Home » CO Ceasefire News: Ill. AW Ban Struck Down, Gunmaker Data Collection Draws Scrutiny

CO Ceasefire News: Ill. AW Ban Struck Down, Gunmaker Data Collection Draws Scrutiny

Federal judge strikes down Illinois assault weapons ban

A federal judge in Illinois on Nov. 8 struck down the state’s assault weapons ban as unconstitutional. Judge Stephen McGlynn, a Trump appointee, also issued an order barring the state from enforcing the ban.

Illinois attorney general, Kwame Raoul, quickly filed a notice of appeal, the Associated Press reported.

McGlynn’s opinion suggested that property crimes were rising across the country as a result of assault weapon bans, despite no data to suggest a link between the two. The plaintiffs had argued that weapons banned under the law are commonly used for legal purposes such as self-defense.

In March, McGlynn issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law, predicting that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail based on the merits of the case. The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, and in July, the US Supreme Court declined to review the reversal.

Blumenthal Demands Answers on Gunmaker Data Collection

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., last week criticized the gun industry for secretly harvesting personal information from firearm owners for political purposes, calling it an “invasive and dangerous intrusion” of privacy and safety.

He also questioned the legality of the industry’s “covert program,” in which firearms manufacturers for years shared sensitive customer information with political operatives.

Blumenthal cited a cited a ProPublica investigation that found some of America’s largest gunmakers secretly participated, even as the gun industry presented itself as a privacy protector and fought against government and corporate efforts to track firearm ownership.

At least 10 gun industry businesses, including Glock, Smith & Wesson, and Remington, handed over hundreds of thousands of names, addresses and other private data—without customer knowledge or consent—to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which then entered the details into what would become a massive database. That database was used to rally gun owners’ electoral support for the industry’s candidates running for the White House and Congress.

Gun Deaths Surpass Motor Vehicle Deaths
in 35 States and the District of Columbia

Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 35 states and the District of Columbia in 2022, the most recent year for which data are available, a new analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) reveals.

That year, gun deaths (including gun suicide, homicide, and fatal unintentional shootings) outpaced motor vehicle deaths (both occupant and pedestrian) in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

In just over a decade, the number of states plus the District of Columbia where gun deaths exceed motor vehicle deaths has increased from just 13 in 2010 to 36 in 2022 — a jump of 177 percent.

Students Demand Action Unveils New Campaign

Students Demand Action has begun a new youth-oriented campaign highlighting the gun industry’s failure to work productively on reducing America’s gun violence crisis.

“If the gun industry wanted to, it could be part of the solution in making its products safer and reforming its business practices to save lives. Instead, gun companies have chosen to either sit on the sidelines or take steps to actively make America’s gun violence crisis worse,” SDA said in a statement.

The new campaign, titled ‘Are You Good With That?’, is designed to:

1. Start a dialogue within Gen Z about how the gun industry values its own profits over lives;

2. Expose the lies that the gun industry utilizes to manipulate people, stoke fear, and sell more guns;

3. Encourage young people to learn more, call for gun industry accountability, and/or join the Movement.

The campaign began November 18 on Students Demand Action accounts on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Gun Violence Roundtable Draws More Than 150
In October, Colorado Ceasefire staff participated in the annual Roundtable on Firearm-related Harm and Violence Prevention hosted by Trailhead Institute. We discussed ways to support a public health approach to gun violence prevention and look forward to future collaborations with partners across the state!

Please Remember Ceasefire on Colorado Gives Day, Dec. 10

As you saw in our lead story, sensible gun laws are under attack everywhere. Colorado is already a national GVP leader, but there is more work to be done to keep Coloradans safe where they live, work and play. We aren’t about to give up, and we know you won’t, either.

Dec. 10th is Colorado Gives Day, traditionally the biggest funding day of Ceasefire’s year. We hope you’ll consider standing with us as we keep fighting the gun lobby, working for common-sense gun-law reforms, and educating the public about how they can keep their families and communities safe from gun violence.

Through December 10, every donation you make will be boosted with a $1M+ Incentive Fund, made possible by Colorado Gives Foundation and FirstBank. Each nonprofit will receive a share of the fund based on their percentage of the total raised. Plus, if you set up a new monthly donation, Colorado Gives Foundation will match your first monthly donation up to $100 and up to $250,000 in total across all organizations! This is a fantastic opportunity to double your impact.

Please help us keep up the fight today!

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