Tracking gun violence in Philadelphia: April 28, 2021

Above: The rate of nonfatal shootings increased more sharply in Philadelphia during the first three months of this year than in any other U.S. city with a population greater than one million, when compared to the same period last year. [AmericanViolence.org]

Latest data

• Monday’s weekly major crimes report from Philadelphia Police reported 23 people shot during the seven-day period ending Sunday, but Monday’s update to the city’s official Shooting Victims data set reported 34 shooting victims during the same period. [Philadelphia Police via Google Docs / Open Data Philly]

• Nineteen people were shot in the city between Friday afternoon and early Sunday alone. At least three died. [Open Data Philly via @PCGVR]

• Police reported 161 total homicides in Philadelphia this year as of late Monday night, representing a 34 percent increase over last year’s rate. In 2015, 67 people had been killed by the same date. [PhillyPolice.com]

Bi-weekly briefing today

• The next virtual update on the City of Philadelphia’s response to gun violence is scheduled for 1 p.m. today and you can catch it on WURD Radio (900 AM / 96.1 FM), Comcast channels 64 and 1164, Verizon channels 40 and 41 as well as online. [Facebook / PHLgovTV]

Community voices

• “When does grandmom mourn the death of her grandchild? When is it all right for her to cry?” [Philadelphia Obituary Project]

Episode guide

• Now there’s a landing page where you can keep up with “Philly Under Fire,” the new gun violence solutions podcast. [The Philadelphia Citizen]

Media news

• Philadelphia needs to take a moonshot approach to stopping gun violence, according to the president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. [PhillyMag.com]

• The Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, NY is “committing to provide more context around gun violence to focus on the effect on survivors, the families of victims and the solutions.” [democratandchronicle.com]

• A radio reporter was killed when a stray bullet came through a window and into her apartment Friday in Kansas City. [KCUR]

Potential new legal standard

• The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a pivotal case about carrying guns in public. [The Trace]

Data

• Last month the FBI recorded six of the highest days on record for firearm background checks, the most reliable indicator for estimating sales. [FBI.gov]

Research

• The total number of firearm laws in a state is a significant predictor of decreasing suicide and homicide rates. [Rutgers.edu]

• A new report distills key findings from research on mass shootings and what works to prevent them. [HFG.org]

Politics

• Elected officials held a press conference and pitched a roundtable meeting for state and city officials to discuss gun violence. [WHYY]

• The new Philly gun court aims to move cases faster and prevent future crimes but there’s no data supporting previous efforts. [WHYY]

Safe Summer NYC

• A new plan to end gun violence in New York includes increased investment in communities, strategic police presence in targeted areas and greater coordination across the justice system. [NYC.gov]

Business news

• Crain’s Chicago Business news focuses on why the pandemic has made anti-violence efforts more difficult. [chicagobusiness.com]

Reporting resources

• “Five things about deterrence” from the National Institute of Justice is the latest addition to our page full of resources for reporting on gun violence. [PCGVR]

• Check out the set of best practices for reporting on community gun violence, based on what we learned from journalists, researchers and community representatives at the Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit just a few months before the pandemic. [IBGVR]

Solution of the week

• The city of Chicago sued a northwest Indiana gun store alleging it sold hundreds of guns to straw buyers that wound up in the hands of felons or at crime scenes in the city. [The Chicago Tribune]