Following the barrage of nearly daily shootings, some researchers have begun to call for a community-wide approach, rather than only focusing on high-risk individuals. Charles Branas, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, says that poverty can contribute to gun violence within communities.
In their latest research, [Columbia University epidemiologist Charles] Branas and his colleagues examined hundreds of vacant land plots and abandoned buildings in U.S. cities, with a special focus on Philadelphia. These abandoned spaces, like old parking lots and homes, often become places to store illegal firearms. Millions of people live near and walk by these spaces, which can cause community members to feel unsafe or stressed. Using a randomized control design, Branas found that even just planting trees and plants and boarding up windows and doors can make a difference. “Gun violence can be sustainably reduced in poor neighborhoods of those cities by as much as 29 percent,” he says. “These cost peanuts. The return on investment is very high, because shootings are very expensive events.”
— Ramin Skibba in Bringing Science to Bear, at Last, on the Gun Control Debate
I guess sometimes trees can provide good cover an/or concealment for the law abiding armed citizen as they engage the violent criminals emboldened and facilitated by the left wing Philadelphia government policies.
Notice how all these left winger studies always focus on everything else as a ‘solution’ to their made up term ‘gun violence’ instead of the actual problem being the criminals these cities left wing government embolden and facilitate by their stupid policies.
Stupid people: “A woman said the whole point of government is to trust the government to protect you. Then she said her safety plan is an app on her phone that can alert police when she feels threatened. …”
ht* tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3mdR37RKRU
Landmark Suppressor Ruling Leaves Gun World With More Questions Than Answers.
”
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The words of caution come from a place of universal uncertainty. The burden to provide clarity about the ruling, Cleckner and Johnston both agree, rests on the federal government. But because the ATF and DOJ did not try to extend the seven-day stay on the injunction and have yet to file an appeal in the case, both of which would have given the public insight on the government’s train of thought, Americans who want to buy and sell suppressors without the obligations outlined in the NFA are in limbo and questions abound.
‘Procedurally, the way things went down leaves us in a bit of a purgatory,’ Cleckner said.
While the decision suggests the injunction protects plaintiffs, it does not explain whether it applies to NFA firearms that are already in circulation or new, either in manufacture or sale. The opinion also does not specify whether people making their own suppressors will still need to apply with the previously required ATF Form 5320.1, often shortened to Form 1.
Further complicating this issue is the NFRTR.
‘If this court says [suppressors are] not part of the NFA anymore, then that registry is illegal,’ Cleckner added. ‘How quickly does the ATF have to get those guns off the registry? If it’s already on the registry to me, and I go to sell it to you, and I try and treat it like a regular firearm and no longer NFA, it’s still ‘in my name.’ How do I get it out of my name? And when I got it, I agreed to follow certain rules. Does that mean my agreement no longer applies?’
Nobody seems to know. What is known is that the NFA is not completely dead — especially in states with their own laws that require NFA compliance — meaning that not just anyone is permitted to sell or purchase suppressors.
‘The average consumer out there is completely misunderstanding what happened. They think silencers got deregulated. They did not. [The court] just said that it was inappropriate for Congress to use its taxing authority to regulate them,’ Cleckner interpreted.
…
The ambiguity of the injunction is exactly why Cleckner and the GOA are urging prudence, especially for average Americans hoping to walk out of their local gun store with a suppressor same-day.
‘There’s a federal law right now that says what people are doing is illegal,’ Cleckner added.
Johnston told The Federalist that the GOA believes ‘it’s very important to have this ruling expanded to cover all Americans because the Second Amendment doesn’t only apply to elite classes or special groups.’ But he warned that doesn’t happen unless the ruling is codified through the federal rule making process.
Whether the Trump administration is willing to go to those lengths will be determined over the next couple of months. According to reporting from The Federalist’s Sean Davis, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Civil Division Brett Shumate is working behind the scenes to secure an appeal that would threaten the injunction.
…
The DOJ has two months from August 5 to appeal the ruling. Even if the administration backs down and decides not to appeal, however, suppressors could still be in jeopardy.
Cleckner noted that a district court in a less gun friendly state like California could easily counter the current injunction. A less imminent, but possibly even bigger threat, he said, comes from congressional Democrats who could use any power they gain in the midterms or future elections to regulate silencers out of existence with outlandish tax stamp fees or ban them altogether.
…”
ht* tps://thefederalist.com/2026/08/14/landmark-suppressor-ruling-leaves-gun-world-with-more-questions-than-answers/
Left wing violence attacks, again, in a ‘gun free zone’: Multiple People Shot at Virginia State University
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Virginia State University released statements Saturday morning, revealing that there were multiple shooters involved in the tragic incident. It is not clear exactly how many shooters there were, although there seem to have been five victims, none of whom immediately died. One of the victims was in critical condition after being taken to the hospital, the Associated Press reported.
…”
ht* tps://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/08/15/multiple-people-shot-at-virginia-state-university-n4956173
[note: Virginia law, Administrative Code – “8VAC105-20-20. Possession of weapons prohibited.
A. The university’s employees, students, and volunteers are prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university property. Any visitor or other third party attending a sporting, entertainment, or educational event or visiting an academic or administrative office building, dining facility, or residence hall is prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university facility, even if the owner has a valid permit. This prohibition also applies to all events on campus where people congregate in any public or outdoor areas.” – thus a ‘gun free zone’]
Some anecdotal evidence that trees prevent ‘gun violence’: my friend Grumble tells me there has never been a shooting at his family compound deep in the New Jersey pine barrels. Of course, the locals all know to stay away.
Left wing violence & crime: Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking 140 Firearms to Mexican Cartels.
“A Nevada man pleaded guilty earlier this week to purchasing 140 firearms for drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, laundering proceeds from the firearms sales, and employing illegal aliens at a mining company in Nevada.
According to court documents, from April 1, 2020, to September 17, 2025, Luis Alberto Osorio conspired with his co-defendants to purchase firearms, magazines, and ammunition on behalf of and at the request of others affiliated with drug trafficking organizations operating in Mexico, and to sell these items in Mexico for profit.
Osorio and others purchased ammunition and 140 firearms, including multiples of large-caliber and long-range firearms such as the Ohio Ordnance Works M2-SLR .50 BMG, the Barrett M82A1 and M107A1 .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles, the FN Herstal M249S 5.56x45mm and the FH Herstal SCAR 17S 7.62x51mm rifles.
…”
ht* tps://townhall.com/news/scott-mcclallen/2026/08/15/nevada-man-pleads-guilty-to-trafficking-140-firearms-to-mexican-cartels-n2681317
Left wing violence: Six Dead in Northern Michigan Shooting Spree, Suspect Among Them.
ht* tps://townhall.com/news/scott-mcclallen/2026/08/14/six-dead-in-northern-michigan-shooting-spree-suspect-among-them-n2681297
That article was from 2018. Yes, there’s plenty wrong with it, but… It’s from 2018!