Thanksgiving is one of the most wonderful times of the year, filled with family, friends, delicious food — and, inevitably, political debates around the dinner table.
So what happens when this year’s biggest news stories come up at your Thanksgiving celebration? We’ve got you covered! MSNBC has put together a guide detailing what you need to know about some of the biggest news stories this year. So when Uncle Joe wants to talk about Syrian refugees, you’ll have all the facts at your fingertips.
When your dad wonders what’s going on with Syrian refugees trying to come to the US …
When grandpa wonders what can be done about the recent spate of mass shootings and gun violence …
- As of October, there have already been 294 mass shootings in the U.S. this year alone.
- While we can’t stop all violence, the government can make it much more difficult for people to obtain weapons and it can restrict certain types of weapons. The federal government passed a Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, but it expired in 2004 and was not renewed by Congress. In the years since, the Senate has attempted to revive an assault weapons ban, but it has not yet been successful.
RELATED: Witnesses describe chaos as Paris attacks unfolded









