As major retailers raise the age requirement to buy guns, a look at possible impacts on the industry

Listen 1:35:01

Apple

Spotify

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Kroger will no longer sell guns to buyers under 21 – but how many people buy their guns in major stores anyway? We also dive into how a Minnesota SCOTUS case could effect what you can wear to the polls; is Google’s Al-powered smart camera convenient or creepy?; and more.

As major retailers raise the age requirement to buy guns, a look at possible impacts on the industry

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Kroger will no longer sell guns to buyers under 21 – but how many people buy their guns in major stores anyway? We also dive into how a Minnesota SCOTUS case could effect what you can wear to the polls; is Google’s Al-powered smart camera convenient or creepy?; and more.

Subscribe

• Apple
• Spotify

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Kroger will no longer sell guns to buyers under 21 – but how many people buy their guns in major stores anyway? We also dive into how a Minnesota SCOTUS case could effect what you can wear to the polls; is Google’s Al-powered smart camera convenient or creepy?; and more.

As major retailers raise the age requirement to buy guns, a look at possible impacts on the industry

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Kroger have announced they will no longer sell guns to anyone under 21 following a nationwide push for stricter gun control after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fl.

This move sparks more than a few questions. What percentage do gun purchases at these national retailers represent in overall gun sales? What other avenues are available for those between 18 and 21 years of age to obtain guns?

Larry speaks to a gun industry analyst on whether the move might have an effect on gun sales.

Guest:

Brian Rafn, director of research at Morgan & Dempsey, a Wall Street investment counsel firm; he’s been following the gun industry for over 30 years

A deeper look at why independent voters aren’t quite what they seem

In the 2016 presidential election, independent voters were seen as a tipping point between Democrats and Republicans - but that hasn't always been the case.

There used to be a lot more voting across the aisles, depending on policy, rather than party. But there have been shift in that narrative, from the rise of Ronald Reagan to the Gingrich Revolution in ‘94.

Voters have become more partisan, yet there’s been an increase in voters registered as independent. Some theorize that the independent voter is just a partisan dissatisfied with the establishment, even though they still vote along party lines.

So how many true independents are there and if you’re one of them, tell us about the changes you’ve seen in “independent” voting in California. How did we stop voting across the aisle?

Guests:

Thad Kousser, professor of political science specializing in California politics at UC San Diego; his recent book is “Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis” (CQ Press, 2017)

Dan Schnur, professor at the USC Annenberg school of Communications; founder of the USC / Los Angeles Times statewide political poll; he tweets

Checking on the state of college basketball as FBI probe of NCAA dives deeper, reveals LA ties

March Madness gets underway two weeks, but it’s hard to ignore the dark cloud of an FBI investigation into corruption and bribery looming over the sport.

The latest scandal stems from a Yahoo! Sports report implicating more than 20 of the top basketball programs in the country for allegedly violating NCAA rules, including Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas, and Southern California. The report also implicates a number of NCAA players, including current USC players Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu, along with current Lakers guard Kyle Kuzma, for violating NCAA rules by taking money from a now-defunct sports agency.

Back in September, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its arrests of 10 people, including USC assistant coach Tony Bland, in connection with fraud and corruption schemes. Not long after, the NCAA announced the creation of a Commission on College Basketball, chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which will work on changes to the system.

Many critics have called for a full overhaul of the system and a reexamination of the definition of “amateurism.” Former NBA players Jalen Rose and

have called on players to boycott the Final Four, and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James

the NCAA “corrupt.”

Is it time to start paying college athletes to play? Or do you think the NCAA could address the problem by better enforcing its own rules? Should the organization be looking at redefining what it means to be an “amateur athlete?”

Guest:

Andy Kamenetzky, co-host of the Lakers Postgame Show on ESPN L.A. 710 and regular guest K2 Sports, which you can hear Wednesday on Take Two

Google’s first Al-powered smart camera takes photos for you – convenient or creepy?

If you are looking for a way to capture candid moments that don’t require you to have a smartphone out all the time, Google has a solution for you.

The company released its first “smart camera” Tuesday. The device relies on artificial intelligence to identify familiar faces and determine the best moments to capture a seven second video that can be turned into still images or shared as an Apple Live Photo, Google Motion Photo or animated GIF. Whenever it’s on, the artificial intelligence inside is watching. The tiny Clips camera decides on its own what to record.

The camera turns these shots into short clips without you having to use video editing software. Clips isn’t designed to replace your smartphone camera or your DSLR.

Will you let Clips take photos for you? Do you find it fascinating or scary? Do you find the technology to be invasive or simply part of the future?

Call us at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Geoffrey Fowler, technology columnist for the Washington Post who’s been following this story; he tweets

How the Minnesota SCOTUS case could affect what Californians wear to the polls

Since the early 20th century, Minnesota has had a rule against wearing political buttons or insignia at or near its polling places.

The law is meant to keep electioneering away from the polls. But that law is being challenged now in the Supreme Court. This stems from a 2010 incident where Minnesota voters wearing Tea Party insignia were told to cover it before casting their ballots.

Here in the Golden State, our rules are less stringent. According to the California Voting Law Compliance Handbook, voters are restricted from wearing clothing or accessories that advocate for a particular candidate. But wearing a shirt displaying “Down with Liberals,” for example, would be permitted.

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday and there were a lot of questions. What if the voter is wearing a button with a rainbow on it? Or the 2nd Amendment on their shirt? So how could this case push the boundaries of free speech for other states like California?  

Guest:

Rick Hasen, professor specializing in election law at UC Irvine and author of the forthcoming book “The Justice of Contradictions: Antonin Scalia and the Politics of Disruption,” (Yale University Press, 2018) set to release next week; he tweets

In light of Trump’s California visit, a check-in on border wall developments

President Trump is expected to visit the Golden State this month to check in on his baby – the border wall.

Controversy about the wall’s development hasn’t faded since the 2016 presidential campaign trail. Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday that he would delay the project’s development in California, but only until the whole wall is approved. His tweet came on the heels of a U.S. District Court Judge’s ruling which rejected lawsuits from the state of California and environmentalists accusing the Department of Homeland Security of illegally waiving environmental regulations for the replacement wall and prototype development. Trump had previously accused the district court judge, Gonzalo Curiel, of bias.

So what do the prototypes look like and what can we expect to see in the walls future development?

Guests:

Kate Morrissey, immigration reporter for the San Diego Union Tribune who’s been following the story; she tweets

Ted Hesson, immigration reporter for POLITICO Pro who’s been following the story; he tweets

Corporations are people, too: How US businesses came to gain the same rights as you and me

Women and minorities have a long history of fighting for equal rights in the U.S., but there’s another, lesser known group, that has faced a similar trajectory, using similar tactics: corporations.

In his new book “We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights,” UCLA law professor Adam Winkler traces the history of corporations’ fight for personhood under the law, from the colonial era to the landmark cases of Citizens United and Hobby Lobby. Corporations have often used the tactics of the civil rights movement, such as civil disobedience and test cases, to bend the law in their favor.

Larry Mantle sits down with Professor Winkler to discuss how corporations shaped the U.S. Constitution and democracy, from America’s early beginnings to today.

Adam Winkler will be discussing his new book:

• Thursday, March 8 at 12:30pm at ALOUD at the Los Angeles Central Library in DTLA

• Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00pm at Chevalier’s Books in Larchmont

​Guest:

Adam Winkler, author of the new book, “We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights” (Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2017); UCLA law professor and gun law expert