Top Story
Workers with Peacemakers, a South Florida gun violence prevention group, know the importance of supporting community members in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. But a key part of their strategy is helping people with daily needs, like delivering diapers or sharing information about accessible medical care.
“If you plant the seeds now,” said the group’s manager, “when something happens, it’s that much easier to engage and get involved because you’re a familiar face.” [NPR, WLRN in Miami, and KFF Health News]
From Our Team
“For decades, we’ve been told that the gun industry and the government are bitter rivals, mortal enemies, sworn adversaries,” host Alain Stephens says in his introduction to The Gun Machine, a new podcast from WBUR and The Trace. “But this story, it’s a lie. And I can prove it.”
Stephens, a staff writer at The Trace, has spent a lot of his professional life thinking about guns — before he was a journalist, he served in the military and worked in law enforcement. He brought that expertise to The Gun Machine, to help tell the story of how the firearms industry secured its grip on America. The first two episodes dropped today.
The premiere episode exposes the symbiotic, two-century-old relationship between the industry and the federal government. In the second episode, Stephens examines the link between our nation’s legacy of racism and the culture of fear that compels people to buy guns today. You can listen to the first two installments now, and follow The Gun Machine on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts to keep up as new episodes drop each week.
Download and listen to The Gun Machine →
What to Know Today
Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, pleaded not guilty to three federal firearms charges related to his purchase of a handgun in 2018; during the arraignment on Tuesday, the younger Biden’s lawyer said he plans to file a motion to have the gun charges, which are not typically used in a standalone prosecution, dismissed on procedural and constitutional grounds. [The New York Times]
Two new gun laws went into effect in Colorado on Sunday: One is a version of “reasonable controls” legislation, measures that make it easier to sue firearms companies for violating consumer protection laws; the other, which a pro-gun group immediately challenged in federal court, institutes a three-day waiting period for purchases. [The Denver Post/Colorado Newsline]
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that residents who are barred from possessing firearms can still be convicted of a felony if they’re caught with pieces of a gun. The decision confirms that a set of incomplete, disassembled gun parts — like those in “ghost gun” kits — meets the state’s definition of a firearm. [Star Tribune]
Josh Kruger — a Philadelphia-based advocate and journalist known for his work covering LGBTQ+ issues, homelessness, and politics — was shot and killed inside his home early Monday morning. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on investigators to determine if there was a connection between Kruger’s work and his killing. [Them]
Memphis residents will head to the polls tomorrow to select their next mayor from a crowded field of 17 candidates, in an election that follows high-profile police shootings and the death of Tyre Nichols. With unusual voting rules and contenders who have struggled to distinguish themselves, the direction of the Tennessee city, and how the next administration will address crime, remains an open question. [Bolts/Memphis Commercial Appeal]
Donald Trump is using increasingly violent rhetoric to lash out at political and legal foes as his campaign to return to office accelerates, an analysis of the former president’s public remarks shows. After the Capitol insurrection, security experts and scholars warn of the potential for lone-wolf attacks, or riots by followers of Trump’s statements. [NBC/The New York Times]
People working in California’s firearms industry are on the front lines of the country’s gun safety battles. While sales remain robust, local gunmakers fear that their businesses have an “expiration date” in a state that doesn’t want them. [CalMatters]
Archive
‘My Job in the City Right Now Is to Try to Calm It Down’: When Stevie Moore’s child was murdered in Memphis, he wanted revenge. Instead, he vowed to stop others from acting on that impulse. (October 2015)
