As voters head to the polls in the final days before the presidential election, the future of the country’s gun violence prevention efforts hangs in the balance — in more ways than one.
Should Vice President Kamala Harris prevail, she’ll likely continue the initiatives started under President Joe Biden, who has arguably done more to try to stem gun violence than any commander in chief in decades. Harris has also called for expanding background checks and banning assault weapons, though that platform would face an uphill battle in Congress.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, favors loosening concealed carry laws and has vowed to roll back a host of Biden administration efforts to combat gun trafficking and shootings. In their latest story, The Trace’s Chip Brownlee and Jennifer Mascia thoroughly examine the policies most likely to be on the chopping block.
Law enforcement efforts to counter racist violence face an uncertain future, too. If Trump wins, major changes could be coming to the FBI under the Heritage Foundation’s infamous Project 2025 — with dire consequences for vulnerable communities. As The Trace’s Will Van Sant and Capital B’s Brandon Tensley report, Project 2025 calls for the next Republican administration to hollow out the bureau and sap it of any independence. The result: Its director would report to a political functionary who may be more interested in doing Trump’s bidding than in quashing the ongoing menace of white nationalism.
From The Trace
- The Four Federal Gun Violence Prevention Efforts Trump Could Dismantle: If reelected, the former president has vowed to unwind Biden administration initiatives to combat gun trafficking and shootings.
- Project 2025 Would Obliterate Federal Policing of Racist Violence: The FBI thwarts dozens of domestic terror plots each year. The 900-page plan would upend that — with dire consequences for vulnerable groups.
- Shooting Deaths Are Down by 10 Percent Across the U.S., Despite What Politicians Say: The decreases are most pronounced in Democratic-led cities like those that the Trump campaign has painted as centers of violence.
- In the Land of Firearm Suicide, Republicans Ban a Policy That Might Help: Wyoming has the highest rate of gun suicide in the country. Lawmakers there, and in similarly afflicted states, have blocked red flag laws, which studies have found to be a useful preventative measure.
- Several States Moved to Restrict Guns at Polling Places This Year. Two Succeeded: The push to keep guns away from voting sites reflects growing concern about voter intimidation and political violence surrounding this year’s presidential election.
- A Teen’s Killing Sparked a Gun Reform Movement in Rural South Carolina. Here’s How It Fared.: Markayla Roberts was shot six months ago. Her community has rallied for change, but they’ve met barriers at each turn.
- Three Gun Laws Are Stuck in Pennsylvania’s Senate. Could the Election Change Their Fate?: Proposals for a red flag law, expanded background checks, and ghost gun restrictions are stuck in the GOP-led upper chamber.
What to Know This Week
After the mass shooting in Lewiston last year, Maine’s “yellow flag” law — which requires that a person be assessed by a mental health professional before a judge decides whether to remove their guns, among other extra steps that aren’t called for in typical red flag laws — faced heavy scrutiny. Despite some calls to bring Maine’s measure in line with other states, the “yellow flag” law has endured. A look at the state’s unique politics, history, and gun culture reveals why. [Maine Public]
The gun death rate in several U.S. states is comparable to that in conflict zones, according to a new report by the independent research group Commonwealth Fund. The study found that the gun death rate in Mississippi was nearly twice that of strife-torn Haiti; Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama also had higher gun death rates than Mexico. [The Washington Post]
Fontana, California, is situated in the region known as the Inland Empire, an area known for its history as a hotbed of white supremacist views. A new investigation uncovers a long-standing culture of racism and violence in the city’s police department, offering a snapshot of how such departments are run. [The Intercept]
Road rage shootings have increased dramatically over the past decade, and according to a Trace analysis, few places have seen more incidents than San Antonio. Aggressive drivers and police in the Texas city are trying to understand — and avoid — the anger. [The Washington Post]
In Memoriam
Jakaiden Rynearson, 20, never let a dull moment stay that way: “She made everybody laugh,” her sister said. Rynearson died this week, two months after she was critically injured in a shooting in Peoria, Illinois. She’d been trying to help her neighbor, 35-year-old Zaneta Winters, who had allegedly been shot by her boyfriend; Winters died the following day, and the man has been charged with both of their deaths. Rynearson “loved helping others,” her mother wrote on a GoFundMe, and “her spirit touched everyone she met.” She was considerate, and she loved kids. “You were never sad around her,” her sister said. “She was always going to crack a joke and just uplift everyone.”
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“Iconic Texas Sheriff Arvin West was a leading voice against migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. He pushed strict measures favored by former President Donald Trump. But West says his perspective is aligned with what he sees as the reality of the border, his weariness of divisive politics, and the wishes of neighbors who’ve voted him into office.” [Seeds of Distrust]
Pull Quote
“It’s everyday. What makes us more vulnerable is that a lot of folks have become numb to this.”
— Lottie Lewis, a local leader in Allendale County, South Carolina, on high rates of gun violence in her community, to The Trace
