Featured Story
Alex Jones’s court-appointed bankruptcy trustee indicated that he plans to shutter and sell the conspiracy theorist’s media company Free Speech Systems to help pay the $1.5 billion in legal penalties Jones owes for repeatedly calling the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre a hoax. That sale would likely include Infowars — meaning that proceeds from the sale of the platform Jones used to spread lies about the shooting could very well make their way to victims’ families. [Associated Press/Intelligencer/Courthouse News]
Philadelphia
Just days after the Supreme Court struck down a Trump-era federal prohibition on bump stocks, Mayor Cherelle Parker made Philadelphia the latest city to outlaw the devices. Philly’s ban, which extends to other rapid-fire devices like Glock switches, is already controversial — and it could have limited effect.
Pennsylvania has a “preemption” law on the books, which specifically forbids local governments from enacting their own firearm restrictions. Because of questions about whether the law extends to accessories for guns, it’s hard to say what, exactly, the ban will mean in Philadelphia. It’s also already facing a legal challenge: Shortly after Parker signed the ban into law, lawyers representing two local gun owners sued the city in federal court. The Trace’s Mensah M. Dean has the story.
What to Know Today
Last week, the Supreme Court affirmed that alleged domestic abusers can be barred from having guns, reversing a decision by the 5th Circuit. The news came as a relief to the staff of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, who have been dealing with an escalating number of calls — increasingly mentioning guns in the states covered by the appeals court. This account of a single day illustrates the stakes of the decision. [The New York Times]
Some Milwaukee officials and residents remain concerned about a potential influx of guns during the Republican National Convention next month, after a failed effort to enact temporary firearm restrictions in the vicinity of the event. Gun carrying in compliance with Wisconsin law will be allowed within walking distance, but firearms will not be permitted inside the convention itself, per a Secret Service plan released last week. [WUWM/Axios/WPR]
Before he was shot and killed this month, volunteer violence prevention worker Dennis Green was a key peacekeeper in his Chicago community, de-escalating arguments and acting as a mentor to younger men. His death illustrates the inherent risks of outreach work — but the founder of the small group he volunteered with, Englewood First Responders, has vowed to keep going “until we get the fires out.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
No one disputes that police shot and severely wounded Jason Kloepfer outside his trailer in rural Cherokee County, North Carolina, in 2022. But the shooting and its aftermath have raised questions about who gets to determine the boundary between legal and criminal action for on-duty officers. [The Assembly]
The enhanced background check system implemented under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has stopped roughly 800 gun sales to people under the age of 21 who would otherwise be prohibited from buying them, according to a White House report on the gun safety law. [Associated Press]
Archive
Can Domestic Violence and Community Violence Be Interrupted at the Same Time?: A novel program in Brownsville, Brooklyn, is working to break the links between two of the most common types of shootings. (July 2023)
