Since 2020, the federal government has invested more than $137 million in gun violence research, including by providing funding for studies that shape our understanding of the ongoing public health crisis. Yet, as scholars publish groundbreaking findings on how gun violence affects mental, physical, and social health, the Trump administration has initiated devastating cuts to federal health agencies and leading national research centers that threaten to stifle their progress.
Experts are cataloging as much work as possible before funding runs out. That output is one of the reasons The Trace is launching The Roundup, a quarterly series highlighting some of the ways firearm homicide, suicide, interpersonal violence, and survivorship intersect with public health.
In the first edition, public health reporter Fairriona Magee explores research on age-specific trends in firearm homicide after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; the broader effects of nonfatal firearm violence trauma; how interpersonal gun violence can change over time, and more. Research of this kind opens the door for policy conversations that include public health in prevention strategies. Read more here.
From The Trace
Mass Shootings Take a Psychological Toll. Other Forms of Gun Violence May Be Even Worse: A recent study found that survivors of everyday gun violence endure long-lasting effects.
The Roundup: Catch Up on the Latest Research Illuminating the Effects of Gun Violence: These studies land as leading research institutions face threatening budget cuts.
Trump’s Cuts Imperil Life-Saving Prevention Efforts, Lawsuit Says: Five nonprofits are suing the administration for canceling hundreds of millions of dollars for violence prevention.
Trump Clears Way for Rapid-Fire Triggers. How Much Will It Matter?: Experts disagree about the consequences of bringing forced reset triggers — devices similar to auto sears and bump stocks — back to the market.
What to Know Today
Shootings disrupted Memorial Day celebrations in several states. In Little River, South Carolina, 10 people were shot and at least one other person was injured in a shooting after an altercation on a charter boat on Sunday. In Philadelphia, two people were killed and nine others were wounded in a mass shooting at a popular park on Memorial Day. Three shooters were reportedly involved. [CNN/CBS]
On Monday, the Texas Senate advanced a bill that would prohibit gun buyback programs in cities or counties. If passed, local governments could no longer sponsor or organize such events. The bill has one more vote before its final approval. [The Texas Tribune]
Less than a year after Louisiana began allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, state lawmakers are considering legislation that would let people publicly carry concealed weapons near schools and along parade routes. The state’s gun-free school zone law currently requires a state permit to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. But Senate Bill 101, proposed by Republican State Senator Blake Miguez who strongly supported last year’s permitless carry law, could change that. [Nola.com]
Last Friday, Baltimore city officials and community members honored the lives of six students lost to gun violence over the last year at an annual remembrance event. Outside of the school district’s office, the names of the children were read by CEO of Baltimore Public Schools, Sonja Santelises, as a bell rang. While acknowledging that students killed by gun violence in the city dropped from 19 in 2023 to 11 in 2024, Mayor Brandon Scott said that one life lost is one too many. [WYPR]
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Alfredo “Freddy” Flores was undergoing firearm recertification training at a mobile shooting range when he was caught in an explosion in late 2023. The fire caused third-degree burns across Flores’s body. He spent six months in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries on April 20, 2024. In a 42-page lawsuit filed last Monday against Los Angeles County, his family alleges that officials and the mobile gun range manufacturer knew the area was hazardous and contained flammable materials that caused the ignition. [LA Public Press]
Data Point
At least 1,226 — the number of people killed by police nationwide in 2024, an 18 percent increase from 2019. [The New York Times]
Non Sequitur
Penguin Poop Helps Antarctica Stay Cool
Penguin poop might be the key to stabilizing the climate in Antarctica. [404 Media]
