Feature / December 23, 2024

When Our Orgy of Gun Violence Came to My Hometown

After Columbine and Sandy Hook, after the AME Church in Charleston and the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, we stopped saying “It can’t happen here.” And then it did.

Eric Orner
Eric Orner

Eric Orner is a former Capitol Hill staff counsel, and a cartoonist. His most recent graphic novel, Smahtguy, was an NPR Books We Love selection. He is a fellow at the New York Public Library Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, working on a book about Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Earlier in his career Eric wrote and drew a popular alt-weekly comic strip about LGBTQ life, called The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green.

More from The Nation

On the Fernald campus. From left to right: Walter Jr, Walter Sr., Tom (the eventual father of Barbara and Winton), Helen (the author’s great-grandmother), and Katherine.

My Family’s Dark, Hidden History With Institutionalization My Family’s Dark, Hidden History With Institutionalization

My great-great-grandfather was the namesake of an infamous institution for the disabled. From long-neglected records of the property, the lives of forgotten people were uncovered....

Oliver Egger

People gather in Union Square for the Together We Win rally in support of transgender youth held in New York City on January 10, 2026.

Smoke and Mirrors: The Right's Latest Attacks Against Trans People Smoke and Mirrors: The Right's Latest Attacks Against Trans People

The MAGA movement is redoubling its attacks on trans healthcare in an attempt to win votes this November.

Joanna Wuest

Customers walk into a Blockbuster Video store in 2002.

Is Blockbuster Video the Answer to Our Digital Privacy Woes? Is Blockbuster Video the Answer to Our Digital Privacy Woes?

The Supreme Court is weighing whether a 1988 video-store law can be used to protect our digital privacy.

Elie Mystal

Josh Gottheimer participates in the Competing and Setting the Standards in the AI Era panel during The Hill & Valley Forum 2026 at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on March 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

How Congress Is Cashing In on the AI Boom How Congress Is Cashing In on the AI Boom

Roughly one in five members of Congress has household investments in the industry.

David Moore and Donald Shaw

New York Knicks fans cheer in the second half of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics hosted by the Knicks outside of Madison Square Garden on May 16, 2025, in New York City.

Obviously, the Knicks Should Not Visit the White House. Why Is This Even a Discussion? Obviously, the Knicks Should Not Visit the White House. Why Is This Even a Discussion?

The Knicks shouldn’t let their legacy include genuflecting to Donald Trump, one of the most hated figures in the very city printed on their jersey. New Yorkers deserve better.

Dave Zirin

A screenshot from the film “NAZA.”

The Real AI Threat Is Already Here The Real AI Threat Is Already Here

Never mind some future apocalypse—AI is being used right now to cause enormous suffering.

Column / Jeet Heer