Next Steps for Gun Reform

In June, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law. While full of good news for gun-reform advocates, this law—which was inspired by mass shootings—has been criticized for not actually doing much to address them. In this episode, a closer look at gun-death statistics suggests that’s not exactly the case. Importantly, the new law does at least begin to close gaps in protections against domestic homicides, which are the lion’s share of mass killings in this country.  Still, we have a long way to go. With this crucial first step behind us, what comes next for gun reform? The University of Michigan’s April Zeoli, an expert in domestic violence and gun laws, and Carnegie Mellon’s Dan Nagin, a criminologist and professor of public policy and statistics, share their wish lists. UPDATE: As we prepared to publish this episode, on February 2nd, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the restraining-order gun restriction is unconstitutional. While Texas and Louisiana have their own state laws on this that are still valid, it is now legal in Mississippi for domestic abusers under restraining orders to own a gun. Zeoli warns the ruling will put families in danger. Zeoli warns the ruling will put families in danger. For more information—including a recent op-ed coauthored by Zeoli, a 2020 TedTalk about her research, and videos of Dan Nagin addressing Congress with the NSF-funded workshop’s recommendations, visit our website.