Prove Their Children Lived And Their Children Died
The Washington Post: Sandy Hook: First, They Lost Their Children. Then, The Conspiracies Started. Now, The Parents Of Newtown Are Fighting Back.
It was just weeks after 26 people were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School when Lenny Pozner first saw people speculating online that the rampage had been staged, with crisis actors responding to a fake attack. His 6-year-old son, Noah Pozner, who had gone to school that morning in a Batman sweatshirt, was one of the 20 children killed in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. (Svrluga, 7/8)
The Associated Press: Top Virginia Republican Proposes Gun-Control Measure
A top Virginia Republican is calling for a broad ban on guns in government buildings, surprise legislation he filed the day before state lawmakers are set to debate gun laws. Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment filed a bill Monday that would extend a state prohibition on guns in courthouses to any "building owned or used by a locality for governmental purposes." It would also increase the penalty for breaking the law from a misdemeanor to a felony. (7/8)
The Washington Post: Leading GOP Senator Files Gun Control Bill On Eve Of Special Session In Virginia
Norment’s bill, which caught GOP colleagues off guard, goes further than a similar measure proposed by a Republican delegate. Both are the strongest signs that some GOP lawmakers might support at least one priority set by Gov. Ralph Northam (D) when he called the General Assembly back to work. Northam ordered the special session in the wake of the May 31 mass shooting in Virginia Beach in which 12 people were killed. Republicans who control the legislature have stymied gun control bills year after year and have accused Northam of trying to capitalize on tragedy for political gain. (Schneider and Vozzella, 7/8)
And in other gun safety news —
WBUR: Carry A Weapon? Know Anyone In A Gang? Doctor Tests Questions Hoping To Prevent Gun Injuries
In all the debate about whether doctors should screen patients to prevent gun injuries or death, [Kamau] Karanja has stumbled on a key missing piece: What questions might deliver answers that matter?Slowly, cautiously, Karanja has begun testing some gun-related routine check-up questions with his patients. (Bebinger, 7/9)
Tampa Bay Times: Civil Rights Groups Raise Privacy Concerns Over Post-Parkland School Security Database
Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center and several that advocate for people with disabilities or mental health issues, said Tuesday that the state should re-evaluate its plan for creating an expansive database of student discipline and behavior. In a letter scheduled to be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis at 6 a.m. Tuesday, the 32 groups wrote that the still-developing database amounted to an “overly broad” attempt at “mass surveillance” of students that could end up discouraging kids from reporting bullying incidents or mental health needs out of fear that they could be labeled as a “potential school shooter.” (Mahoney, 7/9)
