skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

MA Group Urges Steps to Curb Gun Violence

play audio
Play

Friday, June 4, 2021   

BOSTON -- Gun-safety advocates in Massachusetts are looking to put pressure on lawmakers to tackle the nationwide epidemic of gun violence on National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Rina Schneur, volunteer with the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action, said while the Commonwealth has strong gun-safety laws, on topics like "ghost guns," untraceable weapons that people can assemble at home, state law still has to catch up with the technology.

Massachusetts has one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the nation, which she added is still too much.

"Those rates are still higher than any other developed country by an order of magnitude, as well as there are pockets of gun violence, specifically concentrated in some cities," Schneur contended.

In Massachusetts, Black men are disproportionately affected by firearm homicide. Black men ages 15 to 34 lose their lives to guns 22 times more often than white men of the same age, according to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. The majority of gun deaths by suicide are white men over age 75.

Between 2010 and 2019, the Commonwealth's rate of gun deaths rose by more than 10%. The rate of homicide by firearm decreased nearly 12%, but the suicide rate increased nearly 45%.

Schneur asserted it's more proof education about safe gun storage is critical.

"Way more now than 100 people are getting killed every day by gun violence in the United States; 60% of it is suicide. There is domestic gun violence; there is unintentional shooting," Schneur outlined.

Her group also advocates for federal legislation on background checks for gun purchases.

A bill before Congress would close the so-called "gun show loophole" and require background checks for all firearm sales, including those by private sellers and at gun shows.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021