The recent shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs has refocused attention in the state on gun violence. Gov. John Hickenlooper is in discussions with lawmakers about pursuing new restrictions on guns in the upcoming legislative session. But their discussions could lack some fundamental information about gun use and gun violence in Colorado.
While gun sales are relatively easy to track, neither the state or federal governments track gun violence in timely, comprehensive ways. Groups like the Gun Violence Archive are trying to fill the gap -- they just collaborated with Slate on a neighborhood-level map of shootings across the US. Executive director Mark Bryant says he started GVA in 2013 to inform discussions like the ones going on now in Colorado. He says the group is nonpartisan and does not lobby or advocate for gun-related laws.
Bryant spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner.
- Map: Shooting Numbers By Neighborhood Across The US (Slate)
- How Colorado's Gun Laws Compare To The Rest Of The US (NPR)