Good morning, Bulletin readers. In our reporting, we’ve frequently sought to bring attention to the hidden struggles of gunshot survivors. A story out of Pittsburgh, which is preparing for the first anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, is a new reminder of the difficulties victims face long after a shooting is over. That story leads your Friday roundup.
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WHAT TO KNOW TODAY
A year on, three of the Pittsburgh police officers injured in the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting still haven’t returned to work. Officers Dan Mead, Anthony Burke, and Timothy Matson are still recovering from injuries they sustained during the rampage, which marks its one-year anniversary on Sunday. “I was never one of these super cops, but when it’s time to take care of business, you take care of business,” Mead said in a statement.
Ohio “stand your ground” legislation reintroduced as Dayton gun bills face resistance. The state’s GOP-dominated Legislature has long sought to remove the duty to retreat before using lethal force, but a prior bill was stymied by a veto threat from former Republican Governor John Kasich. Ohio’s current governor, Mike DeWine, generally supports stand your ground, but his office says he wants to examine the text of the revived measure. DeWine abandoned plans to introduce a red flag or mandatory background check bill after the Dayton mass shooting. One of the proposals he introduced instead — voluntary background checks on private gun sales — is currently facing criticism from all sides.
Chicago’s police superintendent is hosting a police conference — but plans to skip President Trump’s speech there. “The values of the people of Chicago are more important to him than anything the president has to say,” Eddie Johnson’s spokesperson said ahead of the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference being held this weekend.
New bodycam footage raises questions about the 2017 police shooting of an unarmed teen. Police in Fresno, California, were looking to question a 16-year-old two years ago in connection with a shooting when the teen fled. Officers said the teen reached into his waistband, but bodycam footage released this week by a family lawyer appears to contradict that. A police investigation found the officer who fired the shot was justified. The teen’s parents are currently suing the department and the city.
New Mexico sheriffs and legislators are at odds over red flag bill. Democratic Representative Daymon Ely said Wednesday that negotiations with the New Mexico Sheriffs’ Association had broken down and that a compromise was unlikely. The The Albuquerque Journal reported that the impasse could make it more difficult to pass the measure if it’s introduced in January’s legislative session.
Meanwhile, a Nevada sheriff is facing a potential recall for enforcing a new red flag law he personally opposes. A gun store owner in Winnemucca filed a notice of intent on Thursday to recall Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Allen, who says he has no choice but to enforce Nevada’s red flag law when it takes effect in January. A recall petition only needs 502 signatures to proceed. “I do oppose this law,” Allen said. “However, my job is to enforce the law.”
Every crime gun seized in Pennsylvania is used in roughly five different criminal activities. That statistic comes from the state’s attorney general, who’s launching several initiatives to quell the spread of illegal guns, including one aiming to discourage women with clean records from buying firearms for convicted felons.
A Pennsylvania woman lost two sons to gun violence in the space of 15 months. Yaret Rivera, 22, was fatally shot during a robbery in a restaurant parking lot in Allentown early Wednesday. His brother, Jovannexen Rivera, 23, was gunned down in 2018. Their mother, Sonia Vega, said the losses had left her life “torn to pieces.” She is raising money so she can bury her sons next to each other.
DATA POINT
Guns were used in 69 percent of all veteran suicides in 2017 — 1.5 times the rate for non-veterans — according to a new VA report. [Department of Veterans Affairs]
