A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions underscores the continuing epidemic of gun deaths in the U.S., including among children and especially among Black youth. The Center is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The report, Gun Violence in the United States 2022: Examining the Burden Among Children and Teens, assessed the latest finalized data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, highlighting that 48,204 people, the second highest on record, died from gunshots in the U.S. in 2022, including 27,032 suicides, an all-time high for the country.

The annual report’s major focus this year is on gun deaths among children ages 1 to 17. In the U.S., gun death rates in this age group have increased by 106 percent since 2013 and have been the leading cause of death among this group since 2020.

The report also illuminates the disproportionate impact of gun deaths among Black children and teens. In 2022, in the 1 to 17 age group, Black children and teens had a gun death rate 18 times higher than that of white children in the same age group. The gun homicide rate among Black children and teens rose 5.6 percent from 2021 to 2022. The rate of gun suicide among Black older teens and emerging adults, ages 15 to 19, rose sharply—24 percent year-over-year—surpassing the gun suicide rate among white teens in that age range for the first time.

“We hope this report helps policymakers grasp the scale of this crisis and the possibility of addressing it more effectively with equitable, evidence-based measures including child gun access prevention laws,” says Silvia Villarreal, MPP, lead author of the report and director of research translation at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Outrage hits after someone broke into a federal vehicle and stole classified federal documents and doxed multiple federal agents live on stream. The fight has taken a quick turn. Protesters claim to have the “Battle Plans” for federal operations in the area. All “taken” from a federal vehicle.

Trump said in a Thursday post on Truth Social that he would invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota politicians “don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job.”

The Insurrection Act, a rarely used 1807 law, gives the president the authority to deploy the military domestically without prior congressional approval.

The Department of Homeland Security said a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis last night after he allegedly fled following a traffic stop and attacked the officer.

The shooting came a week after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot dead 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in the city, sparking local and nationwide protests and vigils.

Protests have continued, with federal agents using tear gas and flash bangs on the streets of Minneapolis. Footage showed protesters launching fireworks at officers.

Around 3,000 federal agents have been sent to Minnesota in what the DHS says is the biggest operation in its history. The city has about 600 police officers, Mayor Jacob Frey said.

President Donald Trump and senior government figures have said they are determined to root out “corruption” they have linked to the local Somali population.

Gov. Tim Walz called on the federal government to end the “occupation” and said agents were “kidnapping people for no reason.”

A federal officer in the United States has shot a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Officials say officers had tried to stop a car to arrest the man and opened fire after two people attacked one of them with a “snow shovel and broom handle”. Protests broke out in the city after the incident.

Wednesday’s shooting comes exactly a week after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed local resident Renee Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis during an immigration raid.

In an X post on Wednesday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote that at 6:50pm (00:50 GMT on Thursday), federal law enforcement officers were stopping “an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022”.

The DHS added that the man had tried to evade the officers, crashing his car into another parked car and then fleeing on foot. It said one of the officers caught up with the immigrant on foot “when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer”.

The department’s post said that while the immigrant and the officer were struggling on the ground, two people came out of a nearby apartment and began to strike the officer with a snow shovel and a broomstick. It further said, “The original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick.”

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg,” the DHS wrote.

It added that the immigrant and the two people who had come out of the apartment ran back inside the apartment and barricaded themselves in.

The immigrant and officer who was attacked were taken to hospital, and the other two people who attacked the officer are in custody, DHS wrote.

A South Carolina police officer was shot and wounded while sitting in his patrol car Sunday in what one official called an “ambush-style attack,” and local sheriff’s deputies later shot and killed a suspect in a shootout, authorities said.

The Greenville police officer was repeatedly shot early Sunday, the city of Greenville said in a statement. The officer was treated at a hospital and was released, the city said. On Monday, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed it was also investigating the shooting.

Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis described the shooting as an “ambush-style attack” in a video from the scene posted on Facebook. Lewis said that authorities identified a suspect and pursued his vehicle, leading to “an exchange of gunfire.”

The suspect received “at least one fatal gunshot wound,” the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said in a statement. It identified the person as David William Lane, 42, of Greenville.

The incident in Greenville County is the 2nd officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026. This is the 1st officer involved shooting for the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office this year.

In 2025, there were 45 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office had 7 officer-involved shootings last year.

Since 28 December, citizens have taken to the streets in all provinces of Iran, initially to voice their frustration over record inflation, soaring food prices and the sudden collapse of the national currency.

The reported lethal and excessive use of force by security forces in recent days has included firing directly on largely peaceful protesters using rifles, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, water cannons and tear gas, in addition to beatings.

The Iranian authorities have responded with a violent crackdown that includes an internet blackout and severed communications. The death and arrest figures vary due to the challenging information space, but the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency now estimates that at least two thousand people have been killed since the protests began, while more than 12,000 people have reportedly been detained, including schoolchildren.

President Donald Trump used social media to urge the protesters, promising that the United States would aid them—though he has not specified how. He has previously threatened to have the U.S. military intervene if Iran’s regime used lethal force.

A U.S. official confirmed that some personnel had been advised to leave al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening due to increased tensions in the region.

In a statement posted to its official website, Qatar’s International Media Office acknowledged that some personnel were leaving al-Udeid. “Such measures are being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions,” the statement said.

As casualties from the protests mounted, Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday, “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.”

“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump added.

When later pressed by a reporter during a visit to Michigan on Tuesday on what he meant by help is on its way, Trump responded, “You’re gonna have to figure that one out, I’m sorry.”

Why Are More Liberals Buying Guns? In recent years, a noticeable shift has emerged in the landscape of gun ownership in the United States. While traditionally associated with certain demographics, gun purchases are increasingly being driven by liberals, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. This trend challenges stereotypes and prompts important conversations about safety, identity, and social change.

Historically, gun ownership in America has been linked to rural communities, conservative ideologies, and certain economic backgrounds. However, recent data and personal stories reveal a different picture: a diversifying demographic of gun owners. This shift is influenced by a combination of societal factors, personal safety concerns, and a desire for empowerment.

The Rise of Safety Concerns and Self-Protection. One of the primary reasons cited by many new gun buyers—regardless of their political or social identity—is personal safety. The threat of violence can be a daily reality in America. Incidents of crimes, politically motivated violence, and unrest have increased in some areas, leading these communities to seek means of self-defense.

Many liberals express skepticism toward law enforcement and the justice system. High-profile cases of police violence and perceived inaction have led some to believe that relying solely on authorities isn’t enough to ensure their safety. Gun ownership is seen as a form of empowerment and a safeguard in uncertain times.

Political and Social Unrest. The political climate has been highly polarized, with periods of unrest, protests, and calls for change. Some individuals, including those who identify as liberal, see gun ownership as a way to prepare for potential instability or threats to civil liberties. The idea isn’t necessarily about violence but about preparedness.

In some cases, gun ownership has become a community-building activity. Workshops, training sessions, and advocacy groups bring together diverse individuals who share a common goal: safety, empowerment, and understanding of firearm responsibility.

We support any non criminal citizen being armed.

In January, the Trump administration charged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with drug trafficking and gun crimes, despite him never having entered the U.S. in decades. Maduro and his associates are accused of overseeing a drug conspiracy involving groups like FARC, with charges also including possession of machine guns used to further their crimes.

The charges are based on their alleged involvement in a drug operation that impacted U.S. citizens, making them liable for firearms used outside U.S. borders under federal law. This type of extraterritorial charge is unusual but not unprecedented, often used in cases involving international terrorism or organized crime.

The indictment doesn’t specify the guns involved, raising questions about their type and origin, especially considering recent legal rulings on weapon devices like bump stocks. The case highlights ongoing issues around gun trafficking and international criminal activities.

The gun law Maduro and his co-defendants were charged with violating is 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), which imposes a mandatory minimum 30-year prison sentence for using or carrying a firearm or “destructive device” — like a bomb, grenade, or missile — during a drug trafficking crime or a crime of violence.

A man who ambushed five Pennsylvania police officers this week, killing three of them, opened fire with an assault-style rifle, according to a local prosecutor.

Officers from the North York County Regional Police Department and York County Sheriff’s Office were attempting to serve an arrest warrant for 24-year-old Matthew Ruth when he opened fire, county District Attorney Tim Barker said on Thursday.

Ruth was killed in the ensuing gunfight with police, which unfolded at a farmhouse that belonged to his ex-girlfriend and her mother in North Codorus Township, about 185km (115 miles) west of Philadelphia.

Barker said five police detectives and a deputy sheriff sought to arrest Ruth on suspicion of stalking his ex-partner, as well as prowling and trespassing.

Ruth’s former partner, who has not been named, told police she believed he had set fire to her pick-up truck in August. She then reported to police on Tuesday that he was lurking outside her home in camouflage clothing and peering in through a window with binoculars.

After a fruitless search for Ruth on Tuesday night, police visited his home with an arrest warrant on Wednesday afternoon, but he was not there.

Officers drove to the farmhouse, from which the ex-girlfriend and mother had fled for their safety, and found the door unlocked. When officers entered the property, Ruth immediately opened fire with his AR-15-type rifle, Barker said.

Four police detectives and a sheriff’s deputy were struck by gunfire in the shootout, Barker added.

Three of the detectives were fatally wounded. Images from the scene after the incident showed officers being airlifted to hospital by a medical helicopter.