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How Did Guns Get So Powerful?  (Phil Klay, New Yorker)
Decade by decade, firearms have become deadlier—and tightened their grip on our collective imagination.

The Rifle That Ruined America  (Ryan Busse, The Atlantic)
As an NRA-approved icon and the mass shooter’s weapon of choice, the AR-15 has done untold harm.

What We Know About Patriot Front  (Brad Dress, The Hill)
Alex Fields, who killed a counterprotester after driving his car into the crowd and was later sentenced to life in prison, was seen wearing a Vanguard America uniform during the rally, according to the Counter Extremism Project. Vanguard America denied he was a member of the group. Thomas Ryan Rousseau, the leader of Vanguard America’s Texas chapter, founded Patriot Front after internal disagreements with the older organization. According to a Discord post reviewed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Rousseau announced he was forming Patriot Front because of Vanguard America’s “unwillingness to meet any semblance of a compromise” but said he would focus on similar goals under a new brand and name that represents “original American patriots.” “The word patriot itself comes from the same root as paternal and patriarch. It means loyalty to something intrinsically based in blood,” he wrote. Traditional garb for members includes a dark blue shirt, a white bandana stretched over the face and a brown baseball cap, making them easily identifiable. Patriot Front’s insignia is the fasces, a bundle of sticks with an axe inserted inside (with the head poking out) encircled by 13 stars, similar to those on the American flag. The fasces symbol dates back to the Roman Empire, which used the imagery to represent authority and power.