Latest news with #EverytownforGunSafety
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Trump suggests homeless evictions ahead of Washington DC 'crackdown'
US President Donald Trump has spent days escalating his rhetoric on crime in Washington DC, calling the US capital 'totally out of control' and ordering a federal law enforcement surge before a Monday press conference to outline a sweeping crackdown. On Sunday Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong.' The Democratic mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, pushed back on Trump's claims, saying the city is 'not experiencing a crime spike' and highlighting that violent crime has fallen to a 30-year low. Trump called Bowser 'a good person who has tried', but said she's been given many chances while crime numbers continue to worsen. Violent crime fell 26% in the first seven months of 2025 and overall crime dropped 7%, according to the city's police department, but gun violence remains an issue. In 2023 Washington had the third-highest gun homicide rate among US cities with populations more than 500,000, according to gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. Over the past week, Trump has intensified his messaging, demanding the swift eviction of homeless residents and vowing to jail offenders. He has raised the prospect of stripping the city of its local autonomy and signalled a possible full federal takeover.
Daily Maverick
31-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
New York detectives head to gunman's home in Nevada amid calls for gun control
New York City detectives investigating this week's mass shooting were interviewing the attacker's associates in his home state of Nevada on Wednesday, as gun safety advocates expressed dismay that he was able to buy a gun there legally last month despite two reported mental health hospitalizations. Authorities say Shane Tamura, 27, drove from his Las Vegas home to Manhattan, marched into an office skyscraper on Monday and fatally shot four people, including an off-duty police officer, with an assault-style rifle before taking his own life. Tamura legally purchased a revolver in Nevada in June at a gun store, New York police said, even though, according to multiple news reports, he was hospitalized under an emergency 'mental health crisis hold' in 2022 and again in 2024. The details of those episodes were not known. Authorities have said Tamura carried a note on Monday in which he claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a brain disease linked to football and other contact sports that can affect behavior. The disease can only be confirmed after death. New York City's medical examiner said in an email that Tamura's brain would be examined as part of a complete autopsy but did not say whether it would be screened for CTE. Tamura, who shot himself in the chest on Monday, bought the rifle he used in the attack from a supervisor at the casino where he worked for $1,400, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing law enforcement sources. Nevada law requires private gun sales to go through a licensed firearms dealer and include a background check. Whether he obtained the rifle legally or not, advocates for stricter gun laws said the case showed a need for tougher regulations nationwide, especially for people with mental health problems. 'It is horrifying … that a man with documented mental health struggles was able to purchase a weapon, let alone a weapon of such devastating capability,' New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told reporters on Wednesday, urging a national ban on assault rifles. New York is one of 10 states that bans such weapons, according to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The National Rifle Association, the New York State Firearms Association and the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The groups oppose restrictions on guns as an infringement on individual rights. RED FLAG LAWS Under Nevada law, officers can detain individuals on emergency holds in mental health facilities or hospitals for up to 72 hours for evaluation. In a handful of states including New York – which has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation – such emergency holds trigger some version of a ban on possessing guns, according to experts. But in most states, including Nevada, as well as under federal law, only a court-ordered involuntary commitment results in a prohibition on buying and owning guns. 'What this shooting in New York highlights more than anything else is that we're only as safe as the laws of the weakest state,' said Nick Suplina, Everytown's senior vice president for law and policy. Nevada has enacted a series of gun limits since an October 2017 mass shooting that killed 58 people in Las Vegas. Giffords, another gun safety advocacy organization, gave Nevada a 'B-' grade in its annual scorecard of gun laws, compared with an 'A' for New York. A new Nevada law that took effect this month – too late to apply to the Manhattan shooter – allows law enforcement officers to take away guns temporarily from someone who is on an emergency mental health hold. The officer can also petition a court to retain the guns if the person is deemed a danger to themselves or others. That law is similar to Nevada's 'red flag' statute, which allows law enforcement or relatives to ask a court to seize firearms from anyone considered a risk. The new law was needed because patrol officers often don't have time to petition a court when they're dealing with someone in a mental health crisis, according to John Abel, governmental affairs director at the Las Vegas Police Protective Association. 'We needed the ability to be able to safely and legally pick up that firearm while we were on the scene,' he said. Had the new law been in effect in 2022 and 2024 when Tamura was placed under mental health holds, officers could have temporarily impounded his firearms. But he would have been able to pick them up from the police station once he was discharged from the hospital. Although he identifies as a 'proud Second Amendment supporter,' Abel said he thinks Nevada needs further legislation to 'take firearms out of the hands of someone who is deemed incompetent to hold them because of mental health reasons.' Twenty-one states have enacted red-flag laws, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Tamura was able to obtain a concealed carry permit in 2022, according to news reports, although it was unclear whether he did so before or after his first hospitalization. His permit would have allowed him to buy the revolver last month without a background check under state law.
AsiaOne
31-07-2025
- Health
- AsiaOne
New York detectives head to gunman's home in Nevada amid calls for gun control, World News
NEW YORK — New York City detectives investigating this week's mass shooting were interviewing the attacker's associates in his home state of Nevada on Wednesday (July 30), as gun safety advocates expressed dismay that he was able to buy a gun there legally last month despite two reported mental health hospitalisations. Authorities say Shane Tamura, 27, drove from his Las Vegas home to Manhattan, marched into an office skyscraper on Monday and fatally shot four people, including an off-duty police officer, with an assault-style rifle before taking his own life. Tamura legally purchased a revolver in Nevada in June at a gun store, New York police said, even though, according to multiple news reports, he was hospitalised under an emergency "mental health crisis hold" in 2022 and again in 2024. The details of those episodes were not known. Authorities have said Tamura carried a note on Monday in which he claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a brain disease linked to football and other contact sports that can affect behaviour. The disease can only be confirmed after death. New York City's medical examiner said in an email that Tamura's brain would be examined as part of a complete autopsy but did not say whether it would be screened for CTE. Tamura, who shot himself in the chest on Monday, bought the rifle he used in the attack from a supervisor at the casino where he worked for US$1,400 (S$1,811), CNN reported on Wednesday, citing law enforcement sources. Nevada law requires private gun sales to go through a licenced firearms dealer and include a background check. Whether he obtained the rifle legally or not, advocates for stricter gun laws said the case showed a need for tougher regulations nationwide, especially for people with mental health problems. [[nid:720757]] "It is horrifying... that a man with documented mental health struggles was able to purchase a weapon, let alone a weapon of such devastating capability," New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told reporters on Wednesday, urging a national ban on assault rifles. New York is one of 10 states that bans such weapons, according to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The National Rifle Association, the New York State Firearms Association and the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The groups oppose restrictions on guns as an infringement on individual rights. Red flag laws Under Nevada law, officers can detain individuals on emergency holds in mental health facilities or hospitals for up to 72 hours for evaluation. In a handful of states including New York — which has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation — such emergency holds trigger some version of a ban on possessing guns, according to experts. But in most states, including Nevada, as well as under federal law, only a court-ordered involuntary commitment results in a prohibition on buying and owning guns. "What this shooting in New York highlights more than anything else is that we're only as safe as the laws of the weakest state," said Nick Suplina, Everytown's senior vice president for law and policy. Nevada has enacted a series of gun limits since an October 2017 mass shooting that killed 58 people in Las Vegas. Giffords, another gun safety advocacy organisation, gave Nevada a "B-" grade in its annual scorecard of gun laws, compared with an "A" for New York. A new Nevada law that took effect this month — too late to apply to the Manhattan shooter — allows law enforcement officers to take away guns temporarily from someone who is on an emergency mental health hold. The officer can also petition a court to retain the guns if the person is deemed a danger to themselves or others. That law is similar to Nevada's "red flag" statute, which allows law enforcement or relatives to ask a court to seize firearms from anyone considered a risk. [[nid:720741]] The new law was needed because patrol officers often don't have time to petition a court when they're dealing with someone in a mental health crisis, according to John Abel, governmental affairs director at the Las Vegas Police Protective Association. "We needed the ability to be able to safely and legally pick up that firearm while we were on the scene," he said. Had the new law been in effect in 2022 and 2024 when Tamura was placed under mental health holds, officers could have temporarily impounded his firearms. But he would have been able to pick them up from the police station once he was discharged from the hospital. Although he identifies as a "proud Second Amendment supporter," Abel said he thinks Nevada needs further legislation to "take firearms out of the hands of someone who is deemed incompetent to hold them because of mental health reasons." Twenty-one states have enacted red-flag laws, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Tamura was able to obtain a concealed carry permit in 2022, according to news reports, although it was unclear whether he did so before or after his first hospitalisation. His permit would have allowed him to buy the revolver last month without a background check under state law. [[nid:720721]]
New York Times
29-07-2025
- New York Times
New York Has Strict Gun Laws. A Mass Shooting Showed Their Limits.
The gunman double-parked outside the tower at 345 Park Avenue, strode into the lobby with a cheap AR-15-style rifle, and killed three people, including an off-duty police officer. He took an elevator to the 33rd floor and fatally shot a final victim before turning the gun on himself. The episode was over in minutes. Despite New York's stringent gun laws and the office building's tight security, law enforcement officials and legal experts said, the shooting — the deadliest in New York City in 25 years — may have been all but unstoppable. New York has one of the world's most sophisticated surveillance networks and the resources to deploy a massive police response, said Brittney Blair, an associate managing director of K2 Integrity, a risk-management and investigative firm. But a piecemeal network of looser regulations nationwide enabled a lone gunman with no criminal history to drive undetected across several states on his way to the city. 'It feels impossible to stop something like this,' Ms. Blair said. The attack underscores the limits that even a dense web of gun safety laws and private security precautions can have in a country flooded with inexpensive weapons. Beginning last week, the gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, 27, who lived in Nevada, drove through several states, including Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and New Jersey, before arriving in Midtown Manhattan, his BMW filled with ammunition. Mr. Tamura could have secured a semiautomatic rifle in a single day in Nevada, where he could bypass additional background checks, because he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, said Nick Suplina, a senior vice president at Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence prevention group. A federal ban on assault rifles ended in 2004; Mr. Tamura could have purchased the weapon for less than $500. The police in New York began receiving 911 calls at 6:28 pm on Monday with reports of an active shooter. By then, Mr. Tamura had already left the vehicle between 51st and 52nd Streets and walked into the building, a police spokesman said. He turned right and shot the police officer, Didarul Islam, 36, who died in the lobby. Mr. Tamura kept firing. He shot and killed Wesley LePatner, 43, who had ducked behind a pillar, and then, as he made his way to an elevator bank, killed Aland Etienne, 46, an unarmed security guard who was taking cover behind a front desk. After wounding another victim, Mr. Tamura summoned the elevator. For unknown reasons, he spared the life of a woman who stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. He rode to the 33rd floor — the office of Rudin Management, a real estate firm that owns the Park Avenue building. He began to walk around the floor firing rounds, and killed his final victim, Julia Hyman, who worked at Rudin. He then turned down a hallway, pointed the gun at his own chest and fired. The police were still investigating the motive for the attack. Mr. Tamura was found with a note urging the authorities to scan him for C.T.E., a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma that can be definitively diagnosed only after death. The attack came as shootings in New York are close to record lows. Through last week, there were 406 shootings reported in the city, down more than 21 percent from the same period last year and the lowest rate since at least 1993, according to an analysis of police statistics by Vital City, a civic think tank. But the mass shooting on Monday represents a different sort of crime, one for which it would have been difficult for New York to prepare, said Elizabeth Glazer, Vital City's founder and a former criminal justice adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio. 'Once somebody has a gun and is determined to do what this guy did, unless you turn the city into an armed camp — and even then it's a question — it is very hard to stop them,' Ms. Glazer said. In 2022, the Supreme Court struck down a century-old New York law that had been widely considered one of the strictest in the country. But the state quickly put a new law in place that has so far stood up to legal challenges, keeping New York one of the least gun-friendly states in the nation. David Pucino, the legal director of Giffords Law Center, a gun safety group, said Mr. Tamura would almost certainly have been unable to legally obtain a gun or a permit for it in New York. Under New York's SAFE Act, he would not have been able to buy his gun — a cheaply built AR-15 sometimes referred to as a 'Reddit Special' for its popularity on the internet message board — nor would he have been entitled to the concealed-carry permit he obtained on the other side of the country. In New York, Mr. Pucino said, 'He should have been arrested the second he stepped out of that car.' Had he been in Nevada, 'he would have been legal until the second he opened fire.' In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said the state has some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, but that local laws cannot make up for lax regulation elsewhere. 'We banned assault weapons,' she said. 'But our laws only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder.' Maureen Farrell and Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed reporting.
Politico
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Spanberger opens early lead in Virginia governor's race, new poll shows
The centrist Democrat is leading her opponent by double digits, according to new data from Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger addresses an audience at an Everytown for Gun Safety rally on April 10, 2025, in Alexandria, Virginia. |By Jacob Wendler 07/16/2025 02:22 PM EDT Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia, maintains a double-digit lead over her Republican opponent, according to a new poll from Virginia Commonwealth University. The survey, conducted between June 19 and July 3, found that 49 percent of registered voters support Spanberger, with 37 percent saying they would vote for GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears if the election were held today. That's an even bigger lead than Spanberger enjoyed in Commonwealth's December poll, which had Earle-Sears trailing her by 10 percentage points. The poll also found that the cost of living continues to dominate as voters' top concern, with reproductive rights and immigration also ranking high among Virginians' priorities. Spanberger, who represented Virginia's 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025 after serving in the CIA, is leaning into the issue by touting an 'Affordable Virginia Plan' that lays out her vision for lowering housing, energy and health care costs.
