Going for their guns: the surge in the US murder rate

Last year saw the largest recorded increase in homicides in US history - but why?

A candlelight vigil following a shooting in Boulder, Colorado
A candlelight vigil following a shooting in Boulder, Colorado, on 24 March 2021
(Image credit: JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images)

“Get ready for a bloody summer,” said Rachel M. Cohen on The Daily Beast. With American life “kicking back into high gear” as the pandemic subsides, the nation’s mayors and police officials are “bracing for the worst”.

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