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Reposted by Jennifer Mascia

Alabama Politics This Week @alpoliticsthisweek.com · 3d

The same shooter profile. The same headlines. Less shock.

@jenmascia.bsky.social explains.

This week's show: youtu.be/6vNIGSod4Ck

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 6d

Today also marks 28 years since a 16-year-old fatally shot 2 students and injured 7 others at Pearl High School in Mississippi

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 6d

10 years ago today a student at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon opened fire in a writing class, killing 9 people and wounding 8 others

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 6d

8 years ago today someone fired into a crowd of concertgoers from a hotel in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding 422 others. 2 other people have since died from their injuries.

It is the deadliest shooting in modern American history

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 9d

Mass shootings you may have missed this weekend:

3 killed, 8 wounded in N.C.
2 killed, 8 wounded in Michigan
2 killed, 5 wounded in Texas
1 killed, 3 wounded in New Orleans
4 wounded in Louisiana
4 wounded in N.C.

via Gun Violence Archive

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 12d

Unlike many forms of public gun violence, sniper attacks evade most security measures like metal detectors and armed guards.

It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.

My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:

The Dallas ICE Shooting Underscores How Hard It Is to Stop Sniper Attacks, Experts Say

“There really is not anything you can do to secure a public place 100 percent,” said Caylen Wojcik, a former Marine sniper.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 19d

In 2020 the gun industry urged the ATF to add a nonbinary category to the federal background check form for gun sales. The Trump administration made the change.

Now the 2nd Trump administration is reversing it. My colleague @vansant.bsky.social has the scoop:

Buying a Gun Is About to Get More Complicated for Nonbinary People

The ATF has told The Trace that the federal background check form for gun sales is being revised to recognize only two sexes.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 20d

The finger-pointing appears to have begun at the dawn of the Trump era, according to one expert I spoke to:

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 20d

When did we start debating a gunman's politics after high-profile shootings?

I tried to make sense of our acrimonious political discourse in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing:

Why the Political Blame Game Starts Moments After a Shooting

The aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing has devolved into a national guessing game over the shooter’s politics. Experts say that’s missing the point.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 20d

Startling new reporting from @amendelson.bsky.social at @thetrace.org:

Americans 70+ have the highest suicide rates of any age group. Gun suicide is a greater killer of men over 70 than car crashes

The Quiet Crisis: What’s Driving Gun Suicides Among Older Americans?

More and more older Americans are dying by firearm suicide, a new analysis from The Trace and GQ reveals. Older white men and those in rural areas experience alarmingly high rates.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 21d

The politics of the gunman are now questioned after every high-profile shooting, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Experts told me this right-left paradigm is a distraction from deeper issues, like how to prevent these tragedies.

My latest for @thetrace.org:

Why the Political Blame Game Starts Moments After a Shooting

The aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing has devolved into a national guessing game over the shooter’s politics. Experts say that’s missing the point.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 22d

According to texts surfaced during the investigation of the Kirk shooting, the engravings on the bullets are "mostly a big meme"

Initial reports said the engravings were "transgender and antifascist ideology"

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 23d

How international media is covering Charlie Kirk's murder:

In America, Kirk’s supporters still love guns, despite his violent death

The killing of Kirk Wednesday, while speaking at Utah Valley University, highlighted the extreme levels of gun violence in the United States.

www.ctvnews.ca

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 23d

Former Reps. Jeff Flake (R) and Gabby Giffords (D):

"Those with power and influence – from the president on down – must realize that fanning the flames of division will only make things worse and lead to even more violence and crime."

We're a Republican and a Democrat. After Charlie Kirk's death, we agree on this. | Opinion

If we Americans allow ourselves to be dragged further down this path of violence and retribution, we will lose ourselves – and our country.

www.usatoday.com

Reposted by Jennifer Mascia

Chip Brownlee @bychipbrownlee.com · 24d

Today marks three months since Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert were assassinated.

“A lot of leaders show up to events and doorknocks, give the rah-rah speeches, and then they leave. That was not Melissa.”

‘Fearless’ Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman, Assassinated by Firearm, Leaves a Legacy of Gun Reform

The former state House speaker had a role in passing several bills to curb violence.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 26d

Political violence like the Charlie Kirk assassination accelerates our march toward civil unrest — but it's not to late to stop it, @jeffsharlet.bsky.social tells my colleague @bychipbrownlee.com

Narratives About the Killing of Charlie Kirk May Be More Powerful Than the Facts

Jeff Sharlet, the author of ‘The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War,’ talked to The Trace about making sense of this tense moment.

www.thetrace.org

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Reposted by Jennifer Mascia

Josiah Bates @josiahbates.bsky.social · Sep 5

In just two weeks, more than 20 U.S. colleges received false active shooter reports, triggering lockdowns and heavy police responses. These swatting incidents may be fake, but the fear and trauma they create are real.

Strong reporting from @jenmascia.bsky.social

More Than 20 Active Shooting Hoaxes Have Locked Down Colleges Over the Past Two Weeks

Experts said swatting incidents can traumatize students and first responders.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Sep 5

Trans people rarely commit mass shootings — only 5 in the last decade, out of 5,300+

Why Does the Right Falsely Blame Trans People for Mass Shootings?

Misinformation circulating after last month’s attack on Minnesota state lawmakers underscores a calculated campaign to demonize the trans community.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Sep 5

"This precedent being used against trans people could be used against veterans with PTSD. It’s a slippery slope to make anyone lose their 2nd amendment rights."

Trump DOJ is looking at ways to ban transgender Americans from owning guns, sources say | CNN Politics

Senior Justice Department officials are weighing proposals to limit transgender people’s right to possess firearms, according to two officials familiar with the internal discussions.

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Jennifer Mascia

Chip Brownlee @bychipbrownlee.com · Aug 29

Most of the states backing Trump’s crime crackdown have areas with higher gun homicide rates than the nation’s capital, a Trace analysis shows.

At least 17 Mississippi counties endured more gun homicides per capita than the nation’s capital in 2024.

Read: www.thetrace.org/2025/08/nati...

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 26

Can President Trump militarize crimefighting in Democrat-run cities like Chicago and Baltimore?

Not legally. But that doesn’t mean he won't try, a policing expert told me. My latest for @thetrace.org:

Legal Constraints Could Stymie Trump’s Plans to Police Other Cities

We spoke with a policing expert from Yale Law School about whether a federal takeover could come to New York or Chicago.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 26

Washington D.C.'s 12-day murder-free streak ended early this morning with the shooting death of a man just after midnight www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-n...

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 26

Claim: Washington D.C. hasn't had a murder since Trump sent in the troops on August 11.

Fact: There was a murder on August 13.

No murders since then — but there have been 7 shootings. A total of 8 people were wounded

www.gunviolencearchive.org/query/3378d4...

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 22

National Guard troops in D.C. have been ordered to carry weapons. Why might that make some people nervous?

Kent State.

With Troops in Los Angeles, Echoes of the Kent State Massacre

The 1970 shooting of student demonstrators shows the risks of Trump’s decision to deploy the military against protesters, a history professor explains.

www.thetrace.org

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Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 14

Full story: www.thetrace.org/2025/08/trum...

The Data Doesn’t Support Trump’s Justification for Deploying the National Guard

Trump has taken over policing in D.C. and threatened to do the same in other cities. A Trace analysis shows that his claims of runaway violence are false.

www.thetrace.org

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