Talk of The Nation

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show topics, including segments how children change when they learn about notorious parents and the growing conflict in Mali.

Twenty students and six teachers were killed when a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. As police continue to investigate the massacre, some argue that it's time to change the conversation about guns in America.

Journalist Rob Cox grew up in Newtown, Conn. and moved back after many years abroad. Cox, editor for Thompson Reuters global commentary service Breakingviews, talks about how the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School has transformed his hometown.

Tragic events like the mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school leave us with all sorts of unanswerable questions. What do events like the shooting in Newtown say about the cultural identity of the United States?

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST: