Preparing for the Next Disasters | Nihilism and Mass Shooterism | Cyberproofing Election, and more

A New Era for Firearm Violence Prevention Research  (Andrew R. Morral and Rosanna Smart, JAMANetwork)
Despite many remaining obstacles, there is hope that the U.S. will soon have research that clarifies many of the unanswered questions about firearm violence and its prevention. The need is urgent: firearm violence levels are high and rising.  In 2021, more than 48 000 firearm-related deaths occurred in the US,  and untold numbers of quality-adjusted life-years were lost. Existing health disparities were exacerbated, particularly for Black individuals whose firearm homicide rates are 10 times greater than White individuals (with rates of 29.0 per 100 000 vs 2.9 per 100 000, respectively),  and among whom the growth in firearm homicides has been concentrated.
However, important opportunity exists for discovery and lifesaving policy innovation. Many critical research questions, neglected for decades, may now benefit from recent federal and private research funding that has supported a surge in research on preventing firearm suicides, community-based gun violence, mass shootings, police shootings, unintentional firearm-related injury, and intimate partner homicides. These are the 6 concurrent epidemics that underlie the nation’s firearm violence problem.

Proud Boys Member Pleads Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy in Capitol Riot (Associated Press)
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty Thursday of plotting with other members of the far-right Proud Boys to violently stop the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election, making him the first member of the extremist group to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge.
Jeremy Joseph Bertino, 43, has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation of the role that Proud Boys leaders played in the mob’s attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, a federal prosecutor said.
Bertino’s cooperation could increase the pressure on other Proud Boys charged in the siege, including former national chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio.
The guilty plea comes as the founder of another extremist group, the Oath Keepers, and four associates charged separately in the January 6 attack stand trial on a seditious conspiracy charge — a rarely used Civil War era offense that calls for up to 20 years behind bars.

Nihilism and Mass Shooterism: Unclear Categories and Potential Dangers  (Sammie Wicks, GNET)
In 2022, public mass shootings continue to present a serious societal challenge in the US. This year has already experienced over 500 mass shootings. These incidents include gang shootings, disputes at bars and clubs,  and what is frequently referred to as incidents of targeted violence. Targeted violence incidents such as school shootings are often viewed differently than other forms of instrumental violence, such as premeditated gang violence. However, the separation between these incidents is not as clear as is sometimes presented. Although some argue that domestic extremists and gang members are vastly different, recent research indicates that some domestic extremists (although less than 6%) have at some point been involved with criminal gangs. This is further complicated by the complexities in defining what some extremist groups are, especially domestic hate-based organizations that are sometimes described as gangs, such as the Proud Boys. Additionally, gang prevention strategies often influence preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) and targeted violence prevention efforts in the US. 
As complex as the intersection between gang violence and ideologically motivated violence is, the overlaps between non-ideologically driven, nihilistic, grievance-driven targeted violence and gang-related violence may present even more intense complexity. This challenge is demonstrated in the recent mass casualty attack in Memphis, TN, which can be described as a series of random shootings conducted in different areas of the city. The incident resulted in three deaths and injuries to three others, occurring at nearly the same time as another non-ideologically-driven mass shooting in a suburb of Memphis the previous year (September 23, 2021). Although Memphis has experienced a wave of gun violence and murders, the September 7th shooting differentiated itself from other incidents of gun violence in that it resulted in Memphians sheltering in place for hours, with many watching the attacks on social media. 
The live-streamed attack illustrates the complexity of categorizing incidents of extreme violence and the utility of technology, namely social media, in acts of targeted violence. The episode also exemplifies a continued wave of mass violence that can be described as misanthropic and nihilist in nature. It displays how social media presents a point of commentary from non-aligned extremists. 

Malicious Cyber Activity Against Election Infrastructure Unlikely to Disrupt or Prevent Voting (FBI)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) assess that any attempts by cyber actors to compromise election infrastructure are unlikely to result in largescale disruptions or prevent voting. As of the date of this report, the FBI and CISA have no reporting to suggest cyber activity has ever prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, compromised the integrity of any ballots cast, or affected the accuracy of voter registration information. Any attempts tracked by FBI and CISA have remained localized and were blocked or successfully mitigated with minimal or no disruption to election processes.

Army Climate Plan Relies on Technology That Doesn’t Exist Yet (Elizabeth Howe, DefenseOne)
The most “complex” aspect of the implementation plan is “building a force to operate in the future that still has to operate in the present,” officials said.