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Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s reelection could hinge on his administration’s response to a recent mass shooting at a public housing complex, in which two people were killed and more than two dozen were injured. Current and former city officials said the shooting could’ve been prevented, and faulted an absence of communication between city agencies. [The Baltimore Banner]
From Our Team
A glassblowing studio — with its hard edges, hot surfaces, and industrial feel — might seem an unlikely place for healing. But on the West Side of Chicago, a community-based trauma recovery group for young victims of gun violence is teaching the art to help survivors find peace, connecting participants to a community of survivors, and offering them mentorship.
Project Fire is a collaboration between Firebird Community Arts, a nonprofit arts studio, and Healing Hurt People-Chicago, a hospital-based violence intervention program. Instructors say the program creates an environment in which survivors feel safe enough to learn and fail and express themselves.
“Sometimes they don’t come here to blow glass,” said one teacher. “They come in to get peace of mind.”
What to Know Today
ICYMI: After a sweeping electoral victory, Minnesota Democrats seized a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reimagine gun violence prevention. [The Trace]
The shooter who killed 23 people in the 2019 attack on a Walmart in El Paso was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to federal hate crime and gun charges earlier this year. He still faces state charges, and the local district attorney may seek the death penalty. [KERA/The Texas Tribune]
Extremist-linked mass killings have been on the rise, a new analysis shows. Between 2006 and 2009, extremist-related violent attacks represented less than 1 percent of all mass-casualty events; between 2018 and 2021, they represented over 5 percent. Experts say discussions on curbing gun violence ought to include extremism. [FiveThirtyEight]
A judge ordered the arrest of the owner of a gun training center in Vermont until he proves that parts of the facility that were built without permits are no longer standing. Neighbors have long opposed the center, and said they’ve been threatened by the owner and his supporters; the facility was the impetus for a new state law banning paramilitary training centers. [Associated Press]
Philadelphia is suing two firearms manufacturers, Polymer80 and JSD Supply, alleging that the companies “intentionally undermine” state and federal laws by selling gun components and kits without conducting background checks. Mayor Jim Kenney announced the lawsuit after police said ghost guns were used to carry out a mass shooting last week. [WHYY/The Philadelphia Inquirer]
How can adults protect children from gun deaths? Pediatrician and violence prevention scholar Dorothy R. Novick argues that teaching people about safe firearm storage, rather than focusing on divisive politics, is a promising strategy. [The Washington Post]
Teenagers who are exposed to various forms of violence — including violence that does not involve a firearm — are more likely to carry a gun than those who have not witnessed violence, a new University of Michigan study found. [Detroit Free Press]
Archive
The Rittenhouse Shootings Started a Debate in Kenosha That Hasn’t Ended: After national tensions turned local, the militias never left the small Wisconsin city. (September 2022)
