• BORDER SECURITYThe Southern Border Poses Terrorism Risks. Homegrown Threats Still Loom Larger.

    By Jacob Ware

    The fears of terrorists entering the U.S. illegally can never be completely dismissed, but to date they have been mostly hypothetical, as there is scant evidence that illegal immigrants have committed acts of terrorism in the United States. For now, the most serious terrorist danger still comes from lone-actor racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs), radicalized online here inside the United States, attacking soft targets using firearms.

  • EXTREMISMHow Local Police Could Help Prevent Another January 6th-Style Insurrection

    By Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid

    As scholars who study street gangs and far-right groups, we see that the larger law enforcement community continues to focus – we believe mistakenly – on the belief that, like terrorist groups, white supremacists are coordinated in ideology and intent. Evidence shows that perception actually diverts local police agencies’ attention from identifying and managing these groups. We believe that if police had treated Proud Boys as members of a street gang from the group’s inception in 2016, the events of Jan. 6, 2021, might have been avoided, or at least reduced in severity.

  • EXTREMISMHigh Rate of Mental Health Problems and Political Extremism Found in Those Who Bought Firearms During COVID Pandemic

    People who bought firearms during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have much higher rates of suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviors and intimate partner violence, a study suggests, compared with other firearm owners and people who don’t own firearms. Pandemic firearm buyers were also much more likely than the other groups to hold extreme beliefs, ranging from anti-vaccination views to support for QAnon conspiracy theories.

  • GUNSHow Often Are AR-Style Rifles Used for Self-Defense?

    By Jennifer Mascia

    Supporters of AR-15s, often used in mass shootings and racist attacks, say they’re important for self-defense. Our analysis of Gun Violence Archive data suggests otherwise.

  • EXTREMISTSProsecuting Extremists in the U.K.: Charging, Prosecution, and Sentencing Outcomes

    There is a lack of data regarding prosecution and sentencing for terrorism and terrorism-related offences across the three legal jurisdictions of the UK (England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland). Does the prosecution landscape (charging, prosecution, and sentencing) vary in the UK for extremist actors depending upon the legal jurisdiction?

  • AIMalicious AI Arrives on the Dark Web

    By Mercedes Page

    Nefarious non-state actors are already harnessing AI to scale up their malicious activities. Just as legitimate users have moved on from exploring ChatGPT to building similar tools, the same has happened in the shadowy world of cybercrime.

  • GUNSNumber of U.S. Children Killed by Guns Hit Record High in 2021

    By Melissa Jenco

    Firearm death rates among children and teens rose almost 9% from 2020 to 2021, while disparities worsened, according to a new study. The increasing rates meant firearms remained the leading cause of death for youths. In 2021, 4,752 children and teens were killed by firearms, a rate of almost 6 per 100,000 youths. The rate is up 9% from 2020 and 42% from 2018.

  • GUNSDo Armed Guards Prevent School Shootings?

    By Laura Esposito and Alex Yablon

    Roughly a third of parents with school-age kids are very or extremely worried about gun violence at their child’s school, according to a 2022 survey by The Pew Research Center. The same Pew survey found that roughly half of U.S. parents think armed security in schools is an effective response. Do armed guards — sometimes called school resource officers or school police officers — are actually a deterrent to gun violence and mass shootings?

  • GUNSStudy Confirms Link Between Concealed Carry Weapons and Gun Homicide Rates

    Concealed guns significantly impact homicide rates and public safety, according to a Rutgers study that found an increase in homicides based on the number of concealed carry weapons licenses issued.

  • EXTREMISMIncels: The Ideology, the Threat, and a Way Forward

    By John Coyne

    Misogynist ideology, beyond individual criminal behavior, has fueled violence against women worldwide. A new report explores the phenomenon of ‘incels’ (a portmanteau of ‘involuntary’ and ‘celibate’) and the misogynistic ideology that underpins this global community of men that has become a thriving internet subculture.

  • TRANSPORTATION SECURITYThe New Technology Which Is Making Cars Easier for Criminals to Steal, or Crash

    By Rachael Medhurst

    There is much talk in the automotive industry about the “internet of vehicles” (IoV). This describes a network of cars and other vehicles that could exchange data over the internet in an effort to make transportation more autonomous, safe and efficient. There are many benefits to IoV, but some of these systems might also make our vehicles prone to theft and malicious attack, as criminals identify and then exploit vulnerabilities in this new technology. In fact, this is already happening.

  • EXTREMISMAnti-Zionism Mutates into Anti-Semitism on the Political Left

    Expressions of anti-Israel bias from left-leaning political organizations in several European democracies have devolved into anti-Semitism and even violent attacks against local Jewish communities.

  • MASS SHOOTINGSFame-seeking Mass Shooters More Likely to Plan “Surprise” Attacks; Novelty of Their Locations, Targets Brings Added Fame

    Mass shooters pursuing fame often plan their attacks as “surprises,” carefully crafting them in ways that set them apart from previous incidents, which makes them uniquely challenging to prevent. Fame-seekers — unlike those mostly motivated by personal grievance or revenge — planned their crimes around the novelty of the location and targets.

  • IMMIGRATIONThe Mythical Tie Between Immigration and Crime

    By Krysten Crawford

    Opponents of immigration often argue that immigrants drive up crime rates. Research by Stanford’s Ran Abramitzky and co-authors uncovers the most extensive evidence to date that immigrants are less likely to be imprisoned than U.S.-born individuals.

  • CHINA WATCHOutlaw Alliance: How China and Chinese Mafias Overseas Protect Each Other’s Interests

    By Sebastian Rotella

    The rise of Chinese organized crime in Europe highlights its ties to the Chinese state, national security officials say. Recent cases show the suspected role of mobsters in Beijing’s campaign to repress diaspora communities and amass influence.