Featured Story
A U.S. district judge ruled that the Mexican government’s lawsuit against five Arizona gun dealers can move forward, finding that Mexico’s claims that the vendors are exempt from protection under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act are plausible. Mexico alleges that the dealers “systematically participate in trafficking military-style weapons and ammunition to drug cartels in Mexico.” The decision comes on the heels of another legal win for the Mexican government in February, when a federal appeals court revived its lawsuit against American firearm manufacturers. [Reuters]
From The Trace
If gun violence feels like it’s gotten worse over the past decade, that’s because it has — regardless of whether you live in a small town or a large city. Half of all shootings between 2014 and 2023 took place in areas with fewer than 1 million people, according to The Trace’s extensive analysis of Gun Violence Archive data, a decade of which is available for the first time.
The problem is especially pronounced in the rural South: The states with the highest rates of shooting fatalities and injuries per 100,000 residents were Louisiana, Illinois, Mississippi, and Alabama. The lowest rates were in Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The Trace’s Olga Pierce, Jennifer Mascia, and Chip Brownlee have more on what data reveals about gun violence in America. To find out how gun violence has touched your community, explore our project “An Atlas of American Gun Violence,” an interactive map that uses Gun Violence Archive data to track shootings across the country.
What to Know Today
It’s been one year since three students and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. The attack galvanized the gun reform movement in the state, crossing party lines and putting mothers at the forefront of the efforts. “When we talk, we don’t care about Republican or Democrat,” said mother Shaundelle Brooks. “We talk as moms who’ve had a very bad experience, and about how we’re going to fix it.” [WPLN]
Brandon Herrera, a 28-year-old gun rights influencer, is gaining momentum in his challenge to oust U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, the only Texas Republican in the House to vote for the 2022 Safer Communities Act. Gonzales’ moderate stance on gun policy put him at odds with the state GOP — and left him vulnerable to challengers like Herrera, whose entire brand revolves around promoting and sensationalizing guns on his YouTube channel. [The Texas Tribune]
The Connecticut Attorney General’s Office announced that the state has reached a settlement with ghost gun dealer Steel Fox Firearms that will dissolve the company. The Florida-based seller also agreed to surrender its internet domain, deactivate its social media accounts, and annually report if its principals have resumed selling ghost guns, for a period of five years. [CT Insider]
A new documentary follows bereaved Sandy Hook family members through four years of legal battles with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, granting viewers intimate access to the trials that resulted in Jones owing the families nearly $1.5 billion. “The Truth vs. Alex Jones” examines how the Infowars host profited off the massacre of 20 children — and how that grift marked a turning point in America. [The Washington Post/HBO]
Archive
Could International Pressure Ultimately Strengthen U.S. Gun Laws?: A new organization that’s representing Mexico in a lawsuit against American gun manufacturers and dealers hopes to accomplish just that. (January 2024)
