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Washington’s new ban on some semiautomatic rifles is already the subject of a lawsuit: Gun rights groups filed a federal challenge Tuesday, the same day Governor Jay Inslee signed the measure into law and the prohibition on sales of the weapons took effect. Inslee also signed bills mandating a 10-day waiting period for firearm purchases and allowing victims to sue gun companies for negligent sales practices. [Associated Press]
From Our Team
The Consumer Product Safety Commission can impose recalls on candles whose flames burn too tall, fleece pajamas shown to cut infants, and classroom chairs with loose welding — but it’s never had the authority to order the recall of a firearm. That’s thanks to a decades-old amendment written by the late U.S. Representative John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who sat on the National Rifle Association’s board of directors. Without federal oversight, gunmakers themselves are left to investigate reported defects.
That might soon change. Following a new investigation from The Trace and The Washington Post — which documented allegations that one of America’s most popular pistols fires without the user pulling the trigger — congressional Democrats are renewing prompts to repeal Dingell’s amendment. “If CPSC has the authority to regulate toy guns,” said Dick Durbin, a Democratic senator from Illinois, in a statement, “we should be pushing for the regulation of guns that can and do fire bullets without the trigger being pulled.” Read more from The Trace →
What to Know Today
The Texas House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would provide “school sentinels,” or district staffers who are authorized to carry a gun on campus, with a $25,000 annual stipend; the measure now heads to the state’s upper chamber. [The Texas Tribune]
U.S. Senator Rick Scott introduced the School Guardian Act, legislation that would create an $80 million grant program to employ one or more full-time armed security guards in each of the country’s more than 128,000 schools. [USA TODAY] Context: It’s true that armed officers could potentially stop an attack when one happens. But the presence of security hasn’t definitively deterred attacks in the first place.
The 6th Circuit struck another blow to the nationwide bump stock ban, ruling that the ATF doesn’t have the authority to impose a prohibition on the devices. Earlier this month, the Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to review a similar decision by the 5th Circuit. [Reuters]
In 2020, state troopers in eastern Pennsylvania’s Monroe County gunned down Christian Hall, a 19-year-old who had his hands up when police shot him. The killing is at the center of the race for the county’s next top prosecutor — and the outcome of the election has high stakes for Hall’s family. [Bolts]
After Ralph Yarl’s shooting, members of Kansas City, Missouri’s tight-knit Liberian immigrant community are grappling with what it means that one of their own became a victim of racist violence. [The New Yorker]
As false reports of shooting threats to schools surge, psychologists worry students and first responders may experience “alarm fatigue” — leaving them jaded and creating vulnerabilities for real attacks. [ABC]
The Democratic primary for Philadelphia mayor is less than a month away. Why isn’t there a clear front-runner? [The Nation]
Kim Foxx — the top prosecutor in Cook County, where Chicago is located — isn’t seeking reelection, following two terms marked by intense criticism linking her progressive policies to increased violent crime. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Archive
The Letter That No School Administrator Wants to Write: Tim King founded Urban Prep Academies to help Chicago’s young Black men succeed. Each time a current or former student is killed in a shooting, he has the difficult task of delivering the news. (August 2016)
