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Arts & Culture

After Newtown: Guns In America

A firearms instructor at F6 Labs in Hicksville, New York, firing a Glock.
Courtesy of Jonathan Silvers/Saybrook Productions
A firearms instructor at F6 Labs in Hicksville, New York, firing a Glock.

Airs Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Don Troiani, a historical artist known for his paintings of soldiers and battles, cradles a vintage musket.
Courtesy of Jonathan Silvers/Saybrook Productions
Don Troiani, a historical artist known for his paintings of soldiers and battles, cradles a vintage musket.
Professor of Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health, David Hemenway, is the author of "Private Guns, Public Health."
Courtesy of Jonathan Silvers/Saybrook Productions
Professor of Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health, David Hemenway, is the author of "Private Guns, Public Health."

It Breaks My Heart: Students React to the Newtown Tragedy

As news of the shooting in Newtown filtered into schools and homes, children and teenagers absorbed the tragedy in very different and personal ways. PBS NewsHour asked the 45 schools in its network of Student Reporting Labs to record interviews with young people about how they first heard about the shooting, their initial reactions and what kinds of conversations they’ve had since.

PBS Parents: How To Help Kids Feel Safe After Tragedy

In the days and weeks following a high-profile tragedy, such as the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings, kids may have a lot of questions about whether something like this could happen to them. It’s normal for both adults and kids to feel anxious after such a publicly devastating event, but there are things you can do to minimize the stress and maintain a sense of normalcy.

In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, PBS will broadcast a series of specials from PBS NEWSHOUR, FRONTLINE, WASHINGTON WEEK, NOVA, NEED TO KNOW and more, that continue the public conversation on gun laws, mental illness and school security. The “After Newtown” programming airs on PBS stations February 18-22, 2013.

"After Newtown: Guns In America" is an unprecedented exploration of America’s enduring relationship with firearms.

From the first European settlements in the New World to frontier justice; from 19th-century immigrant riots to gangland violence in the Roaring Twenties; from the Civil War to civil rights, guns have been at center of our national narrative.

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Americans have relied on guns to sustain communities, challenge authority and keep the peace. Efforts to curtail their distribution and ownership have triggered epic political battles.

This program traces the evolution of guns in America, their frequent link to violence and the clash of cultures that reflect competing visions of our national identity.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

FRONTLINE "Raising Adam Lanza" airs Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV (watch a preview below)

NOVA "Mind Of A Rampage Killer" airs Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV (watch a preview below)

"The Path To Violence" airs Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV (watch a preview below)

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PBS NEWSHOUR airs weekdays at 7 p.m. on KPBS

WASHINGTON WEEK airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on KPBS

NEED TO KNOW airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on KPBS

"After Newtown" Special Programming From PBS

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Watch Raising Adam Lanza Preview on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

In the wake of the mass killings at Sandy Hook, FRONTLINE looks for answers to the elusive question: who was Adam Lanza?
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Watch Mind of a Rampage Killer Preview on PBS. See more from NOVA.

As the nation tries to understand the tragic events at Newtown, NOVA correspondent Miles O'Brien separates fact from fiction, investigating new theories that the most destructive rampage killers are driven most of all, not by the urge to kill, but the wish to die. Can science help us understand why some people commit horrific acts of mass murder?
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Watch The Path to Violence - Preview on PBS. See more from After Newtown.

Learn what can be done to detect problem behavior and prevent violent attacks with "The Path To Violence." Premieres Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 10 p.m. ET, as part of "After Newtown" special programming. Explore more at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/after-newtown/
PBS NEWSHOUR: Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Newtown, Gun Violence

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Watch Need to Know: Gun Rights, Part I on PBS. See more from After Newtown.

December 21, 2012: Much has been made this week about what, if anything, will happen legislatively regarding gun control. But the less reported story is that over the last few years, dozens of states have significantly rolled back gun restrictions. In 2010, NEED TO KNOW's John Larson traveled to Virginia to see what’s known as the “open carry” movement first-hand, to understand why it had become so popular…and to investigate how the gun rights movement had become so effective in easing gun control laws.
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Watch Need to Know: Gun Rights, Part II on PBS. See more from After Newtown.

Larry Pratt, the Head of Gun Owners of America wrote in USA Today that gun control advocates have “blood on the[eir] hands” for the Connecticut school massacre. Pratt believes that the solution to the massacre is not fewer guns but more. John Larson sat down with him in Virginia.