Top Story
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut found that Oregon’s new gun safety laws don’t violate the Constitution, OPB reported, ruling that the state’s ban on large-capacity magazines and permit-to-purchase requirements fall within “the nation’s history and tradition of regulating uniquely dangerous features of weapons and firearms to protect public safety.” Voters narrowly approved the firearm restrictions, known as Measure 114, in the November midterms; in the immediate aftermath, gun advocacy groups, sheriffs, and gun retailers sued to overturn the rules. In January, a state court blocked the measures from going into effect.
In her ruling, Immergut, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, pointed to early and mid-19th century state and local laws that regulated specific features of a weapon — the parts that “made them most dangerous to public safety,” she wrote. Despite her ruling, the restrictions remain blocked by the state court; that lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in September.
What to Know Today
Family annihilation, among the most extreme forms of domestic violence, is usually considered an isolated tragedy. But in America, familicide appears to be a growing phenomenon. [Indianapolis Star]
How did a 9mm handgun manufactured in Eagle Pass, Texas, end up being used in one of St. Paul’s worst mass shootings? [Star Tribune]
After a Philadelphia landlord-tenant officer shot a woman while trying to evict her from her home, local legislators are pushing for a state bill that would ban private officers from carrying out evictions. [Billy Penn]
The U.S. reached a grim milestone this year: The deadliest six months of mass killings recorded since at least 2006. Of the 28 mass killings between January 1 and June 30, all but one involved a gun. [Associated Press]
Republicans in the U.S. House advanced bills that would drastically alter D.C.’s ability to self-govern, including a provision that would make it easier for out-of-state concealed carry license holders to carry throughout the city and on public transit. [DCist]
Houston Police are responding to high-priority calls like shootings at the slowest rate in decades. Responses are consistently delayed on the city’s south side, a predominantly Black and low-income area. [Houston Chronicle]
The FBI’s national crime database is missing information from more than 6,000 law enforcement agencies, including from New York City and Los Angeles. Politicians are taking advantage of the incomplete statistics. [The Marshall Project]
Texas legislators passed a number of school safety laws in their most recent session. Experts say that, though the measures could help to make schools more secure, districts might have trouble implementing them due to limited funding and staffing constraints. [The Texas Tribune]
Data Point
227 — the number of family annihilations across the U.S. since 2020. That’s about one every five days. [Indianapolis Star]
