Gun Lobby Tactics, Free Speech, and Brain Disease in the NFL

A study published this year found that pro-gun PACs consistently increased campaign donations to politicians in the aftermath of fatal school shootings in their districts. Reporter Jack Panyard and school shooting survivor Taylor Schumann join Russell and Clarissa to discuss the aftermath of school shootings, the complexity of forgiveness, and whether to hold parents accountable for children’s crimes. Then, a former CIA agent who is transgender wrote an Atlantic article about her experience giving Vice President Mike Pence daily intelligence briefings. We re-air a conversation in which Mike Cosper and David French discuss the violent rhetoric directed by the online far right towards transgender people and how Christians should view the free speech of people they disagree with. Finally, a new study found that at least 1 in 4 NFL players likely has the degenerative brain disease CTE, which is caused by repeated hits to the head. We re-air a segment in which former NFL player Derwin Gray discusses how he found Jesus playing football, the violence of the NFL, and how the audience can view the sport and players.

REFERENCED IN THE SHOW:

The Gun Lobby’s Most Cynical Move Yet - The Atlantic

The Wrong Kind of American - The Atlantic

Major Study Finds at Least 1 in 4 NFL Players Gets CTE - The New York TImes

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ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Taylor Schumann is a writer, activist, and survivor of the shooting at New River Community College in Christianburg, Virginia in 2013. She wrote the book When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough.

Jack Panyard is a news writer for Christianity Today. Previously he was covered breaking news, courts, crime, politics, education, and health for LNP and Lancaster Online. He has reported on Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes in the podcast Broken: Jeffrey Epstein.