Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Confirms ATF Chief; Vote Seen As Step Toward Preventing Gun Deaths
The Senate approved Steven Dettelbach鈥檚 nomination Tuesday to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, making him only the second Senate-confirmed director in the gun regulatory agency鈥檚 history. In a 48-46 vote, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio joined Democrats in supporting the former U.S. attorney. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said before the vote that confirming a permanent director is 鈥渁nother important step in protecting Americans from violent gun crimes.鈥 (Levine, 7/12)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Tuesday that clears the path for gun violence victims to file civil suits against the companies that manufacture the firearms used in crimes. The move effectively tightens gun laws in California, which has the strictest gun safety measures in the nation, according to the Giffords Law Center. (Mossburg, 7/13)
In updates from Texas 鈥
The gunman walks into Robb Elementary School unimpeded, moments after spraying bullets from his semi-automatic rifle outside the building and after desperate calls to 911 from inside and outside the Uvalde school. He slows down to peek around a corner in the hallway and flips back his hair before proceeding toward classrooms 111 and 112. (Plohetski, 7/12)
In the spring of 2009, Elliott Naishtat persuaded his colleagues in the Texas Legislature to pass a bill that he believed would require the state to report court-ordered mental health hospitalizations for Texans of all ages to the national firearms background check system. But 13 years after the legislation became law, following a string of mass shootings carried out by troubled young men, an investigation has uncovered a major gap in the law and its implementation. (Schwartz and Collier, 7/13)
Also 鈥
A Kalamazoo non-profit is working to educate kids in the community about gun violence through summer camps. Urban Alliance welcomed kids 11 to 16-years-old to the Tree of Life School on Monday for Life Camp. Organizers said with gun violence on the rise, they need to educate youth about the dangers of guns. (McCauley, 7/11)
