New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report examining how a gunman who opened fire at a Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket was radicalized by fringe websites.The 49-page report details the events that led up to the shooting in May, when Gendron shot 13 people, killing 10 of them, at a supermarket in a Black community in Buffalo.
James said Gendron was active on forums and message boards such as 4chan, where he encountered a proliferation of hate speech and activity. “The tragic shooting in Buffalo exposed the real dangers of unmoderated online platforms that have become breeding grounds for white supremacy,” the attorney general said in a statement. “The disturbing reality is that this attack is part of an epidemic of mass shootings often perpetrated by young men radicalized online by an ideology of hate."
Gun Violence in the United States
In response to the Connecticut jury awarding nearly $1 billion in damages to Sandy Hook families in the trial involving Alex Jones, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont released a statement in support of the decision.
"Nobody should ever have to endure the kind of harassment and persecution that Alex Jones caused, especially the families of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School," the statement read. "A jury in Connecticut today sent a strong message that what he did to these families and a first responder was disgraceful.”
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Hal Harrell, the superintendent of the Uvalde school district in Texas, announced his retirement. He will remain until a new superintendent is named.
Harrell made the announcement on his wife's Facebook account, saying, "My heart was broken on May 24th," referring to the school shooting at Robb Elementary School, "and I will always pray for each precious life that was tragically taken as well as their families."
His announcement comes days after the school district suspended its police force. "The District has made the decision to suspend all activities of the Uvalde CISD Police Department for a period of time," according to a statement that cited "concerns with department operations."
References
- @donna.harrell.31facebook.com
- Uvalde CISD Suspends UCISD PDdrive.google.com
A new report from Everytown For Gun Safety shows that instances of gunfire in U.S. schools spiked to the highest number since at least 2013, when the gun control advocacy began tracking school gun violence.
The study — conducted with the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — found that between August 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022, there were 193 reported "incidents of gunfire" in preschools and K-12 schools. That figure is more than three times the number of incidents in the previous school year.
References
- How To Stop Shootings and Gun Violence in Schools: A Plan to Keep Students Safeeverytownresearch.org
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Assault Weapons Ban. The vote was 217 to 213, with one abstention.
In a statement following the vote, President Biden urged the Senate to pass it as well, saying, "The majority of the American people agree with this common sense action. The Senate should move quickly to get this bill to my desk."
References
- House Sessionc-span.org
Video of the House vote
- Statement from President Biden on House Passage of Assault Weapons Banwhitehouse.gov
A detailed report from the Texas House of Representatives cast responsibility for the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas over "the entirety of law enforcement" who were on the scene.
The 77-page report criticized all levels of law enforcement for inadequate action, saying, "At Robb Elementary, law enforcement responders failed to adhere to their active shooter training, and they failed to prioritize saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety."
References
- Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shootingstatic.texastribune.org
Via Texas Tribune
In a news conference, a spokesman from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force provided more details about the gunman behind the mass shooting in Highland Park near Chicago on Independence Day.
The spokesman said the shooter used a high-powered rifle similar to an AR-15 to fire more than 70 rounds from the rooftop of a commercial building. During the attack, said the spokesman, the shooter "was dressed in women's clothing...to conceal his facial tattoos and identity" and to blend into the fleeing crowd to evade capture.
Further, investigators who have interrogated the suspect and reviewed his social media posts have not determined a motive for the attack, which they believe he planned for weeks. They have also not found evidence that the shooter targeted anyone by race, religion or other protected status.
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President Biden expressed "shock" by the "senseless" gun violence that took place in Highland Park today, near Chicago. In a statement, he said he's spoken with Governor Pritzker and Mayor Rotering, offering the "full support of the Federal government."
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President Biden signed into law the gun-safety bill Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, following passage in the House and Senate.
In his remarks at the signing, Biden noted that it is the most "significant" gun legislation in 30 years, adding, "I was there."
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The Texas Republican Party rebuked one of the state's Republican senators, John Cornyn, for his support of a bipartisan agreement on gun-safety legislation. Texas Republicans made the rebuke official in its 40-page party platform approved at its biennial convention.
After condemning age restrictions, red flag laws, and waiting periods, the platform stated, "Whereas all gun control is a violation of the Second Amendment and our God-given rights, we reject the so-called ‘bipartisan gun agreement,’ and we rebuke [Sen.] John Cornyn (R-Texas)."
The platform also promoted claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, without providing evidence. "We believe that substantial election fraud in key metropolitan areas significantly affected the results in five key states in favor of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.," it stated. "We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election and we hold that acting President Joseph 1586 Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States."
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The Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint charging Payton Gendron with 26 counts of a federal crime, including ten counts of a hate crime, in connection to a mass shooting he's accused of committing in Buffalo, New York, on May 14.
The complaint alleges that Gendron opened fire at Tops Friendly Market, killing ten and injuring three in a racially motivated attack. The Justice Department further alleges that Gendron's motive was to "prevent Black people from replacing white people and eliminating the white race," according to a statement, and to inspire others to commit similar attacks. If convicted, Gendron faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The statement also noted that Gendron is currently in state custody pending state criminal charges.
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In a statement, President Biden expressed support for a bipartisan Senate gun safety proposal to address gun violence in the United States. "I want to thank Senator Chris Murphy and the members of his bipartisan group — especially Senators Cornyn, Sinema, and Tillis — for their tireless work to produce this proposal," said Biden. "Obviously, it does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades."
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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin concerning the continued heightened threat environment across the U.S. It is the sixth bulletin issued by the department since January 2021 and will expire November 30. It replaces the current bulletin that was set to expire today.
In the coming months, the bulletin states, "We expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets. These targets could include public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents."
References
- National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletindhs.gov
- DHS Issues National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletindhs.gov
Statement about the bulletin
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a series of gun reform bills to "strengthen the state's gun laws, close critical loopholes exposed by shooters in Buffalo and Uvalde and protect New Yorkers from the scourge of gun violence," read a statement from the governor's office.
Among other aims, the ten-bill legislative package will ban the sale of semiautomatic rifles to anyone under 21 by requiring a license, prohibit the purchase of body armor, make threatening mass harm a crime, enhance information sharing between agencies, and require social media platforms to provide a mechanism for users to report hateful conduct.
"This is a moral moment for the people of New York, but also the rest of the nation," said Hochul at the signing. "Follow what we did here in New York, and we'll finally start to be at the beginning of the end of all this gun violence and the massacres that are occurring every day in our country."
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The Department of Justice announced it will conduct a review of the law enforcement response to the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. The Critical Incident Review comes at the request of Uvalde's mayor, Don McLaughlin.
In a statement, the Justice Department said, "The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events."
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In a vote, Republicans blocked the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act from passing in the Senate. The vote broke down along party lines, 47-47.
The legislation would have created an interagency task force within the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to analyze and combat white supremacist infiltration in the military and federal law enforcement agencies.
Before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, "The bill is so important because the mass shooting in Buffalo was an act of domestic terrorism. We need to call it what it is, domestic terrorism."
References
- Senate Sessionc-span.org