Gun data is difficult to find. The federal government does not release data. You can’t determine the number of firearms sold per year or how many are in circulation without relying on gun industry experts. But it’s clear assault rifles like the AR-15 are becoming more popular. Until 2004, a federal assault-weapons ban blocked the sale of many semiautomatic rifles to the public. Today, about 16 million people, or one in 20 Americans, own one or more of the weapon. Five top gun manufacturers collected more than $1 billion in AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon sales in the last decade, with sales increasing as gun deaths and mass shootings rise.
-Laura
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Overnight Scores and Weather |
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The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates that in 2020 at least 20 million AR-15s were in circulation across the country. (Jay LaPrete, Associated Press file photo) |
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Gun violence: Comparing 2010-12 to 2020-22, Ohio has seen a 52% increase in total firearm deaths to an average of 1,820 a year, reports Zachary Smith. This includes a 91% increase in firearm homicides, averaging 823 in the last three years vs. 431 in 2010-12. Though the precise number of guns in Ohio is unknown, there were an estimated 655,772 sold in the state in 2021, according to a report from a security organization using Federal Bureau of Investigation data.
Layoffs: Hyland Software announced Monday it will lay off about 1,000 employees, a 20% reduction in its overall workforce. Sean McDonnell reports President and CEO Bill Priemer said in the letter that about 1,000 employees across the U.S. and internationally will lose their jobs, but it isn’t clear how many of them are based in Westlake or Ohio.
Today in Ohio: Once considered a problem of self-control, obesity is now being more widely recognized as a biological defect of energy metabolism, and as a result doctors are beginning to accept that it should be managed in the same way as any other medical condition. We’re talking about weight loss drugs on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
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Distracted driving: Ohio law-enforcement officers today will begin enforcing a new state law prohibiting texting while driving and limiting most phone use while behind the wheel, reports Jake Zuckerman. The new law also establishes phone use as a “primary offense,” meaning police officers can now initiate traffic stops on the suspicion that a driver used his or her phone improperly. Previous law only allowed officers to write phone-use citations if they pulled adult drivers over for another reason. The law also prohibits drivers from watching movies, video chatting, or scrolling through social media.
Train derailment: U.S. Senators from Ohio and Pennsylvania want the National Institutes of Health to probe how chemicals spilled in a Feb. 3 train derailment are affecting health of residents in East Palestine and surrounding communities, Sabrina Eaton reports. |
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Key Bank: Cuyahoga County may be shopping for a new bank after a recent study showed its current partner, KeyBank, has failed to adequately improve home mortgage and repair lending in underserved communities, especially for Black borrowers. Kaitlin Durbin reports a home mortgage lending study by consultant Frank Ford compared numbers for seven local financial institutions from 2016 to 2021 and found that KeyBank gave fewer total home loans than other community banks, “drastically” reduced its home improvement and small dollar lending, and gave fewer loans to Black borrowers than Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank and Huntington Bank. Solar eclipse: Cleveland will be in the path of totality when parts of North America are treated to a total solar eclipse on the afternoon of April 8, 2024, reports Peter Krouse. Whoever is within that roughly 124-mile-wide band that will curve across the United States from Texas to Maine will get the full effect of the rare event, the likes of which haven’t been seen in Cleveland since 1806 and won’t again until 2444. Home opener RTA: Thousands of fans are expected to swarm downtown Friday for the Cleveland Guardians’ home opener against the Seattle Mariners, clogging traffic and likely driving up parking fees. But Kaitlin Durbin reports the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority says it is a cheaper option to getting to the game and back home safely and hassle-free. Cleveland’s Promise: About a half-dozen students consistently show up for lessons on instrument at Almira Elementary School's after-school music program, reports Cameron Fields. Most of the students in the program are middle-schoolers and are learning to play the guitar; Brandon has chosen the trumpet and keyboard. Pet chiropractors: While it won’t replace traditional medicine, some people find that chiropractic care can have a huge benefit to animals as well as humans. Brenda Cain repots Dr. Sara Jerman has loved animals since she was a small child, so it seemed like a natural career choice to become a certified vet tech. But she soon discovered a higher calling.
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Casino revenue: Ohio’s casinos and racinos broke a record for gambling revenue in February, setting themselves up for another strong year. Sean McDonnell reports the state’s 11 casinos and racinos had $197 million of gambling revenue in February. Long COVID-19: Fifteen leaders in long COVID-19 research from Cleveland and around the country have banded together to lobby the government for assistance in improving the lives of patients suffering with the chronic form of the disease, Gretchen Cuda Kroen reports. |
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Gun at school: A student was arrested Monday and accused of bringing a gun to a Chester Township school, reports Molly Walsh. West Geauga High School was placed on lockdown at about 9:30 a.m. after a student informed administrators that another student had a gun.
Activist settlement: City officials have agreed to pay a Cleveland activist $85,000 to settle a lawsuit over the man’s wrongful arrest for openly carrying a shotgun in the city’s Glenville neighborhood. Adam Ferrise reports Antoine Tolbert will get $55,000 and his attorneys will receive $30,000. Tolbert is the president of the nonprofit organization New Era Cleveland, which conducts safety patrols in city neighborhoods with trained citizens. Officer impersonation: Since early March, police have been investigating at least five incidents of officer impersonation robberies, reports Molly Walsh. On Sunday, a man was driving near Broadway and Blanche avenues at about 6:20 p.m. when he called police to report a vehicle “that used police-type lights” attempting to pull him over. The victim also said the suspect brandished a firearm and wore a bulletproof vest, police said. Mail charge: A mail sorter at a U.S. Postal Service facility in North Royalton is accused of opening mail and stealing more than $33,000 in checks and money orders. Cory Shaffer reports Destiny Mulugata, 24, of Cleveland Heights, is charged in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court with theft in office, theft and 19 counts of forgery. |
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Monument tours: Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday to tour the tunnels under The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument on Cleveland’s Public Square on Apil 29-30. Paris Wolfe reports all proceeds and donations will support monument projects, such as external architectural lighting.
Local ham: Paris Wolfe is buying what she perceived -- based on the best information and her conscience -- a quality, responsibly raised hunk of pork from a local butcher. Greater Cleveland has several local butchers to choose from. Dobama Theater: An adaptation of one of the most beloved books in American literature, a haunting drama from a Tony-nominated playwright, a tragicomedy about a dead drag queen, and a rom-com with a queer twist -- Dobama Theatre’s 2023-24 season is perhaps its most diverse ever. Joey Morona reports the lineup kicks off in October with “Make Believe,” a play by Tony nominee Bess Wohl (“Grand Horizons”). WMMS DJ: Nearly 50 years after a brief stint as WMMS FM/100.7 disc jockey and music director led to the discovery of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rush, Donna Halper this spring will be entering her own hallowed hall of history. John Benson reports the current Lesley University Associate professor of communication in Cambridge, Mass., was recently notified she’s one of six TV and radio personalities who have been named to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023. RV Rocking: After attending a family wedding in Arizona, Jeff and Patti Kinzbach talk to Jim and Melinda Mantel, who are coming up on their two-year anniversary on the road. Hear more about the Mantels’ trip from Arizona to Florida as they share some of the interesting sites and great campgrounds they came across along the journey on the “Rocking the RV Life” podcast. |
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Akron store owner held at gunpoint, then fires shots at fleeing robber, police say Read more Akron store worker attacked while trying to stop group of juveniles from stealing items Read more See Cuyahoga County home sales, other property transfer details for March (searchable database) Read more Mike Kovack takes his final bow as new Medina County auditor steps in Read more Rocky River Library receives $4,500 grant to increase inclusivity programming Read more Shaker grad and ‘King of Jewish Baseball’ Nate Fish launches Footprint app to keep kids secure Read more Lots of rainbow trout now swimming in the Westlake Recreation Center pond Read more Westlake police introduce new K-9 Vince Read more ODOT targets bumpy Brookpark Road with two-year repaving project Read more |
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