Why it matters: The findings bolster preliminary data showing a surge in gun violence across the country.
What's happening: There are three big factors, with the weight for each in dispute — there are lots of politics around it.

1.Some experts point to the pandemic's unique social and economic pressures and disruptions.
2.The initial surge coincided with last summer's protests over police violence. Many in law enforcement point to changes in policing following the protests, including a pullback amid declining trust. This created an environment where shooters could feel more emboldened.
3.Gun sales have increased throughout the pandemic. Firearms background checks spiked in spring 2020 and haven't come down.
The findings: Firearms injuries that resulted in a documented health care visit began spiking in late spring 2020, according to data compiled by the Epic Health Research Network. They peaked in October.

After dipping last fall and early winter, firearm injury rates surged again in the spring, with June 2021 levels 64% higher than in 2019.
People of color were particularly vulnerable — firearm injury visits increased by 76% for Hispanic patients and 89% for Black patients, while rising 40% for whites.

50 percent — the increase in gunshot injuries at pediatric trauma centers in Houston since 2020. Similar trends have been seen across the country, including in Fort Worth, Hartford, and Memphis, according to a new article.
https://time.com/6095664/children-killed-in-shootings-pandemic/

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The sound of automatic gunfire is becoming all too common in some Twin Cities neighborhoods.

That has the ATF actively searching for people who have devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons. Field agents are finding more of those devices being used in crimes across the state.