A Day After Background Checks Fail, A Campus Police Officer Is Shot and Killed at MIT

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Last updated on April 24th, 2013 at 01:13 pm

Our national week of tragedy continues, as MIT is on lockdown after a campus police officer was shot and killed.

According to MIT’s emergency information system gunshots were reported at 10:48 PM ET. At 11:20 PM ET, the scene was still considered active, and students were told to stay indoors. At 11:41 PM ET, MIT again posted an update, “Unknown if injuries have occurred.. Although the situation is considered active and extremely dangerous, an investigation is underway. Updates will be provided at this site when more information becomes available.” The latest update of 12:01 AM ET, “Responding agencies continue to investigate the situation. Police are sweeping the campus at this time, please continue to stay indoors and remain inside until further notice.” It is being reported now that the campus police officer who was shot has died.

Maybe it is karma, or perhaps this is the new normal of American life, but this incident at MIT comes the day after the United States Senate rejected every piece of gun control legislation that was placed in front of it.

With so many details unknown, it is impossible to say at this time if enhanced background checks would have mattered, but the bad news for the NRA is that this issue is not going away. The shootings on schools and campuses will continue. The NRA may have won the day by scaring vulnerable senators with their promise to score the vote, but the problem still remains.

As long as people keep shooting other people like this, the call for action will continue to grow. The NRA’s scare tactics can’t make the conversation stop. They can’t make people forget that there is a gun violence problem in this country. The NRA can’t make the media coverage go away.

The NRA is fighting a battle that they can’t win. Every shooting that occurs is going to revive the discussion. The calls for action are going to keep coming, and the American people are not going to understand why their elected officials aren’t listening.

This incident at MIT is a reminder that the NRA’s “victory” was a defeat for 90% of America, and their short term triumph may be sowing the seeds of their long term defeat. In the meantime, the violence continues. Its latest victim was a campus police officer at MIT.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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