Violent crime has been going down over the past few decades, but for some families, it still defines their daily lives as they cope with shootings and their aftermath.
A violence prevention program takes a public health approach to the gun violence in Chicago, where the program has struggled to find funding. In New York, the program has seen big results.
Two of the victims are originally from India; their assailant was reportedly heard yelling "get out of my country" just before opening fire. The FBI has joined the investigation.
Gabrielle Giffords responded to a Texas Republican who said he was not holding public meetings because groups from "more violent strains of the leftist ideology" were threatening public safety.
The Department of Justice is already working with the Chicago Police Department, and local authorities are cooperating with the DEA, ATF and FBI to investigate and combat violent crime in the city.
The U.S. "has the highest rate of gun-related deaths among industrialized countries, with more than 30,000 fatalities annually," the study says. Yet funding for gun violence research is limited.
Chicago passed a grim milestone earlier this month — the city has had more than 700 homicides this year. The violence, the worst since 1998, has police and politicians scrambling.