What to Know Today
Federal judge rules Delaware can’t enforce ghost gun law. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika issued a temporary injunction against a Delaware law banning the manufacture and possession of homemade, untraceable guns, The Associated Press reported. The law, passed by the state Legislature and signed by Democratic Governor John Carney late last year, was swiftly challenged by gun-rights groups, who argued that the regulation violates the Second Amendment. Noreika’s injunction means the law may not be enforced until the lawsuit is settled. Context: In August, new regulations from the Biden administration requiring serial numbers and background checks for “buy-build-shoot” kits went into effect. As The Trace reported this month, dealers have already found ways to skirt the new rules. Find all our ghost gun coverage here.
Three people, including two teenagers, injured during a shooting at a Pennsylvania amusement park. The shooting at Kennywood, a theme park in West Mifflin, took place on the first night of Halloween celebrations and caused a panic as reportedly hundreds of people ran toward the exits, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The incident has raised concerns about the park’s security protocols: Multiple people told the local CBS News affiliate that metal detectors were not working and that some of the bag checks were not thorough. The park has defended its security measures.
NRA loses civil case to hunting company that filmed Wayne LaPierre’s elephant hunt. Last week, a Fairfax County, Virginia, jury ruled in favor of Under Wild Skies, a company behind a TV show of the same name that featured National Rifle Association brass bagging game around the globe, and awarded it $550,000, finding that the NRA had breached its contract when it stopped making scheduled payments to the company. Context: In 2021, The Trace published unaired “Under Wild Skies” footage, which was referenced in the case, showing NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre repeatedly shooting and failing to kill an elephant in Botswana.
A gunman killed 13 people, including seven children, in a school shooting in Russia today. The shooter, who was wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it, also injured more than 20 people, investigators told Reuters. A Kremlin spokesperson said the incident was “a terrorist act by a person who apparently belongs to a neo-fascist organisation or group,” the wire service reported. According to The New York Times, there have been at least 13 mass shootings in Russia in the last three years, including another school shooting in May 2021 that killed nine people.
Portland, Oregon, may soon adopt controversial technology to locate gunshots. Mayor Ted Wheeler directed city staff to develop a pilot program for ShotSpotter, the Portland Mercury reported Friday. The company says that its gunshot-detection product, which uses audio sensors, can accurately triangulate the locations of gunshots. However, a March AP investigation found that, contrary to the company’s claims, ShotSpotter “can miss live gunfire right under its microphones, or misclassify the sounds of fireworks or cars backfiring as gunshots.” Last year, The Trace reported on the mounting evidence that the system is ineffective at preventing shootings and may lead to needless — and sometimes deadly — encounters with police. The Portland pilot program will have to be approved by the City Council.
The Trace wins two Online Journalism Awards. We’re thrilled to share that The Trace garnered two awards: General Excellence in Online Journalism, Small Newsroom and the Gather Award in Community-Centered Journalism, Overall Excellence, Micro/Small Newsroom, the latter with Up the Block.
Data Point
58 — The number of people killed during the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The five-year anniversary of the shooting is this week. [Rolling Stone]
