Courts and guns

In 2021, Missouri passed the "Second Amendment Preservation Act" to make federal gun restrictions illegal in the state and bar officials from enforcing any law that would "infringe" upon the right to "bear arms." It also allows "any person" to sue state law-enforcement agencies who don't comply with state law.

The federal government sued, contending that the state law unconstitutionally usurped federal law and made it impossible for federal authorities in the state to carry out their enforcement duties. A federal district court agreed and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling.

Missouri then asked the Supreme Court to intervene.

[...]

On Friday the high court left the lower court decisions in place.

  NPR

A federal judge who previously overturned California's three-decade-old ban on assault weapons did it again on Thursday, ruling that the state's attempts to prohibit sales of semiautomatic guns violates the constitutional right to bear arms.

[...]

[U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego] has repeatedly struck down multiple California firearms laws. Just last month, he ruled the state cannot ban gun owners from having detachable magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

  NPR

Such bullshit.

The judge gave the state 10 days to seek a stay on the ruling as part of an appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office had already filed a notice of appeal.

Great, but I'm not hopeful. If it goes all the way to the Supreme Court, it's going to stay bullshit.

And speaking of crime...

The FBI's Crime in the Nation analysis compiles annual crime statistics from more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. These agencies submit data voluntarily and participation is uneven. Still, the report is the most complete view of reported crime trends nationwide.

[...]

The homicide rate fell significantly last year, by slightly more than 6% compared with 2021.

[...]

In 2020, the U.S. saw the largest rise in killings in more than a century.

[...]

[T]hat one year spike was historic," says Nix. "So it shouldn't be super-surprising a couple of years later that we have a not historic, but a pretty drastic decline in the homicide rates."

[...]

Overall, reports of violent crime – including rape and aggravated assault – also fell last year. In the crimes that were documented, guns were a commonly used weapon, and both victims and offenders were mostly in their 30s or younger.

[...]

Reports of larceny, which basically means stealing, and motor vehicle theft both increased significantly last year, by about 8% and 11%, respectively.

[...]

Property crime, however, tends to be less reliably reported than homicide or other violent crime data.

[...]

Reports of hate crimes have been on the rise for decades.

Last year, there were more than 11,000 reported hate crimes.

[...]

All crimes tend to be undercounted, and that's especially true for hate crimes.

  NPR

I wonder how it's known that crimes are underreported if they're not reported.

[H]ow people think about crime and the level of crime being reported aren't always aligned. For instance, a poll from last October indicated most people surveyed thought violent crime was increasing nationwide.

[...]

"It's a real problem that our understanding of crime lags reality, and it means we're always a little behind the times in making policy and in talking about public safety."