Guns
Wave of mass shootings prompts Biden to call yet again for assault weapons ban
WASHINGTON — Following a mass shooting on the eve of Lunar New Year in which 11 people in a predominantly Asian neighborhood in California were killed, President Joe Biden again urged Congress to pass legislation banning assault weapons. Communities across America “have been struck by tragedy after tragedy, including mass shootings from Colorado Springs to […]
To combat gun violence, this artist turns ammunition Into art
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — As a child, Mykael Ash enjoyed picking up seashells near the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His grandfather lives there, so trips to the beach were a regular part of life. “It’s peaceful energy,” Ash said. “Especially when you put that seashell to your ear.” At age 32, he still collects shells. […]
‘Sickening and devastating’: Colorado leaders react to Club Q shooting
As details of the mass shooting at Club Q emerged on Sunday, Colorado officials expressed shock and grief, with some directly acknowledging the shooting’s impact on the LGBTQ community while others stuck to the rhetoric of “thoughts and prayers.” The shooting, which took place at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, left […]
After Uvalde, states look to new digital maps to keep schools safe
In the wake of the devastating shooting in Uvalde, Texas, one of the latest tragedies in a decades-long surge of violence in schools, some state lawmakers are embracing a bipartisan measure that skirts divisive gun debates: school maps and blueprints. Police, firefighters and emergency technicians often reference those maps when responding to school emergencies. But […]
Gun control advocates: Milwaukee police union misses mark with firearms lawsuit
Gun control advocates say a recent lawsuit by the union for Milwaukee Police Department officers to force the department to replace one particular sidearm is missing the mark. Since 2020, two officers have been injured when department-issued SIG Sauer P320 sidearms fired without the trigger being pulled. The Milwaukee Police Association sued the city in […]
The Rittenhouse shootings started a gun debate in Kenosha that hasn’t ended
This story was published in partnership with The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. It can be viewed here on THETRACE.ORG. Sign up for their newsletters here. It’s been more than two years since a police officer fired seven shots into the back of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, Jr., setting off days of protest […]
Ghost guns on the rise in Wisconsin as federal government prepares to act
On Aug. 24, new federal regulations will take effect to reduce the proliferation of untraceable, privately assembled firearms. Popularly known as “ghost guns,” these firearms have become steadily more common in southeastern Wisconsin. Their cryptic nature brings new challenges for law enforcement, particularly in states with loose gun laws. Every year, any given police department […]
Misogyny is fueling the country’s gun violence epidemic, experts say
This story originally appeared in Michigan Advance. Dawn Gillard’s life revolved around her children. Everyone who loved her knew that. The rest of the world would read about it in her obituary. On May 27, Gillard was shot and killed at age 40 alongside her three young children: Katelynn, 6; Ronald, 4; and Joshua, 3, […]
U.S. House passes ban on assault weapons after spate of gun violence
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a ban on semi-automatic firearms — the weapons used in multiple mass shootings during the last three months — on a near party-line vote. With the 217-213 vote, the bill, H.R. 1808, will head to the evenly divided Senate, but it’s unlikely to advance there, […]
U.S. House panel advances assault weapons ban on party-line vote
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Judiciary Committee late Wednesday passed legislation that would ban certain semi-automatic weapons, in a renewed push to ban the guns most commonly used in recent mass shootings. The party-line 25-18 vote followed recent mass shootings in which AR-15 style rifles were used — in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and […]
Ron Kind only Democrat to vote against Active Shooter Alert Act
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind was the only Democrat to vote against a bill aimed at alerting people to nearby active shooters, saying he believes the system would create “chaos.” The bill, the Active Shooter Alert Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night on a 260-169 vote. The measure received 43 Republican votes, […]
The rightwing assault hits close to home
It’s pretty hard not to take it personally when the highest court in the land erases your humanity. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has rolled back a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion, the power of the state reaches right through us, deciding what happens inside our bodies. What we think […]