• Extremist Planning Bioweapons Attacks to Start a Racial War in South Africa Convicted

    South African court convicts the leader of an extremist group planning to use bioweapons to bring about, in his words, “black genocide” as part of a broader effort to re-establish the country’s apartheid regime.

  • Did the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 Bring Down Mass Shootings? Here’s What the Data Tells Us

    A spate of high-profile mass shootings in the U.S. has sparked calls for Congress to look at imposing a ban on assault weapons. Such a prohibition has been in place before – from 1994 to 2004. That ban was limited, but nonetheless, the 10-year life span of that ban – with a clear beginning and end date – gives researchers the opportunity to compare what happened with mass shooting deaths before, during and after the prohibition was in place.

  • Converging Trends Increase Threats of Violence: DHS

    DHS warns the chances for increased violence or terror attacks are likely to increase over the next six months – the result of a volatile convergence of pervasive disinformation, conspiracy theories, and several high-profile events like the anticipated Supreme Court decision on abortion and the country’s mid-term elections.

  • German Police Failed in Far-Right Hanau Killings: Critics

    Police have been accused of failing to keep tabs on a racist killer during one of Germany’s worst-ever far-right shootings. Police say they had to proceed cautiously.

  • Some Light in the Distance for Major Curbs on Gun Violence

    The killing of nineteen children and two teachers in in Texas and subsequent debate about what can be done to prevent similar tragedies from happening again, highlighted the widespread recognition about how difficult it will be to spark change in the polarized debate on the issue. Chan’s School’s David Hemenway is uncertain about effects of Uvalde deaths, but believes growing body of research will turn tide in time.

  • Shifting Policing Responsibilities from City to County Doesn't Affect Crime Levels

    Disbanding city police departments and shifting law enforcement responsibilities to county governments appears to have no affect on overall crime rates and leads to fewer police-related deaths, according to a new study. The study also finds disbanding leads to fewer police-related deaths, but less transparency.

  • Norway and Finland Have Levels of Gun Ownership Similar to the U.S., but Far Less Gun Crime

    The number of children killed by guns is 36.5 times higher in the U.S. compared to many other high-income countries. But in terms of the level of gun crimes more broadly – measured by examining the relationship between gun-ownership rates and gun violence — the U.S. is ranked 20th in the world, although all the countries ahead of it are much poorer and more conflicted. European societies similar to the U.S. in terms of gun owners per 100,000 people (but with hunting rifles and shotguns rather than handguns), such as Finland and Norway, are among the safest societies in Europe. Gun researchers now focus increasingly upon wider “gun control regimes” which have a big part to play in increasing or reducing levels of gun violence.  

  • After Mass Shootings Like Uvalde, National Gun Control Fails – but States Often Loosen Gun Laws

    Contrary to the view that nothing changes, state legislatures consider 15% more firearm bills the year after a mass shooting. Deadlier shootings – which receive more media attention – have larger effects. As impressive as this 15% increase in gun bills may sound, gun legislation can reduce gun violence only if it becomes law. And when it comes to enacting these bills into law, our research found that mass shootings do not regularly cause lawmakers to tighten gun restrictions. In fact, we found the opposite. Republican state legislatures pass significantly more gun laws that loosen restrictions on firearms after mass shootings.

  • Why 18-Year-Olds in Texas Can Buy AR-15s but Not Handguns

    The massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, highlights disparities in how federal laws regulate rifles and handguns. The shooter bought two rifles days after his 18th birthday. 

  • The Buffalo and Uvalde Gunmen Bought Their Rifles Legally at 18

    Both teenage gunmen in the Buffalo and Uvalde mass-shootings acquired their rifles legally, through federally licensed dealers. Federal law allows people as young as 18 to buy long guns, including rifles and shotguns, and only a handful of states have enacted laws raising the minimum age to 21. There’s no federal minimum age for the possession of long guns, meaning it’s legal to give one to a minor in more than half the country.

  • What We Know About Mass School Shootings in the U.S. – and the Gunmen Who Carry Them Out

    Most school shooters are motivated by a generalized anger. Their path to violence involves self-hate and despair turned outward at the world, and our research finds they often communicate their intent to do harm in advance as a final, desperate cry for help. The key to stopping these tragedies is for society to be alert to these warning signs and act on them immediately.

  • U.S. 'Active Shooter' Incidents Surged in 2021: FBI

    The FBI defines an active shooter as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” Amass shooting is typically defined as a shooting that involves four or more victims and can take place in public or private spaces. There were 61 “active shooter” incidents in the United States last year, an increase of more than 50% from 2020 and more than twice as many as five years ago, the FBI reported.

  • Buffalo Attack Footage Spread Quickly Across Platforms, Has Been Online for Days

    The livestream of the accused Buffalo shooter’s deadly attack at a Buffalo supermarket was available briefly via Twitch, but the footage spread quickly across online platforms, and remains online for public consumption.

  • DOJ Steps Up Hate Crime Prosecutions

    DOJ says that with hate crimes on the rise, U.S. federal prosecutors have charged more than 40 people with bias-motivated crimes since January 2021, obtaining over 35 convictions.

  • The Buffalo Shooting Suspect Once Threatened a Mass Shooting. Why Wasn’t He Disarmed?

    The Buffalo mass shooter was taken into custody by police last June after he threatened to carry out a shooting at his Western New York high school. He was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and released a couple of days later. None of that prevented him from buying a gun, or keeping the ones he already owned. New York has a red flag law, but it wasn’t invoked.