Red, White, and Bullets

“The nightmare has woven itself into the everyday informational stream: the stock market rises and falls, one team beats another team, restaurants open and close, Apple announces a new phone, a man enters a public place with artillery and massacres a bunch of strangers. It’s news but not shocking news. There is a mass shooting – more than four people not including the shooter – nine out of 10 days in America.” Stephen Marche: Guns v grief: inside America’s deadliest cultural chasm.

+ “Pharmacies must lock opioids and other controlled substances in fortified cabinets. Explosives makers have to keep volatile materials in boxes or rooms capable of withstanding explosions. Banks, in order to maintain federal deposit insurance, have to hire security officers. But there are no such requirements for gun stores, and criminals are taking advantage.” In an investigative report, The New Yorker tracks stolen firearms through the black market, from gun-store thefts to crime scenes. Easy Targets.

+ The House is holding its first hearings on gun violence in eight years (yes, you read that right). Aalayah Eastmond, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, gave an opening statement that provides an excellent summary of the situation.