Friday Finds

Our weekly roundup of the latest gun violence prevention news

May 02, 2025

On Fridays here at Armed With Reason, we highlight articles from the gun violence prevention realm that might’ve been missed during your busy week.

NEW STUDY: Defensive Firearm Use Is Far Less Common Than Exposure to Gun Violence

“It’s not that defensive gun use never happens, but the notion that firearm owners are routinely saving their own lives or those of their loved ones by using a firearm in self-defense simply is not backed up by the data. When we consider policies, we need to more heavily weigh the harms that frequently occur, not the instances of defense that rarely happen.”

Rutgers researchers conduct a national study on racial disparities in direct and media-based exposure among U.S. adults

“This study, published in the Lancet Regional Health – Americas, examines how frequently U.S. adults are exposed to gun violence, both in person and through media, based on data from a nationally representative sample. It looks at who is most affected based on their race, income, and the neighborhoods they live in.”

Most school shooters grew up with guns as key part of social life, study suggests

“Specifically, most shooters in the study came from a social background in which guns were key leisure items that were often important for family bonding time, often from a young age. Some shooters described guns as being their ‘only friend’ or the ‘love of [their] life.’”

The figure shows three school shooters as children. To maintain anonymity and prevent the perpetrator from gaining notoriety, the images are sketches based on family photographs and include a black bar over the eyes. (Image by Nassauer, 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0; via EurekAlert)

Chicago Economist Argues for Social Intervention on Gun Violence

“Instead of waiting for the U.S. to solve gun violence by addressing its social problems, incarcerating people, and reducing the amount of guns in circulation, he argues for a short-term solution: social intervention in places most affected by interpersonal violence.”

Government Cancels Disinformation Grants in Disinformation-Filled Statement

“'The work that we’re doing is not censorship…. We’re telling what the scientific community thinks about topics where there’s consensus on what we think is true or false, based on what we know. That’s not censorship. That’s adding additional speech to the conversation.”

Thousands protest the Trump administration's federal funding cuts during the Stand Up for Science rally in Washington, DC, March 7, 2025. Dominic Gwinn/Zuma

NRA Convention, Atlanta, GA, April 24-27:

Kids with rifles, golden Trump guns and revolver raffles - inside the 2025 NRA Annual Meeting

“The National Rifle Association's annual meeting is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, but it's not the political moment it once was as President Donald Trump is skipping the event.”

NRA convention begins in Atlanta with lack of political firepower

“Atlanta was also the site of the NRA convention in 2017, when Trump became the first sitting president since Ronald Reagan to address the group.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Scenes from the annual NRA convention

“On the ground at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.”

VIDEO: NRA holds annual convention in Atlanta, Trump missing from lineup

“The conference comes just weeks after the end of a turbulent legislative session in Georgia that featured fights over several firearms bills. One sought to mandate the safe storage of firearms in Georgia. Another offered tax refunds for the purchase of safe storage equipment like safes and gun locks. Both failed.”

What’s Next for the ATF’s Pistol Brace Rule?

“Even if the Trump administration were to keep defending the pistol brace rule, there are roadblocks. Per Willinger, current compliance with the rule is low, and expanding enforcement may be a pipe dream.”

Quavo Names Gregory Jackson Jr. President of His Rocket Foundation for the Prevention of Gun Violence

“In his new role, Jackson [former Deputy Director for the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention] will oversee day-to-day operations of the foundation, advise on real-time policy and reform, expand active partnerships and the current network. Additionally, he will manage the annual programming and events of the foundation alongside its founder, Quavo….”