Hello, Bulletin readers. It’s Tuesday, which means the latest (and second-to-last) episode of our podcast collaboration is now available. You’ll find the link below today’s news, including updates on March for Our Lives and the role of American guns in the migrant crisis.
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WHAT TO KNOW TODAY
New from The Trace: The mixed legacy of the NRA’s favorite Supreme Court ruling. Today is the tenth anniversary of the District of Columbia v. Heller decision, which reversed centuries of precedent by establishing an individual right to gun ownership. To mark the anniversary, Alex Yablon spoke with Eric Segall, a Georgia State law professor, about the ruling’s ongoing reverberations.
The first 25 days of June had at least 42 mass shootings, according to Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit, nonpartisan data tracker defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are killed or injured by gunfire, making them an everyday occurrence in America.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions focused on immigration, not school shootings, in a speech to school resource officers. Addressing a convention of the National Association of School Resource Officers yesterday in Reno, Nevada, the attorney general asserted that many of the children detained at the southern border are gang recruits sent to “replenish” MS-13 cells in American cities. What migrant families say: In a video on the Palm Springs Desert Sun website, an 11-year-old boy describes the carnage he witnessed as Mexican gangs terrorized him and his classmates with deadly weapons. His family is one of many seeking refuge from gun violence across the border. From The Trace archives: Much of that violence is carried out using American guns. As Alex Yablon has reported, the influx of weapons from the United States into Mexico is an often-overlooked factor in the migrant crisis.
A Parkland survivor is running for local office. After touring the country with his former classmates as part of a voter registration drive, 18-year-old Diego Pfeiffer plans to get on the ballot himself. On Monday, the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate announced his candidacy to be a Parkland city commissioner. “The city needs somebody to be that voice for the kids,” Pfeiffer said.
National Die-In Day organizers canceled an action at Disney. Earlier this month, organizers of National Die-In Day announced that they would die-in on company property to protest the $739,000 that Disney donated to a Florida political action committee in support of an NRA-backed gubernatorial candidate. On Monday, the group called off the demonstration, saying they feared public backlash. Nurah Abdulhaqq, one of the founders, says the group plans to use different tactics to pressure the company to stop donating to candidates endorsed by the NRA.
A Texas House panel had its first hearing on proposed gun reforms. Lawmakers gathered in Austin to begin discussions on proposals put forward by Republican Governor Greg Abbott after the Santa Fe school shooting. Those measures include safe storage requirements and a red flag law that would enable family members to obtain a court order to temporarily disarm someone who may be a threat to themselves or others. Testifying in support of the legislation were survivors of the Santa Fe school shooting. “If someone had used a red flag law to stop the Santa Fe shooter, I wouldn’t be sitting here and wouldn’t be terrified of getting shot,” one high schooler told her representatives.
A trauma center in Philadelphia created a designated police drop-off for gunshot victims. Just outside the emergency room doors at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, a sign reads “Police Emergency Drop-Off Here.” The city has a “scoop and run” policy, in which police take stabbing and shooting victims to hospitals instead of waiting for ambulances. Studies have shown that the practice can improve survival rates among shooting victims.
A firefighter was fatally shot responding to an explosion at a California retirement home. Captain David Rosa, a 17-year veteran of the Long Beach Fire Department, was killed as firefighters descended on high-rise apartment complex for seniors following an explosion. Two other people, including another firefighter, were also struck by bullets in the early Monday morning incident. Police say they have detained one person of interest related to the shooting.
A man searching for his estranged wife killed one and injured three others at a family dinner. On Sunday evening, the 65-year-old man opened fire at a Santa Rosa, California, home where his son was sharing a meal with family and friends. Police say three were wounded in the gunfire, including a 4-year-old. A 43-year-old man was killed.
A judge called for Columbus, Ohio, to halt its bump stock ban. On Friday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit brought by gun rights advocates challenging the ban. A hearing is scheduled in early July to determine the fate of the measure. Until then, officials in Columbus cannot enforce it.
AFTERMATH, EPISODE 7
Will Thomas was angry, terrified, and humiliated when he learned he’d never walk again. Five bullets, including one to the spine, paralyzed him and left him feeling powerless. Once-simple tasks, like getting a glass of water or rolling over in bed, were now nearly impossible without assistance. But Thomas refused help. He blasted rap music about guns and murders to scare off the nurses. When he left the rehab center, he returned to a life of crime, which landed him in prison.
A workout class for inmates helped Thomas regain some control over his body, and his life. “It made me feel like I was really here for something,” he said. Listen to his full story in today’s episode of “Aftermath.”
