More Seriously About the NRA's Press Conference.

In How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown? "Slate partners with @GunDeaths for an interactive, crowdsourced tally of the toll firearms have taken since Dec. 14."

Stop The Shootings has more. The data is hard to come by. Two years ago the NY Times wrote N.R.A. Stymies Firearms Research, Scientists Say.

"In the wake of the shootings in Tucson, the familiar questions inevitably resurfaced: Are communities where more people carry guns safer or less safe? Does the availability of high-capacity magazines increase deaths? Do more rigorous background checks make a difference?

The reality is that even these and other basic questions cannot be fully answered, because not enough research has been done. And there is a reason for that. Scientists in the field and former officials with the government agency that used to finance the great bulk of this research say the influence of the National Rife Association has all but choked off money for such work."

More recently JAMA wrote Silencing the Science on Gun Research. As Kevin Drum wrote "The conservative war on reality continues apace. If you don't like what's happening in the real world, simply defund anyone who tries to report on it. Mission accomplished!"

FactCheck.org in Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts says: "The United States has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world — by far. And it has the highest rate of homicides among advanced countries. And yet, gun crime has been declining in the U.S. Firearm murders are down, as is overall gun violence – even as gun ownership increases. Read our Analysis for more insight on what these statistics mean."

Mother Jones offers, A Non-Gun-Owner's Guide to Guns.

WonkBlog explains, The NRA wants an ‘active’ mental illness database. Thirty-eight states have that now.

There was Disbelief in some quarters after NRA calls for armed guards at every school, blames movies

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the press conference "A Shameful Evasion Of The Crisis Facing Our Country".

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said armed guards are not the solution to ending school violence. “I don’t necessarily think having an armed guard outside every classroom is conducive to a positive learning environment.”

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said "‘‘What they announced today is not a plan, but a ploy to bring more guns into our neighborhoods. I don’t believe the answer to gun violence is more guns.’’

The New Republic has particularly good commentary in The NRA's Emperor Has No Clothes.