Top Story
Alcohol and firearms are everywhere in American society, and the two often intersect: Among legal gun owners, studies show, alcohol misuse increases the risk of interpersonal gun violence. [USA TODAY]
From Our Team
Gun violence is complicated, as reporters and editors at The Trace know well. There are a lot of angles from which to examine the issue, from sociology and history to policing and public health. So when a reader asked for book recommendations to better understand American gun violence, our team put together an expansive list of the titles that have shaped our understanding of the issue. Explore the list →
That said, we know there are many more books on the topic. Did we leave out one you think is important? Send us a recommendation via this form, and we might include your response in an upcoming newsletter. Send your recommendation →
What to Know Today
As summer vacation approaches, some teenagers say they’re afraid to go outside, for fear of becoming a victim of gun violence. In Philadelphia, young people are limiting the time they spend in public; New Orleans teenagers say the veneer of safety they feel at school disappears when they leave campus each day. [The Philadelphia Inquirer/KFF Health News]
The killing of Najee Seabrooks — a violence intervention worker who was experiencing a mental health episode when he was shot — prompted New Jersey’s attorney general to take control of the Paterson Police Department. But can a state takeover fix a department with a yearslong pattern of brutality? [The New York Times]
A South Carolina convenience store owner who shot and killed a 14-year-old he falsely accused of shoplifting had previously confronted and opened fire on people he suspected of stealing from him at least twice, according to police. [NBC]
Scot Peterson was working as a campus police officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a gunman killed 17 people in 2018. He didn’t confront the shooter during the incident, and now his alleged failure is the subject of a trial believed to be the first of its kind. [The Washington Post]
After the shooting at a Tops supermarket a few blocks away from their gym, members of Buffalo’s cheer team — among the few all-Black all-star teams in the country — grappled with the gun violence and racism that had marked their community. Buffalo Extreme, a new podcast hosted by the all-girls team’s 19-year-old junior coach, tells the story of how they healed, in their own words. [The 19th]
A failed Republican candidate for the New Mexico Legislature was indicted on federal charges, including election interference, in connection to a series of drive-by shootings last winter that targeted Democratic officials in Albuquerque. [CBS]
Can comedians still perform jokes about guns? [The American Prospect]
Archive
Young People Dream Up a Safer Summer in Chicago: After Mayor Lori Lightfoot expanded the citywide curfew in response to a shooting, teenagers spoke about Chicago’s gun violence crisis and their relationship to the city. (June 2022)
