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The Trace is not our friend - 03/31/21 01:23 PM
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MARCH 31, 2021
Good morning, Bulletin readers. In new pieces, we report on how the ATF recently canceled a review of devices implicated in the Boulder shooting and highlight a unique plan to fight gun violence in Texas. And in its new jobs plan, the Biden administration heeded advocate calls with a $5 billion commitment to fund community violence prevention. — Tom Kutsch, newsletter editor
NEW FROM THE TRACE
Despite its gun-loving reputation, Texas could soon be at the vanguard of violence prevention. In House Bill 1580, the legislature is considering the establishment of a statewide office focused on community violence intervention and prevention. The proposal is novel because the office would be housed in the state’s public health department, not a law enforcement agency like in many other states. While the placement of an office might sound like a bureaucratic quibble, supporters say this approach would incentivize more holistic strategies, developed with the communities most affected, that don’t use incarceration as a catch-all solution. Advocates say this bill has better prospects than gun control bills in the state because it doesn’t constrain gun rights. Chip Brownlee has that story.
Facing GOP pressure, the ATF canceled review of a device implicated in two mass shootings. The bureau issued a notice on December 18 seeking public comment on criteria for evaluating whether firearms outfitted with so-called stabilizing braces would be subject to tougher federal rules. The popular accessories are intended to increase the accuracy of AR-15-style pistols and allow users to fire them much like their rifle counterparts. Many gun industry insiders saw the notice as a sign that ATF intended to impose screening and registration requirements on brace-equipped pistols, potentially forcing prospective buyers to wait several months before taking one home. But the ATF rescinded days later after 90 Republican House lawmakers sent the bureau a letter describing the proposed criteria as “ambiguous and malleable.” The devices have been implicated in at least two high-profile mass shootings — in Boulder this month and the August 2019 incident at a bar in Dayton, Ohio. Alain Stephens and Brian Freskos have that story here.