From Our Team

The National Rifle Association saw support for its political action committee collapse in advance of the 2022 midterms, The Trace’s Will Van Sant and Champe Barton report. Only 5,300 NRA members gave to the group’s Political Victory Fund last year, down more than 40 percent from 2020 — and the least in any federal election year from the last decade. It’s a stark slide, and especially notable given that a Democrat who backs stricter gun laws occupies the White House, a situation that has typically benefitted the NRA’s political machine. 

“Damn, that is scary,” NRA board member Phil Journey said after hearing the figures. “That is huge.”

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What to Know Today

Many of California’s gun restrictions were enacted in the wake of tragedy. But after Bruen, lawmakers who want to respond to the mass shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, and Goshen face a tougher legal landscape. [CalMatters/Politico

Victims of the Monterey Park shooting have been identified. [BuzzFeed News]

The Half Moon Bay shooter’s gun was legally owned and registered, according to the county sheriff. Seven people died in the shooting across two farms in northern California. [The Guardian]

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Two students were killed in a shooting at an educational and mentorship program’s building in Des Moines, Iowa. The program’s founder was seriously injured. [Des Moines Register

Shotspotter employees have broad discretion to decide if the technology correctly identifies a gunshot, and, per a 2021 company account, reverse the algorithm’s determinations 10 percent of the time. [The Associated Press] Context: A growing body of evidence suggests ShotSpotter’s technology is ineffective, and activists say it leads to deadly over-policing.

Black faith groups have long been on the front lines of community violence intervention efforts. They’re finally getting financial support, but leaders say there’s more work to be done. [Chronicle of Philanthropy]

As Philadelphia’s mayoral election approaches, the Kids’ Campaign wants to make sure candidates are listening to young people — and making detailed plans to keep them safe. [Al Día] Context: In 2022, Philadelphia recorded more than 500 homicides for the second year in a row. About 54 percent of victims were aged 30 or younger.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced that he will ask lawmakers to ban open carrying of firearms, end bulk handgun sales, and mandate ghost gun registration. [CT Insider]

The family of a child killed in an accidental shooting at a Hawaii Boy Scout camp is suing the organization, alleging that Boy Scouts of America violated its own safety protocols by allowing high-powered weapons at a “Troop Shoot” and “Family Fun Day.” [The Honolulu Star-Advertiser]

Longread

‘I Am Afraid to Live Here’: How a Massacre in a Small California Town Named Goshen Shocked the Country

“Rural parts of the San Joaquin Valley have become some of the most violent places in California, with a bustling drug trade and among the highest rates of murder and lowest rates of solving murders.” [Los Angeles Times]