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The Republican National Committee released its official platform this week — the first since 2016 — without any mention of gun policy. Gun rights were acknowledged only in the document’s preamble, which promises to defend “our fundamental freedoms,” including the right to keep and bear arms. [The Reload]
What to Know Today
Several violent incidents erupted in Chicago during the Fourth of July weekend, despite the nationwide decline in violent crime over the last year. One hundred and nine people were shot, including 19 of them fatally, police said at a news conference on Monday. Across the United States, there were more than 500 shootings, resulting in at least 180 deaths and over 525 injuries. [USA TODAY]
On July 9, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with the NRA’s former Chief Financial Officer Wilson “Woody” Phillips. Phillips is banned from serving as a fiduciary for any nonprofit organization in New York for 10 years. The ex-NRA CFO was found liable by a Manhattan jury earlier this year for violating his duties in managing the NRA and its financial affairs, and he was ordered to pay $2 million in damages. [Office of the New York State Attorney General]
In Charlotte, North Carolina, 61 people were killed in the first half of 2024, including 51 who were shot to death mostly by handguns, according to preliminary data from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. This is more people killed than in the first six months of any year since at least 2015 — an increase that bucks the current national trend. [The Charlotte Observer]
Lawyers for Hunter Biden have withdrawn a request for a new trial concerning federal gun charges for which he was found guilty last month on all three counts related to lying about his use of illegal drugs when he bought a gun in 2018. In June, Biden’s lawyers launched a pretrial appeal to have the case dismissed. After it was rejected, his team mistakenly believed that the case’s jurisdiction was never returned to the trial court. [Reuters]
ICYMI: We’re hiring! The Trace is looking for a director of development to help sustain and expand our high-impact, award-winning reporting on gun violence. The deadline to apply is July 26. View the job listing here.
Agya K. Aning contributed to this section.
Archive
Climate Change Is Warming Cities. Could the Trend Affect Gun Violence?: Authors of a study linking high daily temperatures with increased shootings say their findings highlight the importance of climate resiliency in under-resourced areas. (December 22, 2022)
