Jared Loughner

Flip-Flopping John McCain Is No Political Profile in Courage

Is Jeff Flake a Wuss for Voting Against Expanded Background Checks

Republican Senator Jeff Flake helped defeat amendment that called for an expansion of the federal background-check system for gun sales.Senator John McCain supported the amendment, as did two women who reportedly ended up being escorted out of the Senate -- Patricia Maisch, who grabbed a gun magazin ... More >>

'Til Death Do Us Part: Arizona's Dangerous Love Affair with Guns

Sandy Hook Slaughter: Adam Lanza's Mom, Ron Barber's Wisdom and Bob Lord's Petition

Just like many of you, I've been transfixed this weekend watching the TV news coverage of the slaughter of the innocents at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And like a bad case of acid reflux, the national debate has begun -- for the umpteenth time -- over the issue of gun ... More >>

Russell Pearce Blames Victims for Dark Knight Massacre

See also: Russell Pearce's Racism "Discovered" by Arizona's Media See also: Russell Pearce's Mexican-Bashing E-mails Slammed By Randy Parraz, Others Recalled, disgraced ex-state Senate President Russell Pearce's heart, or what little there is of it, goes out to the victims of the Dark Knight Rises ... More >>

Rob Robb Drinks Birther Kool-Aid, Declares It's Not So Bad

If a large segment of a society believes in hocus pocus, then the irrational inevitably affects reality.Wars have been fought in the name of religion, i.e., the worship of supernatural beings that do not exist. People in some parts of the world still wear talismans to ward off "the evil eye."&n ... More >>

Michael Kiefer, A Novelist "On The Side," To Read At Changing Hands Bookstore Tonight

Mike Kiefer, a longtime colleague of ours and (more important) a longtime friend, writes these days for the Arizona Republic, mostly about bad guys in trouble down at the Maricopa County Superior Court and elsewhere. One of those bad guys is Jared Lee Loughner, is pictured to the left (ju ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, January 19th, 2011

Should Gabrielle Giffords Run For Congress Again?

​Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic day when a 23-year-old, severely mentally ill man named Jared Loughner shot 19 people at a Safeway just outside of Tucson, killing six.Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, despite getting shot in the head during the rampage, led an estimated 3, ... More >>

Tucson Shooting Victim George Morris: The Sight of Gabrielle Giffords Makes Him "Want to Vomit"

This makes Tucson shooting victim George Morris "want to vomit."​When many of us see Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords doing so well after getting shot in the head during last year's shooting rampage at a grocery store just outside of Tucson, we're relieved, inspired -- even uplifted.Not 77-year-ol ... More >>

Arizona Commemorates the Gabrielle Giffords Shooting One Year Later

Keith PerfettiDavid Higuera, a volunteer with Beyond, is interviewed at the Beyond main event at Reid Park in Tucson on January 7th, 2012. Higuera is a friend of the Zimmerman family. Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords' Community Outreach Director, was killed in the January 8, 2011, shooting.​This week ... More >>

Crossroads of the West's Tucson Gun Show Scheduled for Same Day as Anniversary of Jared Loughner's Deadly Rampage

​On the same day Tucson residents commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Tucson shooting that left 6 people dead and 14 others wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Crossroads of the West will hold a gun show at the Pima County Fairgrounds.Crossroads of the West bills itself as ... More >>

Giffords Friend Tom Zoellner Releases Book A Safeway in Arizona

​Tom Zoellner, an Arizona-raised author and former newspaper writer who's been critically recognized for his works on uranium and diamonds, has written a deeply personal book about the January 8, 2011, shooting of Arizona's U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (and 18 other people, six of whom w ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords Not Angry at Tucson Shooter Jared Loughner; Wishes "He Could Have Been Helped"

Gabrielle Giffords spoke to the media for the first time tonight since getting shot during the January 8 Tucson shooting.​Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords tonight gave her first interview since being shot "through the brain" during the January 8 Tucson shooting rampage that took the lives of six p ... More >>

ABC News Releases Preview of Gabrielle Giffords' Interview; Unclear Whether Congresswoman Will Speak on Camera *VIDEO*

Diane Sawyer's "interview" with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is scheduled to air on November 14. ​ABC News has released a preview of Diane Sawyer's interview with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and it remains unclear whether the congresswoman -- who was shot "through the brain" during Jared ... More >>

Elizabeth Smart Kidnapper Brian Mitchell Brought to Tucson Prison

www.onlinenewswebsite.comBrian Mitchell was moved to an Arizona prison on Wednesday.​Brian David Mitchell, the Utah street preacher convicted of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart, has begun serving his life sentence in an Arizona prison.Mitchell, who kidnapped Smart -- who was then 14 -- from her bedroom ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords Intern Daniel Hernandez to Throw First Pitch at All-Star Game

Daniel Hernandez​The Congressional intern whom many credit with helping to save the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will throw out the first pitch at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game tonight at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.While most interns spend their time filling Starbucks orde ... More >>

July 5 In Blogs: Andrew Plelage, Maren Parusei, Naked Pizza, and Unemployment

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Morning Poll: Do Rachel Brock's Cheery Mugshots Totally Piss You Off?

MCSOThis photo was taken last week after Rachel Brock learned that she was being charged with having sex with a child.​There's something about a person smiling ear-to-ear in their mugshot that really irks us here at New Times -- take the creepy mugshot of Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner, fo ... More >>

Arizona Republic Vilifies Photographer Looking to Cash in on Photo of 9-Year-Old Tucson Shooting Victim. We'll Play Devil's Advocate

​The Arizona Republic ran a story on its website yesterday vilifying a Tucson photographer for trying to get the Gannett-owned newspaper -- and several other news outlets -- to cough up some (a lot of) cash for using a photo of a 9-year-old girl killed during the January 8, shooting rampage in Tuc ... More >>

Billboard Truck Marks Firearm Murders Since Giffords' Tragedy; Michael Bloomberg Among Mayors Behind Gun-Control Ad

  Image: www.fixgunchecks.org A billboard truck sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns began rolling its gun-control message across the country today.​A billboard truck that began rolling across the country today advertises the estimated number of gun-related homicide ... More >>

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik Praised and Cursed in Thousands of E-mails Received Days After Giffords Shooting

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik received more than 5,000 e-mails in the three days following the January 8 Tucson massacre​ Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has nearly become a household name across the country following his emotional, public statements that talk radio and "vi ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Fantasy Dictatorship, and John Kavanagh as Josephine

Cute couple, eh?Jared Lee Loughner should run for the Arizona state Legislature. He'd feel right at home, particularly amongst the Russell Pearce Republicans, who are so delusional and high on their own supply right now that I'm half expecting to see state Senate President Pearce dressed up as Napol ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords Condition Upgraded to Good

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' recovery continues to be miraculous.​Doctors treating Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Houston have upgraded the congresswoman's condition to good, another milestone in her miraculous recovery after being shot "through the brain" less than three weeks ag ... More >>

Rodney Glassman Used Gabby Giffords' Shooting To Campaign For Chair

Note the date on the Glassman e-mail: two days after the bloodshed in TucsonLike you needed more proof that erstwhile Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman is a charlatan, take a look at this mass e-mail, sent out by Glassman on January 10, two days after the Tucson massacre, which severe ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Church Unified Democrats and Republicans Over One Thing: Limiting Freedom of Speech

Branded: Can Tucson Ever Live It Down?

Giffords and Security: When Man Dropped Gun at 2009 Event, Police Were Already There

Image: www.youtube.comAlberto Melis, police chief of Douglas, Arizona, provided police security in 2009 for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords -- even though she didn't ask for it​When Douglas Police Chief Alberto Melis got word in August of 2009 that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords planned an even ... More >>

Giffords Shooting: The Security Problem

Image: Facebook Gabrielle Giffords chose to have no security at some of her events, despite past threats ​Gabrielle Giffords chose to have no security at her Congress on Your Corner events, it's been well-reported by now.No cops were standing by when Jared Loughner opened fire on innocent p ... More >>

Jared Lee Loughner Uber Alles? Let's Face It, Gun Nuts Are Just Selfish

Extremist gun nuts refuse to compromise on the firearm restrictions: Jared Lee Loughner might as well be their poster boy My colleague Ray Stern has responded to my reply to his recent pro-gun editorial. In it, Ray wonders what I meant at one point in my rebuttal, which is entitled, "Ment ... More >>

Jared Lee Loughner's Second Amendment Rights and Ray Stern

ebaumsworld.comIt seems I've introduced my dear colleague Ray Stern to the fascinating world of facts, statistics and sources, as he finally breaks down and uses a few in his latest pro-gun nut diatribe, "The Anti-Gun Culture..."In it, Ray returns once again to his us-versus-them, all-or-nothin ... More >>

Pete King, GOP Congressman, Gets Push-Back From Speaker Boehner on Gun Control Bill

Image: Fox News Channel's Happening NowPeter King, a Republican Congressman from New York, is being stymied by the House Speaker in his quest to pass a gun control measure​ A Republican congressman's idea to ban weapons within 1,000 feet of federal officials fell flat with House Speaker John B ... More >>

High-Capacity Magazine Ban Proposal Stiffer Than Clinton-Era Law

  Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy wants to make it illegal to buy or sell gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.​Under the 1994-2004 Assault Weapons Ban, high-capacity magazines like the one used by Tucson massacre shooter Jared Loughner could still be found in Valley g ... More >>

Jan. 13 In Blogs: Jared Loughner, First Friday, Flaming Lips, Rula Bula, and Sarah Palin

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Welcome to New York: Your Lack of "Character" Means No Handgun Permit

Image: www.planetware.com​ Two cops -- a man and woman -- stood at the door when the senior citizen opened it one afternoon in Middle Village, Queens. The female cop had her hand on the butt of her holstered handgun. "You registered a couple of rifles last year," the female cop explained. "But yo ... More >>

Judge John Roll In Peers' Thoughts At Superior Court Investiture

It was an upbeat event, yesterday's investiture ceremony in downtown Phoenix for incoming Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Douglas Gerlach.The late Judge John Roll​Presiding county judge Norm Davis led the Pledge of Allegiance and Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch adminis ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Butts in on Gabrielle Giffords Conversation -- by Picking Fight With Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio​We figured it would only be a matter of time before Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio plopped himself in front of a TV camera to offer his two cents about Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson. We were right -- Arpaio did so on the O'Reilly Factor last night, wh ... More >>

Governor Signs Measure Prohibiting Pickets and Protests Near Funeral Services

Governor Jan Brewer​Governor Jan Brewer signed into law a bill that was expedited through the House and Senate to prevent members of a fundamentalist church from disrupting the funerals of victims from the January 8 shooting spree in Tucson.Brewer called the measure "a truly bipartisan effor ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords and Tucson Through the Eyes of Bar Owner Bill Nugent

​Bill Nugent lives in the heart of Tucson  and has done so for the better part of his 65 years. His family has lived here since before the first battles of the Civil War. After his mother passed away in 2000, he took charge of The Shanty on 9th Street, a bar belonging to his family for d ... More >>

President Barack Obama: "Gabby Opened Her Eyes for the First Time"

"Gabby opened her eyes," President Barack Obama told the world Wednesday night.​At a memorial service held for those killed and wounded in Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson, President Barack Obama offered the most encouraging update yet about the condition of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords s ... More >>

Peter King, GOP Rep From NY, Wants Guns Kept at Least 1,000 Feet From Government Officials

  Representative Peter King, R-NY​Saturday's mass shooting in Tucson has prompted another idea for gun-control legislation: Representative Peter King, a Republican from New York, says he plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit people from bringing guns within 1,00 ... More >>

CBS News Poll: Nearly 60 Percent of Americans See No Connection Between Tucson Shooting and Hafetul Political Rhetoric

​What motivated Tucson shooter Jared Loughner to gun down 20 people outside a Safeway, killing six people and critically injuring Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords?Nearly 60 percent of Americans do not believe that "heated political rhetoric" is to blame for the shooting rampage in Tucson that ... More >>

Gun Sales Surge in Arizona Following Tucson's Mass Shooting

​ Gun sales in Arizona are surging in the aftermath of Saturday's mass shooting in Tucson. The Bloomberg news site is reporting that one-day gun sales in Arizona jumped 60 percent yesterday over the same day last year, and that Glocks like the one used by maniac Jared Loughner are in high dema ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords Breathing on Her Own, Doctors Report

Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own, doctors say.​Doctors treating Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords said this morning that the congresswoman is now breathing on her own after a bullet, allegedly fired by 22-year-old Jared Loughner, went through her brain.Giffords remains in critical c ... More >>

Tucson Schools Often Turn Away Mental Health Training, Expert Says

​While details are still trickling in as to the exact extent that mental illness -- and a lack of reporting/intervention -- may have played a role in preventing the tragedy in Tucson, one local mental health professional tells New Times that Tucson school administrators regula ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Church to Protest Funeral of 9-Year-Old Girl Murdered in Tucson Shooting; Hells Angels to the Rescue?

Christina Green was murdered on Saturday. Despicably, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church plan to protest her funeral.​Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, announced today that they plan to protest the funeral of a 9-year-old girl murdered during Sat ... More >>

Arizona and Guns Go Together: State Laws Give Firearms Owners Legal Cover

​ Arizona's gun laws are on national display following Saturday's shooting, but whether they're "weak" or "strong" depends on whom you ask. According to an article today in the Los Angeles Times, "Arizona has some of the weakest gun-control laws in the nation." (Emphasis ours.) Put that way, ... More >>

Jared Loughner's Classmates Diss Him on Facebook as "Weirdo" and "Outcast"

Pima County Sheriff's Office Jared Lee Loughner ​Friends and high school classmates of Jared Lee Loughner haven't been shy with their reactions about the alleged assailant, some of which are posted on Facebook. Their comments relate that the 22-year-old was a "weirdo" and "outcast," an ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Church: Gabrielle Giffords an "Arrogant Pinhead;" 9-Year-Old Victim "Going to Hell" -- and More Idiocy From Clan of Kooks

www.thepeoplegroupllc.com​In addition to protesting the funeral of the 9-year-old girl murdered during Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson, the lunatics from the Westboro Baptist Church tell New Times they plan to protest the funeral of Federal Judge John Roll and picket the very corner at ... More >>

Jan. 10 In Blogs: Gabrielle Giffords, Improv AZ, The Black Swans, Shinbay, and Jared Loughner

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: