Is there common ground for supporters of gun rights and gun control to stop random, senseless shootings in this country? Perhaps. Hours after the awful shooting at Seattle Pacific University, Mayor Ed Murray appeared on campus and said, “Once again the epidemic of gun violence has come to Seattle — the epidemic of gun violence that is haunting this nation.” Other politicians, activists and liberal clergy echoed his words. It will surprise the mayor and many other people to learn that gun violence isn’t rising in America, it’s falling. In fact, it’s plummeting. Gun deaths are down nearly 40 percent in the last 20 years, despite an increase in population and a rise in gun ownership. The Bureau of Justice Statistics points out an even more dramatic number: Non-fatal gun crimes free-fell 69 percent during that same period. But mass shootings have increased. Depending on how you define them (attempted vs. actual), they have doubled or tripled in the last decade. Why are random shootings with multiple casualties up while overall “gun violence” is way down? Let’s broaden our focus. Read The Full...

Everything I initially wrote about the Trayvon Martin killing was based on network news reports. And it was almost entirely wrong. In my KOMO radio commentary of March 23, 2012, I said the following about the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman: “Thinking of 17-year old Trayvon the way we’d think of our own kids is exactly how to view this tragedy. Read the full article at Crosscut.com by clicking...

Relieve drunken drivers of their cars. The state should take cars away from defiant drunken drivers before they kill, writes guest columnist John Carlson. ON a sunny spring day in 1971 my dad and I were waiting at a red light in West Seattle when we heard a a loud, screeching sound. I turned to ask, “What’s that?” when I heard a bang and was hurled toward the dashboard. Click here to read the full article in The Seattle...

Understanding Rodney Tom would teach Democrats a lot – The new majority leader’s decision to work with Republicans sends a message to Democrats. But don’t count on the message being received. Democrats Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon have joined a coalition of Republicans in the Washington state Senate to form a majority. Will it mean an impasse on state K-12 education funding? When you prevent a popular lawmaker like Ed Murray from being the new Senate Majority Leader, don’t expect bouquets from the Seattle media — especially if you’re a Democrat who wins the coveted position with Republican votes. So, when Rodney Tom ascended to the Senate’s top job, he was called “two faced” by online columnist Joel Connelly. The Seattle Times’ Danny Westneat called him a Seattle basher. Even worse, he called him rich. And The Times’ Ron Judd, always a subtle touch, dismissed him as Benedict Arnold. In Seattle’s liberal and left wing blogosphere, “betrayal” is one of the milder words flying around. But when Rodney Tom walked away from the Republican Party seven years ago, the media reaction was different. Quite different. Click here to read the complete article on...

Why the Republicans keep coming up short for governor – The state GOP legitimately has the governor blues, but there’s no reason to despair about ever winning a chance to lead the state again. It has been 32 years since a Republican in Washington has won a race for governor, stretching back to 1980 when the Democrats were so divided that both President Jimmy Carter and Gov. Dixy Lee Ray faced primary challenges. Carter survived his from Ted Kennedy but was buried in the 41-state Reagan landslide. Dixy was tackled in the primary by Seattle state Sen. Jim McDermott, the only progressive candidate in a five member field. Three Republicans — King County Executive John Spellman, co-Speaker of the State House Duane Berentson, and Secretary of State Bruce Chapman — divided the non-liberal vote with Dixy, allowing McDermott to squeak through with the nomination. But in November, McDermott got 43.5 percent of the vote against the genial, pipe-smoking Spellman, “the man who built the Kingdome”. Click here to read the complete article on...