Wonkbook: More police officers die on the job in states with more guns

By Christopher Ingraham Five police officers were killed and seven others were wounded this week by sniper fire in Dallas, in what has become the deadliest day for the nation's law enforcement officers since 9/11. Texas has long had a strong gun culture, with the state's gun laws among the country's least restrictive according to …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   A Fairfax County police officer's badge is covered with a black mourning band for Dallas law enforcement as officers gather July 8 outside of the county courthouse in Virginia. (Christian K. Lee/The Washington Post) By Christopher Ingraham Five police officers were killed and seven others were wounded this week by sniper fire in Dallas, in what has become the deadliest day for the nation's law enforcement officers since 9/11. Texas has long had a strong gun culture, with the state's gun laws among the country's least restrictive according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. But late last year, researchers at Harvard and elsewhere discovered an alarming fact: Police officers are much more likely to be killed in the line of duty in states with high rates of gun ownership. Read the rest on Wonkblog. Chart of the day Police in the United States are more likely to stop black motorists than other drivers. Kim Soffen has more. Top policy tweets "'We're asking cops to do too much in this country. Policing was never meant to solve all these problems.' #Dallas PD Chief Brown." -- @cmoraff "Government created crime: Uptick in city violence may be due to realignment of heroin black markets. https://t.co/2og9GeMU7z" -- @radleybalko "There's a generation gap at the heart of the U.S. economy, and it's getting wider and wider https://t.co/sPcv4T0WFC" -- @BenLeubsdorf ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog A lot of people get a basic fact wrong about criminal justice If people knew these numbers better, the debate over how we send people to prison might be a lot different. By Keith Humphreys  •  Read more »   How your political views affect who you think is attractive The results of new research could make you question why you really think someone is good-looking. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   A leading candidate to be Donald Trump's VP is totally at odds with him on a major issue Donald Trump could pick someone for vice president who has supported policies that Trump says have been a disaster for the country. By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   In an era of Black Lives Matter protests, history offers a powerful lesson The 1960 race riots taught us that fear is a powerful force in American politics. By Jeff Guo  •  Read more »   Police are safer under Obama than they have been in decades Police fatalities via shooting are up 44 percent over last year. But there's more to the story. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   ‘How do I teach my son to stay alive?': The collective trauma after violence. Why we feel pain together By Danielle Paquette  •  Read more »   More police officers die on the job in states with more guns "If we're interested in protecting police officers, we need to look at what's killing them, and what's killing them is guns." By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   U.S. employment rebounds strongly in June, calming fears of economic slowdown The U.S. job market once picked up speed in June, new government data showed Friday, allaying fears that the economy was headed for a sustained slowdown after a weak start to this year. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Federal Insider Federal news and policy update, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071