Alex Yablon

Community Violence

These Economists Think Guns, Not the Crack Epidemic, Drove the ’90s Murder Boom

New research contends that a surge in handgun production and possession propelled murder rates in American cites — until new restrictions on firearms reversed the trendlines.

National Rifle Association

Judge Orders Lawyer for NRA to Explain Possible Misrepresentations

Hired by the National Rifle Association to bring the force of law against its foes, big-time corporate lawyer William A. Brewer III now finds himself under court scrutiny. According to a new filing, a federal judge in Virginia has ordered…

National Rifle Association

Lawyer for NRA Did Not Disclose ‘Serious’ Ethics Sanction to Court

Before the gun group tapped William A. Brewer III for a pair of high-stakes legal battles, he was fined for attempting to improperly influence potential jurors and witnesses in Texas.

National Rifle Association

Following New York’s Lead, Washington State Will Investigate the NRA’s Controversial Insurance Products

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York has happily thrown himself into a feud with the National Rifle Association over its sideline selling controversial insurance products. Now, at least one and perhaps two more states are following his lead. Read Next…

National Rifle Association

FAQ: Is the NRA Going Broke?

What we do (and don’t) know about the group’s financial health.

National Rifle Association

Firm at Center of NRA’s Business Woes Tells Gun Group: You Brought This on Yourselves

Lockton, the insurance broker behind the NRA’s Carry Guard program, argued in a court filing that the organization’s “inflammatory marketing” made it an inevitable pariah.

National Rifle Association

In Court Papers, NRA Stresses Financial Pressures and Says It May Have to Shut Down NRATV

The National Rifle Association typically portrays itself as an indomitable force. But an ongoing court case has the gun group taking inventory of its wounds. In a new legal filing, it contends that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign to…

Data

Two Studies, One Troubling Takeaway: The Guns Best at Killing Are the Same Guns Criminals Covet

The same weapons that the gun industry pumps out in ever greater numbers are more likely to fatally injure people, a new study shows. The public safety risks of popular medium- and large-caliber firearms models are compounded by another fresh…

Gun Rights

To Build a Case for Guns in Public, a Judge Cited Racist Antebellum Legal Precedents

A federal appeals court panel ruled this week that laws banning the open carry of firearms violate the Second Amendment. The finding in the case of Young v. State of Hawaii is surprising in that it came from judges…

Data

American Parents Are More Worried About School Safety Now Than After Sandy Hook

Nearly three times as many American parents fear for their child’s safety at school today than during the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, according to a poll released this week. A survey of public attitudes…

Gun Rights

Accused Russian Spy Maria Butina Used NRA-Style Rhetoric to Connect With American Conservatives

The federal indictment of the accused Kremlin spy Maria Butina lays out how the 29-year-old operative infiltrated groups like the National Rifle Association in an attempt to push U.S. politics in a more Russia-friendly direction. American conservatives and Republicans, she told an…

National Rifle Association

First, the NRA Watered Down a Red Flag Bill. Then It Mobilized to Kill It.

Following the Parkland shooting, the National Rifle Association’s top lobbyist, Chris Cox, called on Congress to pass legislation that would provide federal grants to states that allow police to temporarily seize legally owned guns from people at risk…

Law

The NRA’s Favorite Supreme Court Ruling Failed to Gut Gun Control. A Law Professor Explains Why.

The National Rifle Association, and its lawyers, draw a line straight from the founding fathers to the modern “good guy with a gun.” In their framing, people who arm themselves with lethal weapons to defend themselves, their families, and their…

Data

Just How Many Guns Do Americans Own? (And Why Do Estimates Vary So Widely?)

There is no official count of how many guns Americans own. But the best available calculations make it clear that the number has grown by tens of millions in recent decades, leaving the United States ever more densely armed than…

The Business of Guns

Towns Create Gun-Store Free Zones, Confident Constitution Is on Their Side

“The point is to demonstrate that as local officials, we’re not helpless," a Piscataway, New Jersey, council member said. "We can use our authority."