Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster

@daniel-webster.bsky.social

Gun violence researcher & professor @ Johns Hopkins | baseball nerd and Orioles & Nationals fan | dog lover

900 followers323 following289 posts

Daniel Webster reposted

Pennsylvania's proposed disease regulations are being read as a response to measles. Stakeholder meetings were held in 2024. The Advisory Health Board approved them in July 2025. The drafting predates the outbreak by two years. triblive.com/opinion/edit...

triblive.comEditorial: Did Pennsylvania learn from the last outbreak?The Pennsylvania Department of Health wants to stretch its muscles with regard to its ability to investigate public health emergencies and disease. It’s an idea that might be worrisome if you ar...

Another way to understand Trump’s trade view is to remember that he is both stupid and detached from reality.

Catherine Rampell@crampell.bsky.social

One way to understand Trump's trade views: In his private business, Trump got used to not paying for things—stiffing the granite-countertop contractor, or chandelier salesman—but still got the products anyway. So maybe he thinks America should just be getting the world's goods for free, too.

Regulating civilian concealed gun carrying is different than most other gun laws. But our research at Johns Hopkins has shown that higher standards for who can carry a gun around are most effective and are widely supported by gun owners in our surveys.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/o... This is a well-crafted piece informed by the sociologist’s research studying guns in our US society. But I push back on the characterization of gun regulation as being about keeping ppl from buying guns. Most gun control laws are about keeping guns from violent ppl.

The takeaway - Baltimore has a clear strategy to reduce gun violence based on a clear theory of change, local data & intel, and prior evidence of success. It’s committed significant resources to implement a comprehensive approach that has contributed to homicide declines faster than other US cities.

baltimoresun.comBaltimore ranks No. 2 on Violence Prevention Index — but the score has a catchThe distinction comes with an important caveat: The Violence Prevention Index does not measure whether Baltimore’s system actually works.
Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

Baltimore ranks No. 2 on Violence Prevention Index — but the score has a catch I was happy to share my thoughts w/ the reporter for this story. Knowing the Sinclair News audience, the headline and other parts highlight uncertainty and downsides of Baltimore’s incredible success in reducing homicides

Baltimore ranks No. 2 on Violence Prevention Index — but the score has a catch I was happy to share my thoughts w/ the reporter for this story. Knowing the Sinclair News audience, the headline and other parts highlight uncertainty and downsides of Baltimore’s incredible success in reducing homicides

This is an important case. Demonstrates multiple ways that illegal straw purchasers signal their intentions to sell or transfer their guns to people who can’t legally purchase guns. Dealers can spot these, deny the sale and report it to law enforcement. Make the dealers pay if they don’t.

Fleet Farm in Blaine, Minnesota sold a Mossberg MC2c pistol to a man who bought over two dozen guns from the store in just four months, including eight in a single week. The pistol was later used in a mass shooting that killed one woman and wounded 14 others.

Daniel Webster reposted

That is a tough choice..... Hegseth and RFK Jr. have made decisions that have killed children, but Blanche wants to help people get away with raping them. That is a conundrum.

David Rothkopf@djrothkopf.bsky.social

Choosing the worst member of Trump's cabinet is almost impossible. There are just so many unfit, incompetent, corrupt, hacks from which to choose. Certainly, Sec. Brain Worm is in the running. But here I make the case that Hegseth is the worst of the worst. www.thedailybeast.com/the-worst-ca...

This list - at least the big trucks - is not a surprise. Aside from the size, power, and design, I find that the drivers of these trucks tend to be the most aggressive. They know they’re the big dogs on the road and exert their dominance despite the danger that they are creating for others.

David Zipper@davidzipper.bsky.social

Which vehicles most endanger the drivers of other cars? Giant pickup trucks — and the Dodge Charger Source: www.iihs.org/news/detail/...

Important move by Gov Hochul in the wake of the Trump Admin planned rollbacks on gun seller regulations and oversight, green lighting internet sales and delivery to your door (what could go wrong?) and eviscerated capacity in combating gun trafficking. govwesmoore.bsky.social @abigailspanberger.com

govwesmoore.bsky.socialGovernor Wes Moore (@govwesmoore.bsky.social)Maryland's Governor. On a mission to #LeaveNoOneBehind.

Our deepest gratitude to @governor.ny.gov Kathy Hochul for stepping in to protect public safety as the Trump administration continues its attack on federal gun safety regulations. Her leadership should inspire other governors to take action to protect their communities.

Daniel Webster reposted

Private equity is buying America's hospitals and nursing homes. The playbook: pile on debt, sell the building, cut staff. The result, one landmark study found: patient deaths up about 11%. #news #information #privateequity

www.thetrace.org/2026/07/balt... Excellent article describing how Baltimore dramatically reduced homicides since 2022. Kudos to UPenn’s Ben Struhl & Jeremy Biddle, MONSE’s Stefanie Mavronis, Police Commissioner Worley, Safe Streets, Roca, YAP. Focus on the highest risk w/ supports & accountability.🙌

thetrace.orgWhat Can Cities Learn From Baltimore’s Extraordinary Decline in Violence?A growing body of research suggests that the city’s approach to reducing shootings at scale may be one of the most effective yet.

Washington Post gives brief quote from former ATF official explaining how dangerous the proposed rule is to the public near the end of the article. Disappointing that such an insane proposal threatening public safety is casted as normal evolution of a marketplace for consumer convenience.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

Plan to ease rules on mailing guns could help company Trump Jr. has stake in Long article with ~10 quotes from the Trump Admin and the gun lobby claiming current regs prohibiting online sales of guns violate the 2A. No counter from Constitutional scholars. More $ for gun industry, more deaths.

Plan to ease rules on mailing guns could help company Trump Jr. has stake in Long article with ~10 quotes from the Trump Admin and the gun lobby claiming current regs prohibiting online sales of guns violate the 2A. No counter from Constitutional scholars. More $ for gun industry, more deaths.

Requiring 3D printer makers to not allow their product to make firearms is common sense. Sales of DIY ghost gun kits were gas on the fire of the surge in gun violence in 2020 and their regulation has likely contributed to historic reductions since 2022. GVP advocates make this a priority.

By freeing up licensed dealers who don’t comply with federal law to divert guns to traffickers, other criminals, and underage youth, it increases gun sales and profits. More gun crime boosts civilian demand for guns. They want everyone armed at all times.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

That the Trump Admin is changing its policies to suit industry, especially the gun industry, rather concern itself with the safety and welfare of Americans is no shocker. These moves have nothing to do with 2A rights and everything to do with what Trump values - $ and power.

That the Trump Admin is changing its policies to suit industry, especially the gun industry, rather concern itself with the safety and welfare of Americans is no shocker. These moves have nothing to do with 2A rights and everything to do with what Trump values - $ and power.

They’re saying the quiet part out loud: The only federal agency tasked with enforcing our nation’s gun laws is now shielding gun dealers who violate federal law.

Daniel Webster reposted

Elon Musk’s DOGE cut the federal government’s screwworm monitoring program, which cost $15 million. Now, the Trump administration is preparing to spend $1 billion to combat the screwworm outbreak. Never forget how destructive and downright stupid DOGE was.

Gun dealers who had their licenses revoked for noncompliance are not just allowed to reapply, they are encouraged to reapply. And those noncompliant dealers will face no oversight because a) many ATF agents who work compliance have resigned or been reassigned and b) supervisors got the message.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

www.propublica.org/people/alec-... Sharing this excellent article that describes the many things that the Biden Admin was doing to combat illegal gun trafficking including crackdowns on gun dealers not complying with the law. No surprise, Trump has dismantled everything in a favor to the industry.

Daniel Webster reposted

Replying to @donmoyn.bsky.social

Please contact your member of Congress and submit a comment on the new policy to (further) politicize science, and encourage others to do so. You don’t have to be a scientist! Some very good guidnace here: bsky.app/profile/eliz...

elizabethginexi.bsky.social@elizabethginexi.bsky.social

Calling all Scientists! Research Administrators! Deans! Fans of Science! No one is coming to save us. Here is your assignment. I have written a step by step, easy to understand "how-to" document to help you comment on the proposed OMB rule. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-ne...

Baltimore's Safe Streets model faces evolving challenges The Sinclair editors led with a headline to reinforce doubt among their readers that community violence interventions can reduce violence. The findings of our study, led by Carla Tilchin, reveal an average reduction of 42% in youth homicides.

Finally, shootings of Baltimore youth have plummeted further since the end of the study period. In addition to effective community interventions, the availability of ghost guns has diminished greatly due to smart federal, state, and local policies. This has likely contributed to fewer youth shot.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

The article itself is generally fair. There was great variation in effects across sites; but they name the 2 sites with poor outcomes and not the 4 with youth homicide reductions of 60% or more. We need innovation + investments to address the drivers of youth shootings today. 🎩s off to the workers!

The article itself is generally fair. There was great variation in effects across sites; but they name the 2 sites with poor outcomes and not the 4 with youth homicide reductions of 60% or more. We need innovation + investments to address the drivers of youth shootings today. 🎩s off to the workers!

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

Baltimore's Safe Streets model faces evolving challenges The Sinclair editors led with a headline to reinforce doubt among their readers that community violence interventions can reduce violence. The findings of our study, led by Carla Tilchin, reveal an average reduction of 42% in youth homicides.

Daniel Webster reposted

New research from @jhu.edu: Baltimore's Safe Streets program is associated with a 42% drop in youth homicides and 21% fewer nonfatal youth shootings. It's the first study to examine community violence intervention programs specifically for youth violence impacts. 🔗

publichealth.jhu.eduData from New Study Suggest Safe Streets Baltimore Associated with Reductions in Youth Gun Violence | Center for Gun Violence Solutions

Daniel Webster reposted

It remains baffling to me that we have a clear constitutional requirement that the president can't enrich himself on the job, something we had no problem enforcing strictly for hundreds of years, and then this sweaty conman came by and the nation just sorta shrugged it off.

Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social

Trump bought stock in the UFC’s parent company while promoting fights set to take place at the White House on his birthday, HuffPost has learned

Daniel Webster reposted

NEW: The Trump administration's DOJ has been systematically removing materials from its websites regarding the many indictments and convictions related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In response, @lawfaremedia.org has been systematically restoring them:

26% of gun owners with teens only in their home kept 1+ firearm unlocked & loaded vs 17% with only 12 and younger. In 2024, 3,544 teens died by gunfire vs 335 of children under 13. More intentional & effective messaging needed on teen risk of killing themselves or others when gun are accessible.

"In this survey study of adult firearm owners who lived in households with children younger than 18 years, more than 1 in 5 reported that at least 1 firearm in their household was both loaded and unlocked, a practice more common when all children in the household were teenagers."

Daniel Webster reposted

Replying to @joho.bsky.social

I know you know this, but I outted this as nonsense *12 days* after the NYT published Dr. Prasad’s embarrassing memo—a memo that was specifically refuted by his own agency’s assessment, which I read in December. We knew this was garbage since then. open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

open.substack.comScoop: FDA vaccine chief’s memo cited 10 pediatric Covid-19 vaccine deaths—but the agency’s own analysis found 0–7.Dr. Vinay Prasad circulated a memo before FDA scientists finished their work. His conclusions overshot what the agency’s own analysts ultimately found.

Stunning and telling. With 1 out of 3 US adults owning firearms, mostly for protection against all the “bad people” around them, no wonder why the US is an outlier among high-income countries in its homicide rates even after recent historic drops.

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missouriindependent.com/2026/05/19/m... Since Missouri went red 20 years ago, its “solutions” to violent crime were ditch handgun purchaser licensing, guns everywhere for everyone, Stand Your Ground, arm teachers. No state has had a steeper rise in gun homicides. But fitter guards to the rescue!

missouriindependent.comMissouri schools could hire armed ‘rangers’ under bill sent to governor • Missouri IndependentA bill creating the "Missouri Rangers" training program passes along party lines in the last week of legislative session.

As with so many other things we can no longer count on our federal govt, gun dealer regulation and oversight and enforcement of anti-gun trafficking laws is up to state and local authorities. And litigation against bad actors in the gun industry has been effective in curbing gun trafficking.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

Crackdowns on dealers tied to very high numbers of guns diverted for crime and poor law compliance records under Biden, didn’t impact 2A rights. Yet the gun lobby dictated deregulation and the dismantling of the ATF’s dealer compliance under Trump and encouraged those who lost their FFL to reapply.

Crackdowns on dealers tied to very high numbers of guns diverted for crime and poor law compliance records under Biden, didn’t impact 2A rights. Yet the gun lobby dictated deregulation and the dismantling of the ATF’s dealer compliance under Trump and encouraged those who lost their FFL to reapply.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

Most gun dealers operating under weak regulations follow the letter of the law to deny illegal straw purchase attempts. But others are magnets for traffickers and prohibited purchasers for a reason because they break the law or look the other way.

Most gun dealers operating under weak regulations follow the letter of the law to deny illegal straw purchase attempts. But others are magnets for traffickers and prohibited purchasers for a reason because they break the law or look the other way.

Daniel Webster@daniel-webster.bsky.social

The pattern of where most crime guns are first sold by gun dealers not long before they’re recovered from crime suspects is familiar and predictable. The dealers have no state oversight despite ATF’s limited capacity and no purchaser licensing or regulation of private sales - a trafficker’s delight.

The pattern of where most crime guns are first sold by gun dealers not long before they’re recovered from crime suspects is familiar and predictable. The dealers have no state oversight despite ATF’s limited capacity and no purchaser licensing or regulation of private sales - a trafficker’s delight.

MUST READ: We identified the 25 US cities whose licensed gun dealers sold the most firearms later traced in crimes from 2017–2021. Dealers in those cities were linked to 209,748 crime guns — about 14% of all crime guns recovered nationwide during that period.

Daniel Webster reposted

there are only, like, 30 people tops in a given class year at Yale Med who identify as a member of *any* group underrepresented in medicine so please understand that the Trump admin is losing its shit about the tiniest handful of elite Black and Latino students ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...

ballsandstrikes.orgTrump DOJ: Yale’s Medical School Has Way Too Many Black StudentsThe administration’s view is that the mere presence of students of color at Yale Medical School proves discrimination against white people.

Daniel Webster reposted

At least 33 pardoned January 6th insurrectionists have been rearrested, charged, or sentenced for new crimes. Some of these crimes include illegal possession of weapons, including at least two who had a previous domestic violence conviction. These mass pardons are a grave risk to public safety.

thedailybeast.comPardoned Capitol Rioter Who Vowed to ‘Bring Violence’ Arrested AgainThe number of pardoned Jan. 6 rioters re-arrested is starting to add up.