It has been almost a week since a man entered the Florida State University campus with a handgun. Crowds fled, people sent loved ones what they thought might be their last messages, and one student pretended to lie dead on the ground. Within minutes, two lives were claimed, six people were injured. The fatal event in Tallahassee became one of 204 mass shootings in Florida since the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, in which 17 were killed. At FSU, police recovered a handgun believed to be the shooter’s, the start of a complex winding backstory on the weapon.
Police believe the handgun was a former service weapon linked to the suspect’s stepmom, a local, well-respected sheriff’s deputy. In 2024, The Trace led an investigation that found that, since 2006, more than 52,000 police guns were connected to crimes — a majority of them resold by law enforcement agencies. Since then, several law enforcement agencies have stopped reselling their guns in light of the findings.
The shooting at FSU sparked broad calls for reform from gun safety advocates, including March for Our Lives, the organization founded in the wake of Parkland. The Trace’s Jennifer Mascia explained the history of Florida’s firearm legislation, a significant part of which took shape in the aftermath of the 2018 mass shooting.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case on whether young adults between 18 and 20 can carry guns in public, putting Minnesota age requirements in limbo. The Trace’s Chip Brownlee reported on what the hold could mean for age restrictions on guns.
From The Trace
Supreme Court Won’t Take Up Age Restrictions for Guns — for Now: The court’s refusal to take up a Minnesota case effectively requires the state to start accepting applications from young adults to carry concealed guns.
In Cleveland, Shootings Drop But Kids Are at Higher Risk: Activists in Northeast Ohio are scrambling for solutions amid a steady increase in gun violence among young people.
Another ATF Leadership Shakeup, an Employee Exodus, and Low Morale: Current and former agency officials told The Trace that the appointment of two acting directors in as many months has roiled staff.
The Trace Earns Peabody Nod for Podcast ‘In Guns We Trust’: The Trace is also a finalist for IRE’s Freedom of Information Award for its investigation into police guns.
What to Know Today
The shooter who killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso pleaded guilty on April 21 to capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He must serve 90 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole. [USA Today] The gunman’s inspiration for the hate crime, according to the shooter’s defense attorney, was President Donald Trump. [The Trace]
In the United States, gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death in children and teens, firearms-related incidents are on the rise, and suicides among youth are higher than any other figures reported in the past 50 years, according to a new CDC analysis. The CDC researchers also found that, in the U.S., every 30 minutes an emergency department responds to firearm-related injuries. Vital information about these gun patterns could be restricted with looming cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [CNN]
April 19 marked 10 years since Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore native, died after being severely injured while in police custody. Over the course of a decade, the same city has seen major shifts, including a drop in the number of arrests and homicides. Baltimore is on the trajectory to maintain the downward trend in 2025. [The Baltimore Banner]
In 2015, Julie Kocurek, a Travis County district judge in Texas, was shot and seriously wounded at her home by a defendant who had been charged with tax fraud. Now, amid an increase in threats against members of the judiciary, she’s among a group of women judges calling for solutions to better protect judges across the government. [The 19th]
The death of Chris Allen Villegas Fentress, a 29-year-old gay man who was shot and killed last month, has raised concerns about police protocols in Savannah, Georgia. Police officials have said they don’t have evidence the killing was a hate crime, though the suspect reportedly used homophobic slurs before the shooting, and city initiatives to respond to the queer community’s safety concerns appear to have faltered. [The Current]
The sights and sounds reminded them of something unsafe. A fire alarm blaring in a law school library, empty classrooms with belongings left behind, and a table barricaded against a door. After surviving the Parkland massacre in 2018, Florida State University students recounted the trauma of a mass shooting, yet again. [Tallahassee Democrat]
Data Point
15,540 — the number of gun deaths in Florida between 2019 and 2023, following the Parkland shooting. [The Trace]
Non Sequitur
The Vatican announced the death of 88-year-old Pope Francis on April 21. [Associated Press]
