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New research sheds light on how gun violence plays out around Illinois’ biggest city: One longitudinal study found that more than half of Chicagoans will witness a shooting by age 40; the hazard is even likelier among Black and Latino people. Another analysis found that small and mid-size Illinois cities have higher rates of gun deaths than Chicago. [JAMA Network Open/Chicago Sun-Times]
Context: Gun violence isn’t just a city problem: A new research letter shows that firearm deaths are more likely to occur in small towns than in major cities.
From Our Team
A former Michigan-based ATF investigator pleaded guilty to leaking hundreds of internal agency records — including plans to inspect federal firearm licensees, as well as internal directives pertaining to ghost guns and machine guns — to a person connected with gun rights advocacy groups, court records show. The groups then published information from the leaked records online, sometimes as soon as a day after they were obtained.
It is unclear whether any of the leaks, which occurred between 2019 and the investigator’s admission of guilt in April, interfered with agency operations. But at least one document identified in the plea agreement may have given advance notice to firearm manufacturers and distributors that they would soon be inspected. The document, called a 30-day detail, outlined the New England-based firearm businesses ATF investigators planned to inspect in the coming month.
What to Know Today
A case on the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket” — emergency or expedited matters that are often decided without a full briefing or oral argument — could result in the legalization of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines across the country. [Vox]
New research sheds light on how gun violence plays out around Illinois’ biggest city: One longitudinal study found that more than half of Chicagoans will witness a shooting by age 40; the hazard is even likelier among Black and Latino people. Another analysis found that small and mid-size Illinois cities have higher rates of gun deaths than Chicago. [JAMA Network Open/Chicago Sun-Times] Context: Gun violence isn’t just a city problem: A new research letter shows that firearm deaths are more likely to occur in small towns than in major cities.
A bill to raise the minimum age to purchase some assault rifles in Texas from 18 to 21 was left off the state House’s legislative calendar — meaning it’s unlikely to move forward. The measure, championed by families of Robb Elementary School massacre victims, was advanced out of committee in a surprise vote earlier this week. Meanwhile, gun deaths have continued to rise in Texas, reaching their highest levels since the mid-1990s. [CBS Texas/The Texas Tribune]
In California Indian Country, tribes have long struggled to solve cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people — a crisis underscored by a recent string of brutal killings. A new bill in the Statehouse aims to improve safety on reservations by granting tribal police access to a database that tracks domestic violence restraining orders. [Los Angeles Times/CalMatters]
The seditious conspiracy convictions for members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are historic. But are they distracting America from a deeper extremism threat? [Slate]
North Carolina gubernatorial front-runner Mark Robinson, who currently serves as the state’s lieutenant governor, has a history of mocking survivors of the Parkland massacre and attacking their positions on gun reform. In the aftermath of the school shooting, Robinson called the survivors “spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN” and “spoiled little bastards.” [CNN]
Just eight days before Philadelphia’s Democratic mayoral primary, a canvasser was killed while distributing campaign materials. The shooting symbolized the high stakes of the election, and the gun violence crisis the next mayor will inherit. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
The rampage in Allen, Texas, shows how mass shooters continue to use military-style weapons. How did AR-15-style rifles become their weapon of choice? The Trace’s Jennifer Mascia appeared on NPR to explain. [Mother Jones/NPR 1A]
Data Point
More than 100 — the number of bills Texas lawmakers have approved since 2000 that loosened gun regulations. Firearm deaths in Texas began to increase about 20 years ago following a steep decline in the ’90s. [The Texas Tribune]
