SHOOTING TRAGEDY OUTCOMES? CIVILITY? MORE GUNS?

posted by Michael Chihak

Last week's tragic shootings in Tucson have driven several political issues to the surface in Arizona, and nationally.

Several politicians have used the tragedy to call for civility in political discourse as a way to be true to oneself and others, as Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams said, and to honor the memories of those who died, as President Obama said.

How long that will last is up for question. The journalists analyzing and commenting on tonight's debut edition of Arizona Week weren't certain that it would have "legs" beyond the realm of shock and mourning that Tucson, Arizona and the nation are undergoing.

Another issue brought to the fore is that of gun availability and gun control. On that, Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce is adamant that nothing will lead to any rollback of 2nd Amendment rights in the state. And the commentators on Arizona Week agreed, with Robert Robb of the Arizona Republic saying that it simply won't happen.