Friday Finds
Our weekly roundup of gun violence prevention news from across the country
On Fridays here at Armed With Reason, we highlight some articles from the gun violence prevention realm that might’ve been missed during your busy week.
STUDY: Americans willing to pay nearly $100 billion to reduce gun violence
“The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research… uses a nationally representative survey to measure willingness to pay for gun violence prevention programs.”
Related: Valuing the Benefits of Reducing Firearm Violence in the U.S.
Trump Prepares to Wipe Out Years of Progress on Gun Violence
“And on Feb. 7, he signed an executive order directing US Attorney General Pam Bondi to ‘examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies’ from Biden’s term, to assess whether those ‘infringe on the Second Amendment rights’ of Americans.”
GVP Legislation News:
Republicans introduce Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
“It allows gun owners with concealed carry privileges in their home states to exercise those rights in other states that allow concealed carry while abiding by those states’ laws.”
VIDEO: Chris Murphy helping spearhead creation of new office of gun violence prevention
“Murphy and Congressman Maxwell Frost introduced the bill Thursday. It comes after they say the previous office was closed when President Donald Trump took office.”
U.S. lawmakers have sights on banning assault weapons to buyers under the age of 21
“‘Six of the deadliest mass shootings since 2018 were committed by individuals 21 and under. The Age 21 Act could have saved lives then and will continue to do so if passed into law,’ said Alexa Browning, policy manager at March for our Lives.”
Report Recommends States Adopt Firearm Purchaser Licensing Laws That Include Five Core Components
“A new report released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions recommends that more states adopt comprehensive firearm purchaser licensing laws based on years of evidence that these laws are effective in reducing gun violence.”
Guide helps reframe the narrative on gun violence
“The guide, created by the Berkeley Media Studies Group, is geared toward advocates looking to improve the public’s understanding of firearm violence. However, there are several lessons reporters can gain from the guide.”
Treated as Suspects, Not Patients: How Systemic Racism Harms Black Male Gun Violence Survivors
“This was really born out of my dissertation that examined the experiences of Black men experiencing trauma and violence…. Over the course of 40 interviews, what I consistently heard was the systemic racism that permeates every aspect of their lives, and violent injury due to guns was a main point of that.”
VIDEO: Gun violence forcing some young people to live in fear and with trauma
“Many teens say the issue stems from unchecked anger and a lack of communication. They believe addressing conflict without weapons is the only way forward. ‘I miss when we could just have talks about our issues instead of killing people,’ Byno said.”
In Chicago, cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise curbing youth violence
“Last fall, the University of Chicago Crime Lab released research on the program's effects over time. Teenagers who participated were nearly 40% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime, compared with students who weren't in the program. Those results held for up to two years afterwards.”
VIDEO: Goodwill partners with Louisville leaders to curb gun violence as city sees decline
“Goodwill recently received a $3 million, two-year federal contract to operate Louisville's community violence intervention sites in the Algonquin, Park Hill, Taylor Berry, Russell, and Newburg neighborhoods.”
Popular GunTube Channel Demolition Ranch to Shut Down
“Demolition Ranch garnered significant negative attention after it was discovered that the gunman who attempted to assassinate President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, with a DPMS AR-15 was wearing a Demolition Ranch T-shirt. YouTube also updated its firearm policies in June 2024, which may have limited Carriker’s reach and made it harder for him to make money on the platform….”
VIDEO: Gun violence hits horrific new heights - Under The Gun Part 2
Parkland Anniversary:
Last Friday, February 14, marked seven years since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
7 years after the Parkland school massacre, is America any safer from guns?
“‘In the wake of the mass tragedy in Parkland, Florida, then-Gov. Rick Scott and a Republican-dominated legislature enacted a Red Flag law,’ Feinblatt said, also noting that Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act weeks after mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022. ‘This bipartisan action has helped drive violent crime to a 50-year low, which drives home the key point: Any attempts to roll back recent progress will only put our nation’s law enforcement and families at risk.’”
It's been seven years since Parkland. Here's where Florida stands on gun control
“We have a Second Amendment in this country. No one is doubting that. But that doesn't mean that we can’t have sensible gun restrictions…. That doesn't mean that we need weapons of war on the street.”
From left, juniors Sidney Ho, Jordan Strauss and Kendall Edgren mourn together during a candlelight vigil at Pine Trails Park on Feb. 15, 2018, in Parkland, Fla., after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. (photo/caption via USA Today)
Columbine survivor Anne Marie Hochhalter, who forgave gunman’s mother, dies at 43
“Hochhalter struggled with intense pain from her gunshot wounds over the past 25 years. Yet her brother said she was tireless in her drive to help others — from people with disabilities to rescue dogs and members of her family.”
Top photo by Yura Forrat via Pexels.