Using data to reduce gun violence
In Massachusetts, Senator Creem has filed a bill, S1292, which would collect data on multiple gun purchases made in state and analyze whether those guns were later used in crime. If you’d like to get this important bill passed, sign our letter to the Joint Committee on Public Safety, which is required to report on the bill by February 7th.
Delware and New York are also employing data to end gun violence
Delaware has received a grant from University of Pennsylvania to integrate state databases so that state agencies have a fuller picture of services children and teens are receiving. Using “predictive analytics” Delaware hopes to intervene earlier and prevent future violence. You can read more here.
New York policy makers are urging Governor Cuomo to allocate funding to create a state gun violence research institute. Advocates argue that data gleaned from the research institute could be used to further lower gun violence in New York and could be shared with other states.
Watch the video here:
New England Round Up:
New Hampshire legislators are hoping to pass a bill that would punish municipalities who have passed gun violence prevention ordinances. Supporters of the bill say that city gun ordinances are already forbidden and this would just create penalties. Opponents of the bill say this will punish city officials acting in good faith to protect their constituents. Read more here.
A Vermont man was arrested after stealing a firearm in New Hampshire and trading it for money and heroin in Vermont. Events like these underscore the relationship between the opioid epidemic and the gun violence epidemic and why it is so important to keep firearms locked and unloaded regardless of the presence of a child. Read more about the arrest here.
National Round Up:
A first-in-the-nation Washington state law requires notifying law enforcement and victims when an indivdiual fails a background check for a firearm. Contrary to previous assumptions, the new law has shown that individuals who cannot pass a background check are still trying to purchase firearms. Since the law went into effect in August, over 1200 Washingtonians have failed a background check, many of them purposefully concealed their criminal record on purchase forms. You can read more here.
The U.S. has the highest child mortality rate among 20 rich nations. Among teens 15 to 19, Americans were 82 times more likely to get shot than their international peers. Despite spending more per person on health care than the comparable nations, this trend is likely to continue. Read more here.
In Illinois, Chicago activists are urging Police not to purchase their service weapons from gun dealers with a history of bad behavior. Activists are asking police to boycott dealers whose guns frequently are found at crime scenes. Watch a video clip here.
A final tid-bit:
Harpers Magazine added a number to their index: “Average number of days the National Rifle Association waits to tweet after a major mass shooting: 6.3”
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