A video on YouTube of a Golden Eagle snatching up a toddler turned out to be fake. Students from Montreal's 3-D technology school Centre NAD came forward to take credit for the viral video that appears to show an eagle snatching a toddler in a park.

The video shows a scene where a flying eagle swoops down, picks up a toddler with its talons and travels several feet before dropping the child and flying away.

Students Normand Archambault, Loïc Mireault and Félix Marquis-Poulin made the video in a production simulation workshop class, according to a statement from the school. The eagle and the toddler were created in 3D animation and added to the film, the school said.

The video was uploaded on Tuesday night and has received over 2 million views by late Wednesday.

Warning: Video contains graphic language

David Bird, a professor of wildlife biology at McGill University told the CBC that he doubted the authenticity of the video and said that he has never heard of an eagle snatching up a child.

"The public has nothing to fear from bald eagles in that regard of picking up their babies, and for that matter, even their pets," he said. 

Alex Hern of the New Statesman was also skeptical from the beginning. He analyzed the video frame by frame and noticed that the right wing of the eagle becomes transparent three seconds into the video.

"'This video is unbelievable' was clearly my subconscious being more right than I thought, because I actually don't believe this video is true," Hern said. 

In a matter of hours, San Diego State University will face rival Brigham Young University on their home turf for the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl.

Both teams have enjoyed some sightseeing and pre-game practice this week but it's the annual Battle of the Bands that allows locals and alums to get into the excitement before kickoff.

Of course, how can you not love a football game where Rocky will go up against Bronco? SDSU head coach Rocky Long and BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall met at the pre-game luncheon Wednesday.  Long tried to get a little recon at the press availability.

“I said 10 days ago he’s going to play both quarterbacks,” Long said then turning to his opponent asked, “Can you tell me now?”

Mendenhall refused saying, “I like to build the intrigue. It’s good for ratings.”

Speaking of ratings, the game will be aired on ESPN but a lot of Aztec fans will be attending the game in person. Tickets are still available.

A dollar from every ticket sold will go to Make-a-Wish San Diego, the official beneficiary of this year’s Poinsettia Bowl. You’ll be reminded of your gift when you listen as one of the children involved with the foundation will sing the national anthem.

Because of rush hour and the 5 p.m. kickoff, Aztec fans will want to arrive to Qualcomm Stadium early and the stadium staff makes that possible by opening up the parking lot at 11:30 a.m. Get Poinsettia Bowl trolley information. 

Now, back to the Battle of the Bands. Check out the brief excerpt from each team's band and cheer squad and decide the winner for yourself.

View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

The tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary will stand as one of those before-and-after days in America -- things will never be the same at schools across Connecticut and beyond.

"This was like our 9/11 for school teachers," Richard Cantlupe, an American history teacher at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Fla., told the Associated Press.

Officials across the country are taking measures to make students and parents feel as safe as possible. From Los Angeles to Newtown, school districts heightened security this week -- placing police officers outside schools and reviewing security procedures.

“I think it’s important that at this particular time we’re able to get everybody [to] feel good about schools, that they can feel safe at schools," said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, who said every K-8 school in the city would be visited by a police officer each day. "That’s my job and we’ll make sure that it happens.”

But some schools are also looking at long-term solutions to beef up security -- drastic changes that would revamp school security as we know it, much like airport security was revamped after 9/11.

Sandy Hook could make getting into a public school far more difficult.

Mike Dorn of Safe Havens International, a non-profit campus safety center, has been working in school safety for three decades. He sees controlling access as the chief way in which schools can ensure their students' safety.

Now he thinks administrators will be able to implement changes that would have been impossible a week ago.

"There are many school superintendents and principals who last week wanted to put better access control in their schools, that have been told they can't, because the community would be in an uproar," said Dorn, who thinks such initiatives will now encounter far less resistance,

Dorn is a proponent of a high-tech system called Security Alert for Education (SAFE). With this system, teachers wear a pendant that amplifies their voice during lectures -- but also has a panic button button that allows them to immediately alert 911 during an emergency. Cameras mounted in classrooms are integrated into the system, as well.

Scot Trower, superintendent of the Ryal School in Ryal, Okla., "out in the middle of nowhere,"  had the SAFE System installed in 2010. An encounter a decade ago with a man with a gun in his back pocket demanding to pick up a student played into Trower's decision to implement SAFE.

Just last week, there was an incident at Ryal that required him to put the school on lockdown.

"We didn't have to use (the SAFE System), but it sure made everybody feel a lot better that they had it," said Trower, who has begun the process of having better access control installed at his school. He's also scheduled a meeting for early January to review his school's emergency response system.

Trower is also prepared to take a controversial step: Carrying a gun to school. Since the Sandy Hook massacre, lawmakers in several states have discussed legislation to allow teachers at staff members to carry concealed weapons, including Oklahoma.

"If that law passes, and my school board is in favor of it, and they adopt that policy… It's my first priority, to protect those children, and I'll do whatever I have to do," Trower said. "And if the law gives me the ability to do that, I will absolutely take advantage of that to protect my kids."

In Harrold, Texas, where the remote location makes teachers de facto first responders, they've been carrying guns since 2008.

"Many people can learn how to effectively and safely guard others with firearms," Harrold, Texas Superintendent David Thweatt told KNBC.

While Dorn clearly feels keeping schools secure is a priority, he also urges people to maintain some perspective. He points out that even in the wake of Sandy Hook, on average there are more school deaths from lightning strikes than mass murderers.

"It's important to note that we've reduced the numbers dramatically since the 1970s, so we've already seen a reduction," Dorn said. "I think we could cut the (school) homicide rate in half. There are a lot of children who have not died because of Columbine."

Similarly, Dorn believes that Sandy Hook will renew the country's commitment to school safety.

But whatever security solutions schools settle on, Dorn stressed that they must move forward with a clear head and proper training.

"We just hope schools move thoughtfully when they do this, because there's a lot of great equipment out there, but it has to be complimented by heightened staff awareness," said Dorn.

Though Trower is a proponent of carry/conceal, SAFE System and access control, he says the best way to prevent tragedies like Sandy Hook from happening is to talk to the kids. A report done by the Secret Service in response to the Columbine shooting revealed that a surprising number of shooters shared their plans with classmates.

"If our kids don’t feel comfortable communicating to the teachers and have those kinds of relationships ...  that's what can avert these kinds of things," said Trower.

"My basic philosophy of education is, if a kid doesn’t feel safe coming to school, or if a kid doesn’t like coming to school… they're not going to learn," Trower said. "Right now, across this country, there's a lot of school going on where kids are sitting in fear... We have to be proactive to keep these things from affecting us."

Two suspects with a history of violent crime refused to surrender to police in Escondido Wednesday, resulting in a SWAT standoff.

Police attempted to arrest the suspects in a house on 7th Avenue and South Pine Street in Escondido at about 12:30 p.m., according to the Escondido Police Department.

The suspects refused to surrender and police called in a SWAT team for assistance. 

Police confirm the suspects, a man and a woman, had a history of violent crime. The woman was taken into custody by 4:30 p.m. Shortly after, the man was also taken into custody. 

Streets in the area were closed as of about 3:30 p.m. as police respond to the incident. 

An El Cajon elementary school was briefly placed on lockdown Wednesday evening after police received a report of a man with a gun.

Police determined the man seen walking near Madison Elementary School in camouflage was carrying a pellet gun, according to officials with the El Cajon Police Department. 

The third-hand report came into the police department after school had been let out, and there were no students in the school at the time police responded. 

Officers interviewed the man seen near the school on Madison Avenue. 

There were no injuries reported. 

Olympic gold-medal winning snowboarder and Carlsbad native Shaun White decided to "mindfreak" people and cut off his hair.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” White said in a YouTube video he shot himself.

The video shows White visiting a hair salon and asking to have his long hair cut off for Locks of Love.

Once the stylist takes scissors to his ponytail, White suddenly says "stop" but the stylist told him "it's too late." It seems like his last-minute hesitation may have been just nerves.

As the haircut continues, White tells the photographer, "I'm still panicking."

But in the end, with about a foot of hair removed from his head, White was pleased with the outcome. 

Watch the clip to see how it all went down and to get a glimpse of Shaun's new look.

Legoland California in Carlsbad, busy building a new 250-room hotel, announced Tuesday that they are running ahead of schedule.

The opening was initially expected before summer vacation 2013 and planners say they expect to host the hotel's first guests April 5, 2013.

The park, which recently added a new Sea Park Aquarium, is adding the hotel in the hopes of keeping visitors at the attractions longer than one day.

Among the features will be a large dragon model that will breathe smoke as guests enter according to a Legoland spokesperson.

Other Lego models that have arrived in advance of the opening are pirates, explorers and bakers.

The folks at Legoland aren't new to the world of hotels. The Legoland Billund hotel in Denmark, built in 1991, has 199 rooms geared toward business guests and families with its two auditoriums and 31 conferences rooms.

The Carlsbad hotel will offer rooms with pirate, kingdom, and adventure themes. Room decor includes frog princes and parrots made of out Legos, themed bedding and a treasure chest containing a special Lego prize.

Reservations are already being accepted. Rooms start at $309 a night opening weekend.

The park is offering a pre-opening package for $484 that includes breakfast and park tickets. Get more details here.

On the heels of a short winter storm, San Diegans woke up to cold temperatures on Wednesday.  It's the kind of weather that will have many grabbing scarves and possibly gloves or mittens.

Temperatures around 6 a.m. were 33 in Escondido, 35 in Vista, 39 in Imperial Beach and 34 in Oceanside.

"If you need help waking up this morning, just stick your face out the door real quick,” said NBC 7 San Diego’s meteorologist Jodi Kodesh.

Get your forecast

While San Diego is not expecting rain or snow Wednesday, we will be feeling the cold. Coastal and inland areas can expect temperatures in the mid to high 50’s with frost advisory for tonight. Sensitive plants may be damaged if left unprotected outside according to the National Weather Service.

“Soup, sweaters and snuggies,” said NBC 7’s Whitney Southwick. “Anything you can do to keep warm today.

On NBC 7 San Diego's Facebook page, Isabella Mancini posted how she handled the cold, "Not only I use my heater but also cover my self with a few blankets."

Follower Greg Merrill reported ice on his windshield in Lakeside.

Enjoy the cold weather. Thursday will be sunny and a bit warmer Kodesh said.

The New Year brings new laws and several will be added to the rules and regulations from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Among the laws taking effect Jan. 1, 2013, is one that law enforcement agencies hope will allow officers to more effectively identify drivers under the influence of illegal drugs.

Under AB 2020, drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs can no longer choose a chemical test of their urine to determine drug content.

The bill’s authors proposed the change in the law after finding many DUI defense attorneys will advise drivers to opt for a urine test because it is unreliable and easier to challenge in court.

The law requires a blood test with a few health-related exceptions according to the DMV.

Other new laws:

New “vintage” look license plates – Here's a law that many vintage car owners or lovers will be thrilled to support. Drivers can apply for an old-style California license plate as a vanity plate beginning in 2013. The plates are with yellow background and black lettering, black background with yellow lettering (see right) or blue background with yellow lettering.

Protect car buyers from “buy-here-pay-here” car dealers – This law not only defines a "buy-here-pay-here" type of business but it also limits how these companies can track the vehicle using GPS. It also bans them from using technology to shut down the car without notifying the buyer first with a written warning.

New fee on vessel owners – The Department of Boating and Waterways will set an increase to help fund dreissenid mussel infestation prevention programs in the state’s waterways. The invasive species, known as the quagga or zebra mussels, can cause a lot of damage to the state's economy. To compare, a similar outbreak in the Great Lakes area is blamed for billions in damages. The new fee won’t be needed for vessels that operated exclusively in marine waters.

Traffic Violator School – people who drive on the job will be able to attend traffic school for violations that occur when they’re driving non-commercial vehicles.

Veteran License Plates – the fee to apply or renew veterans’ organizations license plates will go up. The fees are used by local agencies to help veterans and their families get benefits and services accrued through military service.

Testing of Self-driving cars – Makers of autonomous vehicles can apply for permits to test the cars on state highways provided they’ve met certain requirements.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department will offer gun owners gift cards in exchange for their firearms this Friday.

Those who turn in unwanted guns will receive $50 grocery store gift cards for shotguns and rifles and $100 grocery store gift cards for hand guns and assault weapons, according to a statement. 

The buy-back will take place Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Tubman/Chavez Multicultural Center, 415 Euclid Avenue, San Diego. It is put on by United African American Ministerial Action Council. 

The buyback is annual, but comes at a time when many are reconsidering their need for assault weapons. Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama called on an administration team to offer "concrete proposals" on curbing gun violence by January.

The gift cards were purchased with $10,000 in asset forfeiture funds. They can be redeemed at any grocery store. 

Sheriff's deputies will be on the scene with directions to ensure safety. They ask that all weapons be unloaded and placed in the owner's trunk. 

Last year, the department collected 851 weapons and ammunition -- -- significantly more than the three years prior combined. The organization collected so many that it ran out of gift cards, they said. 

California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) has been named the safest four-year university in California, according to a report from StateUniversity.com.

The school safety ratings list is based on campus crime statistics as reported by 450 of the nation’s largest colleges and universities. Each school’s safety score – which can range from zero to 100 -- is calculated based on the number and types of campus crimes reported during the year.

In the case of CSUSM, the campus obtained an overall safety score of 95.33. This is the second year in a row the San Marcos university has been dubbed the safest in California.

The campus ranks seventh when community colleges are factored in, the rankings revealed.

Meanwhile, based on these rankings, the safest school in the entire U.S. is Arkansas State University-Beebe, which received an overall safety score of 100.

To see a full list of universities and how they measure up on this safety scale, click here.
 

Charities are getting ready for the last minute rush.

"The last six weeks is the busiest six weeks we have," said Mike Rowan with Goodwill Industries of San Diego County. 

He says it is a combination of people having time off to clean out their closets and garages and donors looking for additional write-offs on their tax return. And it's that tax return that could drive up donations for the year.

"Because the future is uncertain on how much one can deduct," said Rowan. 

Uncertainty in Congress as politicians consider major changes to the tax laws have people worried.  Instead of losing out on deductions, some financial advisers are telling their clients to donate now.

"The tax deduction does help out quite a bit," said Thomas Hartley has he dropped off items at the Goodwill Store in San Diego. 

Tyler Ruhl is helping his mother clean out her garage. 

"I'm doing that right now for my Mom for a write-off," said Hartley.

Clothes are the most common donated items followed by household goods and books.

On December 31st, Mike Rowan says some of his donation centers will be backed up with cars similar the last minute tax filers lining up at the post office. 

About 60 percent of his donors ask for a donation receipt. And while he's happy to get the donations, Rowan says people don't have to wait till the last minute.

"We encourage them to come earlier but some I think like the excitement," says Rowan.

Despite the sunny budget projections of former Mayor Jerry Sanders, San Diego could be looking at a $37 million deficit by 2014.

In September, Sanders said the city could have a surplus of about $5 million by next year. He made plans to increase library hours, restore public services and repair some of the city’s infamously crumbling streets.

However, on Wednesday Mayor Bob Filner advised San Diegans to lower their expectations for what the city can provide in the coming years. He said a mix of three factors could critically alter the city’s budget projections.

“We’re not going to cry wolf, but we are gonna try to be honest about the budget,” he said.

Filner summarized the three factors in a press conference Wednesday and outlined a basic plan of action. He showed a chart with the worst-case scenario of a $37 million deficit so that people could have “expectations based on facts,” he said.

First, dismantled redevelopment agencies could send the bill back to the city from projects such as Petco Park. The state Department of Finance has yet to determine which projects the city will have to pay for, but Filner said the city will likely have to take up $14 million in annual payments for the bonds used to construct Petco Park.

Another potential “land mine,” as Filner said, is the increased cost of funding the city’s pension system. The city’s retirement service will see a decreased rate of return for next year due to fewer people contributing to the pension fund.

While last year the city’s annual pension payment was projected to be about $231 million, the city could in fact pay up to $276 million, Filner said.

“Some of that was built into the budget and some of it was not,” Filner said of the payments.

The third possible expense would incorporate lost state dollars as a result of Propostion A, which bans project labor agreements on city construction projects. Voters approved the measure in June, just after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that would take away funding from local governments which have such PLA bans.

Filner said he is currently negotiating with Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration to define how exactly the state law will be interpreted. He said he is using whatever leverage he has as a fellow Democrat to appeal to Gov. Brown and his administration.

As for what the city may lose if the worst case scenario comes true, Filner didn’t specify. He hopes to use some of the money from an SDG&E wildfire settlement for public safety projects, such as a new police communication system.

The gains in library hours, public safety officers and street repairs will not go away quite yet, but any hope in additional gains should be dampened, Filner said.

“I hope it doesn’t get to this,” he said, pointing at the worst-case scenario, “but I don’t want people to have expectations that may be too high.”

After 23 years of providing half-price same day tickets to San Diego performances, the iconic box office in front of Horton Plaza will be demolished.  

The “Art Tix” box office has been a trademark of downtown San Diego since 1989, after being moved from the lobby of the Spreckels Theater on Broadway. 

Its design mimics New York City's TKTS discount ticket booth in Times Square. 

Crews began demolishing the old Robinson’s May building last month, but did not make provisions for the Art Tix box office.

A grass roots campaign supporting the office convinced local officials to find a new location for operations, according to a statement from San Diego Performing Arts League. 

Box office operations will now be located at the Lyceum Theater near the entrance to Horton Plaza. The permanent box office will be built into the new Horton Plaza design in 2014 when the project is completed. 

The Performing Arts league hopes to be able to save remnants from the box office, but hasn't made any plans to do so yet, a spokesperson said. 

The box office's lease with Westfield ends on December 31. The spokesperson said the demolition will likely take place around that time.

America's struggle over gun violence and the right to bear arms has been raging for decades. Here's a look at key events in the United States' long, tortured relationship with crime and guns:

• 1791: The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. It read, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

• 1911: New York State passed the Sullivan Act, one of the first pieces of gun control. It required a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and remains law.

• 1934: The National Firearms Act, passed in response to a string of crimes using automatic weapons, levied a tax on the manufacture and sale of firearms, including machine guns, shotguns and certain rifles. It is still in effect.

• 1938: The Federal Firearms Act was passed, requiring gun dealers to obtain a license and maintain records on all their sales. It also made it illegal to sell a gun to a convicted criminal.

• 1963: President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Crime rates began a steep climb.

• 1965: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated.

• 1968: President Lyndon Johnson signed the Gun Control Act, which placed more stringent regulations on gun sales, including a ban on selling rifles and shotguns by mail.

• 1972: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms was created.

• 1975: The violent crime rate peaked. The National Rifle Association creates a lobbying group. That same year, it successfully fought an effort by Sen. Edward Kennedy to have ammunition regulated as a “hazardous substance.”

• 1980: Violence rates peaked again.

• 1981: President Ronald Reagan was shot and his press aide James Brady seriously wounded.

• 1984: A gunman armed with an Uzi submachine gun killed 21 people and wounded 19 at a McDonald’s in San Ysdiro, Calif. The crack era began.

• 1986: The Firearms Owners Protection Act passed, easing restrictions on in-person purchases of guns by people from out of state and limiting inspections of licensed dealers by the ATF.

• 1989: A gunman wielding an AK-47 rifle killed five children and injured 29 others on a schoolyard in Stockton, Calif.

• 1993: President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on the purchase of a gun and required local law enforcement to conduct background checks on all potential buyers.

• 1994: Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, including the Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited, for 10 years, the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic weapons with magazines capable of holding 10 or more rounds.

• Congress banned the Centers for Disease Control from promoting gun control and effectively stopped it from funding research on gun violence.

• 1997: The Supreme Court found the Brady Bill’s local background checks unconstitutional.

• 1999: Two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., went on a rampage at their school, killing 12 classmates and one teacher.

• 2001/2002: John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo murdered 15 people in a series of sniper shootings in the Washington D.C. area.

• 2004: The Assault Weapons Ban expired and Congress chose not to renew it.

• 2005: Congress granted immunity to the firearms industry from civil suits in cases where a gun was used in a crime.

• 2007: Seung-Hui Cho, a Virginia Tech student with a history of mental problems, killed 32 people in two attacks on the school’s Blacksburg campus.

• 2007: In response to the Virginia Tech shooting, Congress passed the NCIS Improvement Amendments Act, authorizing $1.3 billion to improve states’ systems to find and track people trying to buy guns – a so-called “gun-buyer database.” It did not apply to sales at gun shows by unlicensed vendors.

• 2008: The Supreme Court invalidated Washington D.C.’s 32-year-old ban on handguns. The city responded with new laws that revived the ban while abiding to the strictures of the court’s ruling.

• 2009: Maj. Nidal M. Hasan allegedly went on a rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 soldiers and one civilian.

• 2009: Michael McLendon killed 10 people and himself in a shooting spree that spanned two southern Alabama towns.

• 2011: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was among several people shot at an event in Tuscon, Ariz. Six others were killed, including a judge and a young girl.

• 2011: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent undercover investigators to an Arizona gun show to show how easy it was to buy handguns from unlicensed vendors without background checks. Bills by several Democratic members of Congress attempt to ban high-capacity handguns, close the so-called gun-show loophole and prevent gun sales to people on terrorist watch lists. All the proposals were defeated.

• 2012: Florida teenager Trayvon Martin is shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer, who invoked the state’s 2005 “Stand Your Ground” law as a defense.

• 2012: James Holmes allegedly opened fire on a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people and wounding 58.

• 2012: White supremacist Wade Michael Page killed six people in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc.

• 2012: Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., before taking his own life. He was also believed to have killed his mother.

Sources: Facts on File News Services, Philip Cook, Washington Post, CNN

The never-ending and seldom-evolving debate over gun control has arguably reached its moment of truth: If the massacre of 20 schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., doesn’t prompt America to clamp down on firearms, then perhaps nothing will.

Other recent mass shootings – and there have been many before Newtown – have had little discernible effect on the public’s appetite for tougher gun laws. In Washington, the issue has been treated like a political third rail.

But the murders of first-graders seem to have shaken something loose. Pro-gun politicians, including some Republicans, say they’re now at least willing to discuss gun control. President Barack Obama, who during his first term was noncommittal on gun control and in two instances chose to expand gun rights, first called on lawmakers to “take meaningful action to prevent tragedies like this.” He then set a January deadline for a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden to produce a set of "concrete proposals" to curb gun violence and vowed to push legislation "without delay."

The question -- similar to the negotiations over the fiscal cliff – is if a sharply divided Congress can agree on a bill.

“The opportunity right now is like nothing we’ve ever had before,” said John Hudak, a public policy expert at the Brookings Institution. “Whether the right groups and forces in Congress capitalize on that opportunity is another story.”

The fact that there’s even the potential to pass some kind of gun control legislation is a big deal.

The subject of reform comes up every time there’s a spasm of gun violence: shootings at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and a movie theater in Colorado this year, the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona last year, 2009 rampages in Ft. Hood, Texas, Binghamton, N.Y., and Alabama.

No piece of legislation came close to a vote.

Even after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida last spring, an incident that sparked debate over so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws, reform advocates could not muster any movement.

Gun-control advocates blame the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, which has effectively framed the debate as a battle for the constitutional right to bear arms. Supporters of those rights – hunters, marksmen, people who carry guns for protection – say the vast majority of guns are owned by law-abiding citizens, and limiting gun sales would only help criminals. In recent years, the public has largely sided with the gun-rights camp.

The last time a mass shooting sparked new firearms regulation was in 2007, after the killing of 32 people by a mentally disturbed student at Virginia Tech. That attack led to a law that helps states identify potential gun buyers with mental-health problems. The measure was politically viable in part because it did not include an outright ban on any particular weapon.

The last significant gun prohibition was the assault-weapons ban of 1994, passed in response to a string of mass shootings, including a 1989 schoolyard massacre in Stockton, Calif. The law prohibited the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic weapons with magazines capable of holding 10 rounds or more. The law listed several makes and models that were off-limits, including the popular AR-15 rifle, a version of which was used by Newtown shooter Adam Lanza.

The 1999 killing of 12 students at Columbine High School in Colorado occurred during the ban; one assault-style rifle the shooters used was bought by exploiting a loophole that allowed sales at gun shows.

The ban expired in 2004, and, in a reflection of how opinion had shifted, Congress chose not to renew it.

Seven states, including Connecticut, where the Newtown shooting took place, have imposed their own assault weapons bans.

The rifle Lanza wielded, a .223-caliber Bushmaster, along with the handgun with which he killed himself, were all legally owned by his mother. Lanza is presumed to have shot her to death before heading to Sandy Hook Elementary School on the morning of Dec. 14.

Now, in wake of that attack, Democrats are again urging a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. And for the first time in 20 years, they might actually do it.

The reason, Hudak said, is that the NRA really has no way to respond. After prior mass shootings, the group has argued that allowing more people – college students, high school teachers, school guards -- to carry guns would prevent such attacks. Besides, the vast majority of murder weapons are handguns, not assault weapons.

But this time, there is no such alternative, other than putting guns in elementary schools.

“There’s no discussion to win here,” Hudak said. “There’s nothing to turn the tide against the pure disgust and frustration at what’s happened.”

It remains to be seen if the shift in Washington since Friday is mirrored among the general public.

Crime policy analysts say gun-control advocates risk losing their window of opportunity if they push a bill that asks too much.

Philip Cook, a Duke University professor who has spent decades researching gun violence and crime policy, said the smart move by the gun-control advocates would be to seek a middle-ground proposal that reinstates the ban on large magazines and doesn’t touch the issue of particular guns or other military-style accessories.

Most but not all gun owners would back such an approach, he predicted.

“If you want legislation that doesn’t impair legitimate uses but has the potential for reducing the body count, limiting the size of magazines is the way to go,” Cook said. “I think it’s realistic and plausible. And I think it has the great advantage of having a logical connection of some larger purpose.”

A more innocuous proposal, if all else fails, would be to increase funding for states’ systems that allow them to cross reference criminal records with mental health records to weed out people who shouldn’t buy guns, Cook said. There’d be little resistance to that, he said.

Hudak agreed. From the perspective of gun-control advocates, anything they can accomplish should be considered a victory. He pointed to New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who suggested such an approach this week.

“That’s the obstacle: to craft legislation in a narrow way that even gun rights people can get behind but also that people can understand,” Hudak said.

Grant Duwe, a criminologist who co-wrote a book about mass shootings, agreed that it’s entirely possible for Congress to pass some kind of post-Newtown gun control legislation. But he questioned whether it would have any real impact on the frequency of mass shootings.

His own research shows that gun control laws have little deterrent effect. He thinks the debate needs to shift to mental health care: More than half of the perpetrators of mass shootings in his study had some kind of mental illness, and a third sought help before their crimes.

“The point that I would make is that from empirical evidence, any gun law that might pass would have mainly symbolic impacts," Duwe said. "Whether it has any substantive impact in reducing mass shootings is very debatable.”

A man armed with a gun robbed a Big Lots store in Vista Wednesday night, authorities said.

According to deputies, the armed robbery happened around 8:40 p.m. in the 1800 block of Vista Way.

Deputies said a suspect armed with a rifle robbed the store and fled the area on foot, possibly walking through a laundromat next door during his escape.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male.

No injuries were reported.

Deputies searched the area for the suspect immediately following the robbery, but have yet to locate him.

Check back for updates.

Ed. Note: An earlier version of this article said the suspect robbed a liquor store. Authorities have since corrected their original statement, saying the man robbed a Big Lots store in Vista.

A tractor-trailer hauling debris from Sandy slammed into several cars on a major highway on Long Island in New York on Wednesday afternoon, causing a massive pileup in which one person was killed, police say. 

The truck, driven by 42-year-old Raymond Simoneau of Rockingham, Vt., was going eastbound on the Long Island Expressway when it struck several cars near exit 68 in the town of Shirley just before 3 p.m., authorities say. 

The collision set off a chain-reaction pileup, and a total of 35 vehicles smashed into one another, authorities said. The tractor-trailer and two additional vehicles caught fire.  

One driver described the crash unfolding next to him while he was on the freeway.

"All we heard was crashing behind us, it sounded like thunder," said Jimmy Batjley. "Looking back, all I saw was glass and metal, and they went right past us, at least 40 miles per hour." 

"If you can imagine all the cars were lined up, and [the tractor-trailer] just came right in and just pushed that entire line," said Batjley. He said the tractor-trailer driver was pulled out before the truck burst into flames. 

Aerial footage provided by News12 Long Island showed the trailer partly incinerated at dusk, alongside at least two cars that appeared to be blackened and burned. Multiple other vehicles, including a box truck, were scattered nearby, apparently having collided into one another or the guardrail.

A 68-year-old woman driving a Toyota Camry was killed in the crash, police said. An additional 33 people were injured, including a 57-year-old man who is in serious condition.

Those injured were transported to area hospitals, including Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in East Patchogue, Stony Brook University Hospital and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.

At Peconic Bay, where 18 of the victims were taken, most of the injuries were minor. Three of those hurt were children, and the oldest was 61 years old, according to spokesman Demetrios Kadenas. All but one of the patients were released by Wednesday night. 

The tractor-trailer and several of the vehicles involved in the crash are being impounded for safety checks.

Investigation is ongoing.

A man was arrested at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Strasburg, Va., Wednesday, according to the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office.

Christopher Garret Johnson, 33, walked into the school with a 4-foot long two-by-four labeled “High Powered Rifle” about 11:40 a.m., the sheriff’s office said.

He was met by school staff, then detained by a sheriff’s school resource officer. He was arrested and taken into custody without incident.

No one was injured.

The man was apparently trying to make a point about security at the school five days after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which a man shot and killed 20 children and six adults before killing himself.

"He made general statements about school safety and safety awareness," a Shenandoah County officer said. "But the reality was, it was disruptive."

Johnson faces disorderly conduct charges for the behavior officials called "inappropriate, at best."