Featured Story
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seems to be splintering — and where justices stand on gun rights is at the center of the rift. Justice Amy Coney Barrett appears disillusioned with Justice Clarence Thomas’s focus on “history and tradition,” the originalist approach that framed the court’s 2022 opinion in Bruen. Barrett signed on to that decision, which upended firearm regulations nationwide, but indicated recently that she may break with Thomas in the court’s next big gun case: U.S. v. Rahimi, a challenge to a federal law designed to protect domestic violence victims. That decision, and its implications for the majority, could come as soon as 10 a.m. today. [Politico/Slate]
From The Trace
Chicago is expanding a promising program that helps city residents and their families cover the unexpected costs that arise after a homicide or shooting, a city official told The Trace’s Rita Oceguera. The Emergency Supplemental Victim’s Fund, which was set to expire when its funding ran out, is meant to mitigate “the impact of trauma,” as program administrator Stephaney Harris put it — by providing applicants with money for basic needs, funerals, or relocation expenses.
The expansion won’t increase the maximum amount each person can receive, but it will extend the program’s reach from five neighborhoods to 15, encompassing all of the city’s priority areas where the highest rates of gun violence occur. Oceguera has the story.
What to Know Today
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called on Congress to address a mental health crisis among young people by requiring a warning label for social media platforms. Could that tactic also reduce exposure to gun industry marketing? [Mother Jones]
A group of principals who have experienced school shootings or their aftermath have banded together in lobbying lawmakers to demand greater support for schools recovering from such attacks. Their group, the Principal Recovery Network, has also helped these leaders share resources on helping students and educators recover from violence. [Education Week]
The shooter who killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others at a queer nightclub in Colorado two years ago pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes and was sentenced to 55 life terms in prison. The sentence also included 190 years on gun-related charges. The shooter did not say anything to victims’ families and declined to apologize for the attack. [Associated Press]
Following the Supreme Court ruling that struck down an effective ban on rapid-fire bump stocks, Senate Democrats failed to maneuver a ban of their own through the upper chamber. The move was stalled by a single Republican lawmaker, Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Cottle, the Texas man who claims that he invented bump stocks, announced that he was selling all intellectual property rights for the manufacture of the devices, as well as equipment to make bump stocks and patents for other gun accessories that didn’t make it to market. [Roll Call/NBC/CBS Texas]
ICYMI: We’re hiring! The Trace is seeking a reporter to cover gun violence in the Great Lakes region and an editor to lead our Gun Violence Data Hub. View the job postings and learn more here.
Data Point
20 — the number of school shootings that have resulted in injuries or deaths so far this year. There were 38 such school shootings in 2023, and 51 in 2022. [Education Week]
