Minnesota To Tighten Gun Laws
Legislation that includes a "red flag" provision now awaits the signature of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it. Meanwhile, Tennessee goes in the opposite direction.
Duluth News Tribune:
Gun Control Measures, Path To Prison Sentence Reduction Head To Minnesota Governor's Desk
Two new gun control measures are headed to the Minnesota governor’s desk to be signed into law. A Democratic-Farmer-Labor-backed budget package that boosts funding for public safety and courts by $880 million introduces universal background checks and a “red flag” law to temporarily remove guns from people deemed a threat to themselves or others. The bill passed early Tuesday morning, May 16, on a 69-63 on a mostly party line vote. (Derosier, 5/16)
MPR News:
Do 'Red Flag' Laws Really Work To Prevent Gun Violence? An Expert Weighs In
The Minnesota bill has a provision that some call a red flag bill to allow law enforcement to temporarily take guns from persons believed to be a risk to themselves or to others. ... ‘Red flag’ laws have popped up all over the United States as a response to increased gun violence. Jennifer Paruk researches extreme risk Protection orders at the University of Michigan. She's joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain how effective red flag laws really are. (Wurzer and Finn, 5/15)
AP:
After School Shooting, Tennessee Governor Signs Bill To Shield Gun Firms Further Against Lawsuits
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed off on additional protections for gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits within a bill that lawmakers passed after a deadly school shooting in March. The Republican governor quietly signed the legislation Thursday. Its provisions kick in on July 1.The state Senate gave final passage to the bill in mid-April, just weeks after the March 27 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville that killed six people, including three 9-year-olds. The House had passed it before the shooting. (Mattise, 5/15)
The New York Times:
3 People Killed and 6 Injured in New Mexico Shooting
An 18-year-old gunman fired indiscriminately while roaming a residential street in Farmington, N.M., on Monday morning, killing three people before the police arrived and killed the suspect, the authorities said. Six other people, including two officers, were injured. ... Chief Steve Hebbe of the Farmington Police Department said that the gunman, whom he did not name, had used at least three different weapons, including an “AR-style rifle,” a gun commonly used in mass shootings, as he roamed through the neighborhood, randomly firing “at whatever entered his head to shoot at” including at least six houses and three cars. (Albeck-Ripka and Rubin, 5/15)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Axios:
Cancer Deaths Drop In D.C.
Cancer deaths in D.C. dropped 61% over the past quarter century, higher than typical declines nationwide, according to a study published in the journal Cancer. The study shows cancer deaths declined in every congressional district, typically between 20% and 45% among men and 10% and 40% among women, writes Axios Health reporter Tina Reed. (Dil, 5/15)
The Boston Globe:
Troubled Pawtucket Nursing Home Goes Into Receivership After Dozens Of Deficiencies; Administrator Allegedly Forged Patient Documents
A Superior Court Judge on Monday ordered that a receiver assume control of the Pawtucket Falls Healthcare Center, less than one month after the state revoked its administrator’s license for allegedly deceiving investigators looking into complaints. (Gagosz, 5/15)
PBS NewsHour:
The Wait For Government Disability Services Can Last Years. Some States Are Trying To Change That
More than half a million Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities are currently waiting for government funding for long-term care in their homes. That list of individuals, who need lifelong or extended support to live independently within their communities, is lengthy in dozens of states, forcing them to wait, often for years, to acquire assistance with daily tasks such as cooking and transportation. (Kemp, 5/15)
KFF Health News:
A Rural County’s Choice: Use Opioid Funds To Pay Off Debt, Or Pay Them Forward To Curb Crisis
Over the past two years, rural Greene County in northeastern Tennessee has collected more than $2.7 million from regional and national settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. But instead of helping people harmed by addiction, county officials are finding other ways to spend it. They have put $2.4 million toward paying off the county’s debt and have directed another $1 million arriving over more than a decade into a capital projects fund. In March, they appropriated $50,000 from that fund to buy a “litter crew vehicle” — a pickup truck to drive inmates to collect trash along county roads. (Pattani, 5/16)
