Earlier this week, the Senateconfirmed Vivek Murthy to be the nation’s next Surgeon General. His confirmation had been held up for more than a year by pro-gun lobbyists, because of his support for new gun control measures. Murthy founded the group Doctors for America, which had advocated for gun restrictions, but he has said his focus as Surgeon General will be on tackling the nation’s obesity problem.
This hour, we talk to John Stoehr, Managing Editor of The Washington Spectator. He wrote an opinion piece urging President Obama to push Murthy’s confirmation as a way to honor those killed in the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and to raise gun violence as a public health issue.
And Coltsville, the hub of Sam Colt’s innovative gun empire,has gained national park statusafter years of effort by state lawmakers. We talk with one of them, Congressman John Larson, and with Bill Hosley, the state’s leading authority on the history of Sam Colt.
GUESTS:
- John Stoehr - Managing Editor for The Washington Spectator
- Bill Hosley - Cultural Resource Marketing and Development Consultant at Terra Firma Northeast
- John Larson - 1st District Connecticut Congressman
- Celeste Bernardo - Superintendent of Lowell National Historical Park
Tucker Ives and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.