Good morning, Bulletin readers. A Democrat-controlled legislature was not enough to ensure the passage of a key piece of gun reform legislation in Virginia. That story leads your Tuesday roundup.
Receive this daily news briefing by email every morning. Sign up here.
WHAT TO KNOW TODAY
Assault weapons ban fizzles in Virginia. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Monday to table legislation that would prohibit the sale of assault-style weapons and possession of high-capacity magazines. Four Democrats broke with their party on the vote. The bill was one of eight gun reforms proposed by Governor Ralph Northam after Democrats took full control of the General Assembly in November. The House has passed all eight of his bills. A Northam spokeswoman said the governor would push for the assault weapons ban again next year. ICYMI: Here’s our guide to Virginia’s historic gun reform package.
NEW from THE TRACE: Red flag laws: A guide to the gun policy that states are embracing. Virginia and New Mexico are on the verge of becoming the latest states to pass laws allowing law enforcement and family members to remove firearms from at-risk people. In a new explainer, Miles Kohrman and Alain Stephens parse how red flag laws came about, what they entail, and if they actually work.
Mass shootings marred the holiday weekend. Six people, including three teenagers, were shot during a gathering in an apartment on the South Side of Chicago on Friday night. Seven people were wounded when gunfire erupted during a street race in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday. Five people were shot, one fatally, at a nightclub in Hartford, Connecticut, early Sunday. And late on Sunday night, one person was killed and four others wounded in a drive-by shooting in Pensacola, Florida.
A year after the Aurora mass shooting, the gun licensing system of Illinois is still seriously flawed. That’s the big takeaway from a new investigation by The Chicago Tribune, which found that there are some 30,000 residents with revoked Firearm Owner’s Identification Cards who have not accounted for their guns. “We need to get very serious about this… When you see the numbers we are looking at, the public would be rightfully scratching their heads,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. Context: Last year, Illinois lawmakers failed to advance a bill that would have funded a State Police task force charged with investigating revoked FOID card holders who failed to surrender their guns.
Judge rules Sandy Hook parents can access gunman’s computer. Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled Thursday that the nine families suing Remington can search the shooter’s computer for proof that he was exposed to gun advertisements. The plaintiffs contend that Remington violated state law by irresponsibly marketing assault-style rifles to civilians. Here’s a refresher on what the case could mean for the gun industry.
New York lawmakers propose a ghost gun bill named for a Parkland victim. The Scott J. Beigel Unfinished Receivers Act would make it illegal to transfer or sell unfinished gun receivers to anyone in the state who is not a licensed gunsmith. The measure is among several proposed by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo in his 2021 budget. Beigel, the bill’s namesake, was a teacher killed in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
DATA POINT
Florida’s red flag law has been used more than 3,500 times since it took effect nearly two years ago. — AP
