Top Story
There were 10 mass shootings from Friday to Sunday — including in Memphis; Columbus, Georgia; New Orleans; Chicago; and Arkabutla, Mississippi — per records from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines them as four people or more injured. That’s the most of any weekend so far this year. [USA TODAY]
From Our Team
For two decades, Volkan Topalli studied the root causes of violence. Then, in May 2021 in Atlanta, he was caught in a shootout in a Home Depot parking lot and shot in the forearm, shattering his ulna bone. When details of the shooting — a dispute between teenagers — emerged, Topalli saw an opportunity to turn “irrational” news coverage into a call to address gun violence as a public health issue.
“When someone is shot, all we think about is the kid who fired the weapon,” Topalli said. “We never think about all the things that led up to that kid having that gun. … But I think it is critical that we trace back in history for the answer.” Read more from The Trace →
The Trace has launched a Local Reporting Initiative and unveiled a dedicated home for coverage of gun violence in Chicago and Philadelphia. Find out more here.
What to Know Today
President Joe Biden again called on Congress to pass meaningful gun reform laws after the mass shooting in Mississippi. [The Guardian]
The father of the suspected Highland Park shooter was indicted on multiple counts of reckless conduct by an Illinois grand jury. [CNN]
A Colorado family says the state’s red flag law helped prevent a tragedy when it enabled police to disarm a man they considered dangerous. [NPR]
A Temple University police officer was shot and killed while on duty Saturday in Philadelphia. In his younger years, the officer had been an anti-violence advocate, and was a founding member of a running series focused on gun violence prevention. [Billy Penn]
Two Jewish men were shot and wounded as they left religious services in Los Angeles last week. The alleged gunman, who has a history of making antisemitic threats, was charged with federal hate crime acts. [Los Angeles Times]
A federal judge declined to block Illinois’ new assault weapons ban and a similar local ordinance, ruling that the government can regulate dangerous arms with the capacity to cause greater harm. [Chicago Sun-Times]
A Houston man invented a removable trigger lock, dubbed the “Heavy Jamb,” after he lost a friend to an accidental shooting. He plans to donate a portion of his proceeds to victims of gun violence. [KTRK]
Data Point
13 — the number of people killed in mass shootings this weekend. Forty-six people were injured. [USA TODAY]
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