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In recent years, researchers and politicos alike have been drawing a comparison between two of the most ubiquitous machines in the country: guns and cars. The conversation tends to focus on the relative dangers of each and the chasm between their licensing requirements. But guns and cars are linked in other ways — and they have been for a long time.
In 1918, as cars were growing in popularity, an Arizona sheriff shot an innocent driver in a traffic stop that the state Supreme Court described as “more suggestive of a holdup by highwaymen than an arrest by peace officers.” This early shooting presaged the car culture of the next century, Jack McCordick argues in a piece for The New Republic, one characterized by racist policing and criminalization: “Look under the hood of many of the past decade’s spectacular instances of police violence,” McCordick writes, “and there’s a high chance you’ll find a car and its attendant law enforcement prerogatives.”
There’s still time to change course, McCordick argues. “The story of American criminal justice may be the story of the car. But it doesn’t have to be.”
What to Know Today
A federal judge blocked part of a New Mexico public health order that imposed a temporary ban on carrying guns on public and state property in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County. Earlier in the week, state Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, notified Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that he would not defend her administration against lawsuits challenging the ban. [Associated Press/NBC] Context: The gun carry ban, which is largely unprecedented, received immediate pushback from gun reform and gun rights advocates alike.
California lawmakers passed legislation that would place strict limitations on where firearms can be carried, and maintain a rigorous application protocol for concealed carry licenses. The bill would make all commercial businesses gun-free zones unless the owner indicates otherwise, as well as prohibit firearms in a number of “sensitive places” like schools and medical facilities. The permit protocol would require authorities to conduct in-person interviews, review social media and other publicly available statements, and obtain character references. [Los Angeles Times]
Students from across North Carolina gathered at the state Legislature on Tuesday to demand that lawmakers pass gun safety laws. The rally took place hours after legislators advanced a bill that would make it easier for some residents to obtain a concealed handgun permit. Last month, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina A&T University each experienced a shooting; UNC students experienced another lockdown this week over a warning of an “armed and dangerous person.” [NC Newsline/USA TODAY]
The New Columbia Movement, a Christian nationalist group that often protests drag shows, is suing a North Texas chapter of the left-wing John Brown Gun Club that provides armed security for drag events. Three members of the New Columbia Movement allege that the gun club planned a “coordinated attack” at an April drag show in Fort Worth. [KERA]
Executives of the onePULSE Foundation, a nonprofit formed after the 2016 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, used a federal aid program to significantly boost their pay last year. Survivors and critics have scrutinized the move, noting that in the seven years since the massacre, onePULSE has made little progress on its mission to build a memorial to victims of the attack. [Orlando Sentinel]
Chicago is seeing a massive increase in robberies: Reported victimizations citywide are up 43 percent over the same period last year, a six-year high. Criminal justice researcher Arthur Lurigio says the numbers correlate with financial trends: “If there’s an economic downturn, there’s going to be an increase in all kinds of crimes for profit, armed robbery being one of those.” [WBEZ]
Former Phoenix homicide detective Jennifer DiPonzio mishandled evidence in a number of murder cases before she quietly retired last year. Now, her history of negligence could play a role in efforts to hold the city of Phoenix accountable for the 2019 police shooting of Jacob Harris — whose friends, not the officers who opened fire, were convicted of his murder. [The Appeal]
It’s widely acknowledged that short-term rentals, like Airbnbs, can drive up housing prices, alter the character of a neighborhood, and overpower local voices in zoning decisions. In Plano, Texas, residents worry about another consequence of the booming industry: shootings. [Texas Observer]
Data Point
18 — the number of misconduct allegations concerning former Phoenix homicide detective Jennifer DiPonzio over the course of her 18 years on the job. [The Appeal]
