105: 40 Years On: John Lennon, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and Gun Violence

Red, Blue, and Brady

On the evening of 8 December 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed in the front entrance of his home in NYC. His murderer was a one-time Beatles fan who had traveled from Hawaii to New York with a .38 special revolver that he had purchased six weeks prior from a shop in Honolulu, Hawaii for 169 dollars.

However, the shooter had planned the killing over several months, and had shared his plans with his wife. Had an Extreme Risk Law (sometimes called a “red flag” law) been in place at that time, the shooter may not have been able to maintain his access to this firearm.
Recently, Hawaii joined 18 other states and the District of Columbia in codifying an Extreme Risk Law that would enable family members, co-workers or police to obtain court orders blocking access to firearms for people who show signs they could pose a danger to themselves or others.

To discuss John Lennon's life and death, and what gun violence prevention is like 40 years later, hosts Kelly and JJ are speaking with Senator Karl Rhoads of Hawaii, President of Brady Kris Brown, Academy Award-nominated documentary producer and podcaster Michael Epstein, and founder and Executive Director of Safer Country Paul Friedman.

Mentioned in this podcast:

• John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (Netflix)
• LennoNYC (PBS)
• Murder in House Two (Crowd Network)
• Gun Violence Prevention Protection Laws (Safer Country)
• John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes (Why Hunger)

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Full transcripts and bibliographies of this episode are available at

Support the show

For more information on Brady, follow us on social media @Bradybuzz or visit our website at bradyunited.org.
Full transcripts and bibliographies of this episode are available at bradyunited.org/podcast.
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Music provided by: David “Drumcrazie” Curby
Special thanks to Hogan Lovells for their long-standing legal support
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