Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mass Shootings Boost Calls For Federal Gun Safety Measures
Politico: Newsom Renews Call For Federal Action On Gun Safety After 2 Mass Shootings In California
Gov. Gavin Newsom angrily denounced Republicans for refusing to adopt gun safety measures as he renewed calls for federal action after two mass shootings in California left 19 people dead. Newsom also called out fellow Californian, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for not making a public statement after the shootings in Monterey Park and in Half Moon Bay. “Where’s he been on gun safety reform? Where’s the Republican Party been on gun safety reform?” the governor said, appearing visibly shaken after meeting with families of victims of the second shooting. “Shame on them. Shame on those that allow and perpetuate that to be rewarded politically.” (Korte, 1/24)
San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom, California Leaders Demand Federal Action On Assault Weapons In Wake Of Half Moon Bay Shootings
State political leaders reacted with horror and demanded Congress help pass a ban on assault weapons and other gun-safety legislation after a series of mass shootings — including Monday’s in Half Moon Bay and Oakland — claimed the lives of 19 Californians over three days. “Where has the Republican Party been on gun-safety reform? They’ve blocked it every step of the way,” Newsom told reporters in Half Moon Bay on Tuesday. “Gun safety works, we will not back away from the resolve. But we can’t do this alone, and with all due respect, we feel like we are.” (Gardiner, 1/24)
The Hill: Biden Renews Call For Assault Weapons Ban, Citing Half Moon Bay Shootings
President Biden renewed his call for an assault weapons ban on Tuesday following a shooting in Half Moon Bay, Calif., that left several people dead. “Even as we await further details on these shootings, we know the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action. I once again urge both chambers of Congress to act quickly and deliver this Assault Weapons Ban to my desk, and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces, and homes safe,” Biden said in a statement. (Gangitano, 1/24)
The Washington Post: A Leader In Gun Control Efforts, California Confronts Its Limits
California’s efforts to reduce gun violence have long been a point of pride among the state’s liberal lawmakers. But a sense of futility and despair infused the response of many political leaders Tuesday in the bitter aftermath of three mass killings in as many days. At least 19 people have been fatally shot in mass attacks since Saturday evening, when a 72-year-old gunman here opened fire inside a dance studio popular with the elderly Asian American community. Eleven people died in this city on the edge of Los Angeles, and then on Monday, two shootings in the Bay Area killed eight others. (Wilson, Berman and Thebault, 1/24)
More details are released —
Los Angeles Times: Half Moon Bay Suspect Lived At Mushroom Farm Where Shootings Occurred
The shooting rampage Monday in Half Moon Bay that left seven people dead appears to be a case of workplace violence, law enforcement officials said. The gunman allegedly targeted specific co-workers in the coastal agricultural community in San Mateo County. “The only known connection between the victims and the suspect is that they may have been co-workers,” San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said at a news conference Tuesday. “All the evidence we have points to this being the instance of workplace violence.” (Hernandez, Rust, Petri, Money and Castleman, 1/24)
San Francisco Chronicle: Half Moon Bay Shooting Suspect Once Tried To Suffocate Coworker, Court Docs Allege
The Half Moon Bay mushroom farm worker suspected of killing seven co-workers in a fit of workplace rage had previously been accused of threatening to split another co-worker’s head open with a knife and trying to suffocate the man a decade ago at another Bay Area job, according to court records obtained by The Chronicle. (Gafni, Hagemann and Moench, 1/24)
Los Angeles Times: Why Police Took Hours To Warn Public That Monterey Park Mass Shooter Was On The Loose
As the investigation into the Monterey Park mass shooting continues, police officials are facing scrutiny over how long it took them to notify the public that the gunman was still on the loose. For roughly five hours after 72-year-old Huu Can Tran opened fire inside Star Ballroom Dance Studio on West Garvey Avenue and fled late Saturday night, Monterey Park and Los Angeles County authorities made no announcements about the gunman’s location. (Winton, Fry, Mejia and Goldberg, 1/24)
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NPR: Mass Shootings Can Be Contagious, Research Shows
Three shootings with multiple victims shook California over the last few days. The shootings Monday at two farms in Half Moon Bay, Calif., closely followed a massacre over the weekend at a dance hall in Monterey Park, Calif. That's no surprise, say scientists who study mass shootings. Research shows that these incidents usually occur in clusters and tend to be contagious. Intensive media coverage seems to drive the contagion, the researchers say. (Chatterjee, 1/24)
Los Angeles Times: How To Talk With Children About Gun Violence
For parents, guardians and educators, the days following mass shootings require a delicate balance of answering children’s questions while protecting them from gruesome details of the most recent tragedy. Despite their young ages, kids are often resilient in the face of hardship, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t scared too as they hear news of killings in Goshen, Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. (Newberry and Cosgrove, 1/24)
