Guns & America

In the shadow of looming concern from state officials, the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL)’s annual lobbying day event and rally Monday went as organizers planned with 22,000 in attendance, only one arrest and no notable issues (with the possible exception of the frigid temperature.)

There’s been a massive wave of public resistance in Virginia to gun regulations proposed by the recently-elected and Democratic-dominated state legislature there. This winter, supporters of gun rights across the state filled local meetings and, in more than 130 jurisdictions, fought for resolutions to become “Second Amendment Sanctuaries,” which dozens have passed.

In most American cities, gun homicides are on the decline. But Durham, North Carolina, saw its homicide rate rise in 2019. While the community copes with feelings of chronic violence, one outreach worker is dedicating his time to ending the cycle.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday declared a state of emergency and instituted a temporary ban on firearms from being carried on Capitol grounds, as the state prepares to deal with an influx of gun rights supporters attending a protest rally in Richmond next week.

A new survey of firearm storage practices in Washington state found 40% of respondents kept at least one firearm either unlocked or loaded in their home.

That is pretty close to what other studies have found.

Saturday marked seven years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting that left 20 students and six educators dead. And, as a town came together to remember and to pray in the morning, it also came together to celebrate an unlikely football victory by night’s end.

Josh’s girlfriend broke up with him in the fall of 2017, and it hit him hard. He became depressed, started drinking and became more withdrawn. He got into a few mountain biking accidents, which his mom, Diane, thought were intentional. She thought he was trying to hurt himself.

“And then it just seemed like all of a sudden he spiraled down bad,” Diane said.

A spending agreement struck by Congressional leaders this week included $25 million for gun violence research.

After a much-anticipated showdown over gun regulations at the U.S. Supreme Court in early December focused on procedure over substance, advocates on all sides are waiting to see if the court dismisses the case.

The U.S. Supreme Court will examine gun rights for the first time in nearly a decade on Monday when it hears arguments in a case that could decide whether Americans have a constitutional right to carry a firearm in public.

In the case, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association is challenging a New York City law that severely restricted the transport of firearms outside the home.

Overall crime in the United States has been declining since the early 1990s. But the same cannot be said for gun violence, which has seen a slight uptick in recent years.

Nearly half (49%) of public schools in the United States have at least one School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus. The primary basic training course, taken in the first year on the job and provided by the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), is 40 hours and focuses on their role as law enforcement officers in a school, de-escalation tactics and some information on mentoring students.

A closely watched lawsuit that could provide a roadmap for suing gun companies in the wake of mass shootings can move forward in a Connecticut court, the Supreme Court said Tuesday.

The Secret Service and National Threat Assessment Center have released a report focused on targeted school violence, including school shootings.

They studied 41 attacks against K-12 schools in the United States from 2008 to 2017. The report focused on the background and behaviors of attackers to identify commonalities among them.

Democrats in Virginia claimed big wins in the Tuesday election, fueled in no small part by big investments from gun control advocates.

The historic blue wave marked the first time Democrats seized control of the state’s government in a generation.