The spike in gun violence continues, with 2021 on pace to be the worst year in decades
CNN and GVA outline a mass capturing as an incident with 4 or extra individuals killed or wounded by gunfire — excluding the shooter.
The speedy rise in gun violence, nonetheless, is likely to be slowing down. Richard Rosenfeld, a criminology professor on the College of Missouri–St. Louis and his colleagues discovered that within the first quarter of 2021, the variety of homicides was 23% increased than in 2020. Within the second quarter that quantity went right down to 10%.
Rosenfeld advised CNN that many elements might be taking part in a job within the rise in gun violence, together with the pandemic in addition to the racial strife spurred by the homicide of George Floyd final 12 months, and the impact each have had on policing throughout the US.
“(I)mmediately after George Floyd was murdered and widespread protests broke out throughout the nation,” Rosenfeld mentioned, “that is what we noticed in a lot of cities — a really, very giant uptick” in homicides.
Rosenfeld mentioned that the sample is just like what occurred within the wake of the capturing of Michael Brown in 2014 by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
“What we’re seeing now’s precisely what we noticed (seven years) after the Ferguson incident and protests emerged throughout the nation,” mentioned Rosenfeld. “We noticed a large uptick in murder within the massive cities, and that uptick persevered — relying upon the town — for a 12 months, typically slightly greater than a 12 months.”
As gun violence continues to extend, so too have gun gross sales and ammunition shortages. In the meantime, Biden’s govt orders centered on increasing regulation on sure varieties of firearms proceed to run by means of the rule-making course of.
Gun and ammo gross sales
Biden’s gun management efforts
Whereas Congressional laws on gun management is nowhere in sight and the problem of gun violence has largely fallen out of the political zeitgeist, Biden’s govt actions proceed to run by means of the federal rule-making course of.
Two important proposals from the Biden administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives deal with regulating sure varieties of pistol braces in addition to so-called ghost weapons.
The general public remark interval for the ATF’s proposed rule, altering the definition of a “firearm” to incorporate unfinished firearms — ghost weapons — ended on August 19.
Whereas these proposals are certain to come across important challenges within the courts, Biden faces different velocity bumps on the street to fulfilling his gun management aspirations.
