More light than heat in gun talk
The national gun debate is emotional — sometimes bitter — on both sides, but cool heads prevailed Wednesday at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). David Keene, president of the National Rifle Association, offered up his views at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, a venue sponsored by the Institute of Politics (IOP). Engaging with him onstage was John King, CNN’s chief national correspondent and an IOP Fellow this semester. (Keene himself was an IOP fellow in 1976.) The venue? Stacked to the rafters, and primed for the sharp round of questioning after the 20-minute opening conversation. Most of those minutes went to Keene. His position: Make current background checks work before expanding the system. Keene argued that the present mechanism for vetting gun buyers — the National Instant Criminal Background Check System — is inefficient and lacks comprehensive data on criminal records and mental health. Gun shows are not “the Wild West.” Keene said 90 percent...