Ko Bragg

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$1 Billion a Year to Treat Shootings

What To Know Today At least $1 billion per year: the annual cost of treating gun injuries in American hospitals. The estimate comes from the Government Accountability Office, which produced a 53-page report after a request…

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Why Gunmakers Might Be Nervous About a 22-year-old Lawsuit

What To Know Today NEW from THE TRACE: Why gunmakers might be nervous about a 22-year-old lawsuit. In 1999, the city of Gary brought a lawsuit against a bevy of gunmakers, alleging that industry defendants’ general distribution and marketing practices…

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Federal Court Imperils Age-Based Gun Restrictions

What To Know Today Federal court knocks down ban on handgun sales to adults under 21. In a divided 2-1 opinion, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that rules preventing federally licensed firearms dealers…

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Top Senate Dem Calls for NRA Probe

What To Know Today Chuck Schumer says the DOJ should investigate the NRA for fraud. During a Sunday news conference with reporters, the Senate majority leader said the National Rifle Association should face serious scrutiny for…

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More Money, More Violence Prevention

What To Know Today NEW from THE TRACE: Few know of Illinois’ victim compensation program  — fewer end up with funding. Under the federal Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, Congress disperses millions each year to compensate crime victims through…

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Surveilling Protest Under the Guise of Preventing Gun Violence

What To Know Today Chicago police used a gun violence prevention center to monitor protests last summer. In May 2020, Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown announced the creation of the Summer Operations Center (SOC), a hub where citywide agencies…

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Introducing ‘Aftershocks,’ Our Series About Life After a Shooting

What To Know Today NEW from THE TRACE: Introducing “Aftershocks,” a series about surviving gun violence in Chicago. For the roughly 83 percent of people who have survived the city’s 30,000+ shootings in the past decade — most of…

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’12 Hours of Nonstop Chaos’: Another Violent Holiday Weekend

What To Know Today Study: More gun dealers, more intimate partner homicide. Researchers from the University of Denver and Rutgers found that cities with more federally licensed firearms dealers had a heightened risk level for intimate…

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Surging Sales, Unfinished Background Checks

What to Know Today Fact-checking the 2020 crime wave. As The Trace has reported, homicides surged nationwide last year, primarily driven by gun violence. In a new piece, The Guardian offers some important context on the state…

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A Militia Member’s Admission About Guns and the Capitol

What To Know Today NEW from THE TRACE: To shed a cage. Wisconsin incarcerates Black men at a higher rate than any other U.S. state. Between 1962 and 1980, the state’s rate of violent crime increased more than six-fold. In…

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A Call to Prevent Black Youth Suicide

What To Know Today Researchers outline necessary steps to prevent suicide among Black youth. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for Black people between 5 and 17 years old, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control…

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Connecting Food Insecurity and Gun Violence

What To Know Today The connection between gun violence and food insecurity. An analysis of last year’s 271 homicides in St. Louis found that nearly 70 percent occurred in low-income census tracts with no grocery store or supermarket for at…

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The ATF’s Failure to Produce Public Records

What To Know Today NEW from THE TRACE and USA TODAY: The ATF’s failure to produce public records keeps the gun industry in the shadows. Last month, we and our partners at USA TODAY published a…

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Biden Unveils Plans to Crack Down on Problem Gun Dealers

What To Know Today In new anti-violence plan, Biden calls for zero tolerance on problem gun dealers, promotes community-led solutions. At the White House, the president announced a policy directing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explives to revoke…

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Winning the ‘Messaging Battle’ on Violence Prevention

What To Know Today Federal funding for community-led violence prevention draws overwhelming public support. Sixty-eight percent of likely 2022 voters support the intervention, according to polling released by the progressive-leaning firm Lake Research Partners shared with The Trace. That’s compared…