What to Know Today
Days before Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked, Republican campaign chief tweeted video of himself firing a gun with hashtag #FirePelosi. Republicans have for years demonized the House speaker, and threats against her date back more than a decade, The Washington Post reports. Last week, Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, chair of the House Republican campaign committee, posted a video from a firing range imploring supporters to remove the House speaker from office, ending the tweet with a gun emoji. On Friday, a man broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home and assaulted Paul Pelosi with a hammer, allegedly shouting: “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?”
Philly sheriff’s deputy resold firearms used in Roxborough shooting, charged with gun trafficking. Samir Ahmad was arrested at work last week as a result of an FBI sting operation. According to court documents, WHYY reports, Ahmad illegally resold two of the guns used in the shooting outside Roxborough High School last month to an FBI informant. The court records do not say how Ahmad obtained the weapons, The Philadelphia Inquirer notes, nor do they accuse him of having a direct link to the crime.
Guns equipped with auto sears fuel violence in Chicago. Mass shootings in the city have surged since 2018, and in the same period so have the number of switch-equipped handguns and extended magazines seized by police, an investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, and NPR found. Machine gun prosecutions have also increased. According to the investigation, makeshift Glock machine guns are particularly attractive to gang members, and they’ve become a status symbol. The rise of the machine gun: For decades, fully automatic weapons were expensive, collectable, and rarely used in crimes. But as The Trace’s Alain Stephens, in partnership with VICE, reported in May, auto sears, which can cost less than $20 online, have changed that.
Pro-Bolsonaro Brazilian congresswoman caught pointing gun in São Paulo. Video footage shows Carla Zambelli following a Black man into a diner and pointing a firearm at him after claiming that the man assaulted her. Another video, however, shows Zambelli tripping and falling without being pushed, The Brazilian Report noted. The incident took place on Saturday, one day before Brazil’s presidential election; a Brazilian court in September banned carrying most firearms and ammunition during election weekend. According to VICE, under incumbent Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure pro-gun activism has flourished, and gun rights were a centerpiece of his reelection bid, which he lost on Sunday.
At least one killed in Tallahassee mass shooting. Just before midnight on Saturday, several people began shooting near a liquor store and a Mexican restaurant close to Florida A&M University and Florida State University, both of which hosted football games that night, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. At least one person is dead, eight others were injured, and police shot one suspected gunman, who was then taken into custody.
In Friday’s Bulletin, we stated that Missouri does not require a background check to obtain a firearm. Missouri does not have a state law requiring screening, but licensed dealers are required to conduct federally mandated background checks for firearm sales. In Missouri, a “Second Amendment sanctuary” state, there are no checks required for private sales.
Data Point
$36.9 million — the amount spent on ads attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by congressional candidates or committees associated with the GOP since Labor Day. [AdImpact via The Washington Post]
