What To Know Today
NRA board member files motion to intervene in New York AG’s case. Roscoe “Rocky” Marshall argues that National Rifle Association executives like CEO Wayne LaPierre and the organization’s outside counsel William A. Brewer III are not acting in the organization’s interest. In themselves, these arguments are not new. However, it’s significant that a board member is making them in the context of the attorney general’s suit. The judge may look more favorably on Marshall’s request to intervene than on a previous intervention motion by two NRA members, which he rejected. In his motion, Marshall also argues that board members have acted as a “rubber-stamp” and failed in their oversight duties. He seeks appointment of a receiver to help run the NRA while a new board is elected; the new board would subsequently name new executive leaders. Marshall, who runs a trucking gear company, was one of three board members who sought the appointment of an outside investigator to examine the attorney general’s allegations against the NRA during the group’s recent failed bankruptcy bid. — Will Van Sant, staff writer
Emails, chat logs, and donor information from Oath Keepers part of a large new data leak. DDoSecrets, a transparency and journalist collective, said it obtained five gigabytes of data from a hacker and published much of the information in a public database. The collective said it was only providing a member list it obtained, as well as donor and financial information, to journalists and researchers. “The Oath Keepers leak provides an unprecedented view of the groups’ members, donors, structure and operations, both in the months prior to and immediately following the January 6th insurrection attempt,” the collective’s co-founder told The Daily Dot. It’s unclear if the data breach was the result of the recent massive hack of Epik, a domain registrar that hosted the Oath Keepers’ online infrastructure and is popular among far-right groups and platforms. At least 19 of the 40 people facing conspiracy charges over the U.S. Capitol insurrection are affiliated with the Oath Keepers, whose members include former law enforcement and military members.
There have been 11 mass shootings since last Thursday’s shooting at a Tennessee grocery store. Fourteen people have died and 40 others were injured in the incidents since a gunman killed one person and injured at least a dozen others at a Kroger store in Collierville, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people killed or injured in one incident. Two of the 11 shootings also took place in Tennessee, accounting for a total of six deaths in Athens and Chattanooga.
Philadelphia reaches a grim milestone: 400 homicides this year. It’s just the second time since 1996 the city has reached that level in a year; in 2020, the city saw a final total of 498 homicides. “I am heartbroken and outraged that we’ve lost over 400 Philadelphians to preventable violence already this year,” the city’s mayor said in a statement. From The Trace: Up The Block is our resource hub for Philadelphians affected by gun violence.
Justice Department disburses $187 million in community safety grants. The awards, part of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, were distributed across all 50 states, tribal lands, and U.S. territories and can be used for a slew of funding purposes, from bolstering law enforcement activities to community-focused interventions and victims’ support initiatives. The Department of Justice said the program — a component of President Joe Biden’s strategy for community violence intervention — will award another $85 million to localities in the coming weeks.
Oregon law banning guns at the state Capitol, mandating safe storage requirements, goes into effect. The statute, signed in June by the state’s Democratic governor, amended a law that allowed concealed carriers to bring handguns into the statehouse. The bill also gives colleges and schools the ability to restrict firearms and requires residents to safely store their guns at home.
Data Point
At least 7 — since George Floyd’s murder, the number of states that have passed laws requiring that investigations of in-custody police deaths be turned over to state officials or investigators outside the local police agency. A new report about a similar system in Texas shows a checkered record for a policy that is meant to bring accountability and transparency over fatal police incidents. [The New York Times]