If you aren't a fan of NASCAR, you probably wouldn't have known the NRA was hosting Sunday's race in Texas. When ESPN reported on the event, they never even mentioned its host. But then came news of the shooting at the NRA 500.

A man died in the middle of the race at Texas Motor Speedway, victim of, of all things, a gunshot wound. It's a sad, tragic accident, and one that the NRA cannot afford to ignore.

In the wake of Sandy Hook and the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, gun control is on the mind of every parent I know. Needless to say, it's an incredibly divisive subject. Though not a lot has surprised me about the debate until now. The latest champion against anti-gun legislation is a young girl. A 15-year-old teen recently made a pro-gun plea to the state legislature in Annapolis, Maryland. But as impassioned and articulate as this young woman is, I think her view is a bit misguided.

As if it weren't heartbreaking and horrifying enough to learn that a 4-year-old shot a deputy's wife in Tennessee, yesterday came news that a 4-year-old shot his 6-year-old neighbor Brandon Holt in Tom's River, New Jersey. Authorities say that the 4-year-old went into his house and came back with a .22 caliber rifle that discharged accidentally, hitting Brandon from about 15 yards away, authorities say. The children's parents were standing in the yard nearby during the incident.

Of course, a devastating shooting like this leaves everyone wondering how, why, what next. And when two incidents involving small children happen within days of one another, how can we not think about gun control? Sadly, though, it seems like at least what happened in New Jersey is a case in which gun control wouldn't necessarily have done much to prevent this death.

You know it's been a bad day on a college campus when the best thing you can say is "at least there wasn't a shooting." Indeed no guns were used at Lone Star College's Cy-Fair campus, at least not by the attacker who allegedly stabbed at least 14 people at the school outside Houston. With the college on lockdown, at least four people had to be airlifted out because of their injuries, and the suspect was only stopped by a brave student tackling him.

The reports are unsettling. The injuries scary. But it's impossible to deny the sense of relief that comes when you read reports of critical injuries rather than fatalities.

Two horrific gun stories involving children are making headlines this morning. In Toms River, New Jersey, a 4-year-old boy got a hold of a gun and shot his 6-year-old neighbor in the head with it. Meanwhile, in an awful story out of Tennessee, a 4-year-old boy is accused of grabbing a loaded gun at a family cookout and shooting the wife of a Tennessee sheriff's deputy to death. Josephine Fanning died almost immediately after.

The gun used in the second shooting wasn't the officer's service weapon, and as a school resource officer at two area elementary schools, he wasn't on duty at the time of the incident, The Tennessean reported. According to CBS News, Daniel Fanning and Josephine wed last year.

As for the first shooting, it's unclear how the boy got a hold of the gun and also unclear how he was able to use it (and why was it loaded?). But one thing that IS clear from both stories: We have a major, major problem in this country.

The Newtown tragedy was one of our nation's darkest days, and for moms, news reports about the shootings were especially difficult to take. After all, those children could have been our children. That school could have been our neighborhood school. Those teachers could have been our kids' teachers.

For days afterward, I walked around in a funk, crying at the slightest provocation. And as it turned out, I was far from alone. Across the country, thousands upon thousands of moms were reacting the very same way -- and today, as a result of that feeling, a nationwide organization of moms has formed that's dedicated to making sure a tragedy like Newtown never happens again.

Check out our Moms Matter video report after the jump. Then tell us in the comments if you think these moms could -- or should -- make a difference when it comes to gun control laws in America.

There are certain behaviors that land folks in jail. Most of us assume that those end once a crime-committing individual is behind bars, but a recently released video of shenanigans in a New Orleans parish prison has proven most of us-es wrong. The footage shows inmates doing drugs, gambling, drinking beer, and brandishing guns. An armed inmate inside the prison. With a gun. Now that’s a variation on your typical incarceration storyline. Although it’s not clear when this debauchery was caught on camera, it is a neon-flashing testament to the immediate need for prison reform, not just lip service about it. If you don’t like your hardcore criminals with access to firearms, needles, and alcohol, you’re going to be pretty unnerved by this. This is the raw, uncut version. Be forewarned:

Prosecutors announced Monday that they will seek the death penalty for James Holmes, the man charged with killing 12 and wounding dozens of others in last summer’s Colorado movie theater shooting spree. Arapahoe County DA George Brauchler said, “It’s my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes justice is death.”

The move was not unexpected, as the prosecution rejected a plea offer from Holmes’ lawyers last week. The offer would have exchanged life in prison without the possibility for parole for a guilty plea.