Spike in handgun sales reflects turbulent times

+ familiar themes in Trump's norm-breaking speech US Edition - Today's top story: Why Americans are buying more guns than ever [View in browser]( US Edition | 28 August 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Gun sales from March through July in the U.S. were 94% higher than the same period last year, reflecting a surge in demand. Oregon State University gun culture experts Aimee Huff and Michelle Barnhart explain what [could be driving these sales](, which spiked after two key events – the beginning of the pandemic lockdown in March and the death of George Floyd while in police custody in June. Also today: - [What explains Hurricane Laura's rapid intensification?]( - [America's long history of vigilantism]( - [Understanding p]([lant microbiome]([could help food security]( Nicole Zelniker Editorial Researcher Gun stores in the U.S. are reporting a surge in sales of firearms. George Frey/AFP via Getty Images [Why Americans are buying more guns than ever]( Aimee Huff, Oregon State University; Michelle Barnhart, Oregon State University Gun sales have soared in recent months, coinciding with the beginning of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests that began in June. Environment + Energy - [Are hurricanes strengthening more rapidly?]( Chris Slocum, Colorado State University Hurricanes Harvey, Michael and now Laura all had rapid intensification, but is it really becoming more common? Health + Medicine - [History tells us trying to stop diseases like COVID-19 at the border is a failed strategy]( Charles McCoy, SUNY Plattsburgh The US response to the coronavirus was slow and problematic, but it also was rooted in a 19th-century way of viewing public health. Politics/Election '20 - [Trump accepts the nomination from the White House lawn, portraying a nation in crisis and himself as its hero]( Jennifer Mercieca, Texas A&M University The Republican National Convention wrapped up with Trump sounding familiar themes but speaking from an unusual location. - [Vigilantism, again in the news, is an American tradition]( Jonathan Obert, Amherst College For many Americans, law and order has long been as much a private matter as something for the government to handle. - [When police stop Black men, the effects reach into their homes and families]( Deadric T. Williams, University of Tennessee; Armon Perry, University of Louisville As the country reels from a series of killings of Black men by the police, two scholars report that their research shows that stops by police of Black men can hurt their families. - [Joe Kennedy III challenges Ed Markey in 2020’s weirdest primary race]( Robert Boatright, Clark University There aren't any clear ideological differences between the two, and Senate incumbents who aren't embroiled in scandal rarely, if ever, lose. So what's Kennedy's calculation? - [One coup leads to another, history shows – though many in Mali hope theirs was the very rare ‘good coup’]( Clayton Besaw, University of Central Florida Malians celebrated the military's swift and bloodless removal of their unpopular president on Aug. 18. A coup may be a quick fix for a bad leader, but it rarely ushers in democracy. 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Education - [1 in 10 US students are English learners]( Jennifer Mata-McMahon, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Without the opportunity to learn in dual-language programs, children may lose out on growing up to be bilingual. From our international editions - [Athletes won’t stay silent on politics anymore. But will leagues support their protests if it costs them real money?]( Keith Rathbone, Macquarie University The NBA stands behind the rights of players to protest. But the league finds itself in a delicate position, trapped between the competing demands of its advertisers, TV partners, owners and players. - [Inside the Chinese companies vying to produce the world’s first coronavirus vaccine]( Mark Greeven, International Institute for Management Development (IMD) A primer on Sinovac, Sinopharm and CanSino, and their prospects for achieving a world first for coronavirus. - [Children might play a bigger role in COVID transmission than first thought. Schools must prepare]( Zoë Hyde, University of Western Australia The World Health Organisation now recommends children aged 12 years and older wear masks and that masks should be considered for those aged 6-11 years. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111