Top Story
It’s well documented that parents in America are increasingly anxious about school shootings. As the Israel-Hamas war continues, those who send their children to Jewish schools have an added fear: Their kids could become victims of targeted violence. In New York, those concerns have translated into an influx of armed guards. [Curbed]
The Trajectory
Perpetrators of gun violence are often victims themselves — and in November 2019, journalist Christopher Blackwell uncovered evidence of that fact. He was participating in a transformative justice program with nine other incarcerated men inside a prison in Washington state. As the group examined their painful pasts together, Blackwell wanted to know: “How many in this group have been shot by a gun?”
The answer: 8 of the 10 participants.
The discussion that day was confirmation of the highly concentrated and cyclical nature of gun violence, Blackwell writes in a special edition of The Trajectory, published in collaboration with The Appeal. And it begs a question: Why are we still trying to punish our way out of gun violence?
What to Know Today
U.S. v. Rahimi isn’t the only major gun suit before the Supreme Court this term. Justices last week agreed to review a federal ban on bump stocks — and if the high court rules against the government, the decision will effectively legalize automatic weapons. [Vox]
U.S. Capitol Police arrested an Atlanta man carrying an AR-style pistol outfitted with a high-capacity magazine in a park near Senate office buildings on Tuesday, according to court records. He faces nearly a dozen charges, including carrying a pistol without a license and unlawful possession of a firearm. [CBS]
Five years ago, a Wyoming county sheriff’s deputy with a spotty track record shot and killed an unarmed Laramie resident. Thousands of people told the state they wanted the deputy disqualified from serving in law enforcement — but thanks to ambiguities in Wyoming’s laws for misconduct investigations, he’s still eligible to wear a badge. Some in the Legislature say they have a fix. [WyoFile]
Former members of New Mexico State University’s basketball program filed a lawsuit alleging that teammates routinely brought guns to the locker room where they sexually assaulted players. New Mexico State does not allow guns on campus or on school-affiliated travel, but the university’s enforcement of the rule came under question earlier this year, when a former basketball player shot and killed a student during a road trip. [Associated Press]
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett was decisively reelected Tuesday, beating out Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve, who angered his base with a campaign promise to lobby the state to pass firearm restrictions. Gun violence was at the center of the race to lead the city, following an increase in police killings and public concerns about shootings. [Indianapolis Star]
Archive
For Formerly Incarcerated People, the Challenges of Reentry Make ‘Every Move an Emergency’
The U.S. has 78 million people with criminal records who face more than 40,000 legal restrictions and barriers to finding jobs and housing, according to a new survey. (June 2023)
