Good morning, Bulletin readers. Forgive us if today’s briefing is a little meta: A roundup of gun violence reporting, topped by some takeaways from a summit where a quarter of Trace staffers joined journalists from around the country in conversations and presentations about how to cover the issue better. Please read on for the details.
Receive this daily news briefing by email every morning. Sign up here.
WHAT TO KNOW TODAY
Journalists gathered for a community gun violence reporting conference in Philadelphia. The Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit drew local and national reporters, trauma doctors, high school students, gun reform activists, public health experts, and a former mayor. The Trace organized the kickoff panel, during which reporters from Miami, Louisville, and Oakland shared lessons learned while documenting shootings in communities of color. Among the best practices discussed: the importance of committing to sustained coverage, going beyond law enforcement narratives, humanizing victims and their loved ones, and balancing articles conveying the urgency of the problem with explorations of possible solutions. Check out the Summit’s Twitter feed or our own takeaways for more highlights from the day.
Senate talks on the Violence Against Women Act reach an impasse. The reauthorization of the 1994 law passed this spring by the Democratic-controlled House includes provisions to prevent stalkers and abusive dating partners from possessing guns. Republican Senator Joni Ernst and Democrat Dianne Feinstein were tasked by their parties with negotiating a deal that could get the legislation through the upper chamber. On Friday, Ernst said talks have broken down and promised to introduce an alternative version of VAWA reauthorization. Democrats are accusing Republicans of caving to the National Rifle Association, which had opposed the House version because of its expanded gun restrictions.
A Facebook advertiser is running an alleged concealed carry scam. Reporting by HuffPost reveals that Concealed Online offers a test that it claims can directly yield a gun permit from Virginia, which allows nonresidents to apply online. But the company is not telling customers they must apply to Virginia authorities in order to receive the permit, potentially leading some gun owners tricked by the ads into carrying hidden handguns without the required license.
The NRA dropped its lawsuit against San Francisco. The court case stemmed from the city’s largely symbolic declaration of the gun group as a domestic terror organization.
Two Saudi nationals were charged with weapons trafficking. Federal prosecutors say the suspects, who were living in the United States on student visas, bought rifle parts from gun dealers in the U.S. and smuggled them into Saudi Arabia in their luggage.
Study reveals that some Florida doctors don’t know counseling patients about guns is legal. A survey of University of Florida faculty physicians found that only 24 percent are aware that an appeals court overturned a law banning doctors from discussing gun safety with patients. Fifty-five percent feel comfortable initiating such discussions.
Elsewhere in Florida: A county became the first in the state to declare itself a “Second Amendment sanctuary.” Lake County adopted a non-legally binding resolution rejecting future gun restrictions. A county commissioner said the proposal was a response to former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s pledge to confiscate semiautomatic rifles.
DATA POINT
Gunmaker Sturm, Ruger reported a 47.7 percent drop in net income in the third quarter of 2019 because of flagging demand. —Winston-Salem Journal
