A federal judge has temporarily blocked an assault weapons ban in Illinois, ruling that multiple plaintiffs who sued alleging that the law violates their Second Amendment rights have a “reasonable likelihood” to succeed in their argument. 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Steve Dettelbach was unable to define the term “assault weapon” during his agency’s Tuesday budget request hearing  before a House Appropriations subcommittee.

The first gunshot cracked through the air just after 1 a.m.

Then came another shot, and another. They kept coming, again and again, each shot thundering across downtown Dayton, Ohio. In just half a minute, more than three dozen gunshots echoed through the crowded streets.

A school head, a custodian and a substitute teacher are among the victims of a shooting that has left six dead at a school in Nashville, Tennessee.

Three staff members and three pupils were killed in the attack by a 28-year-old former student at the Covenant School on Monday.

The three children, all aged nine, have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

The three employees killed were Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Michael Hill, 61.

Police said they did not believe any of the victims had been specifically targeted.

Three children and three adults were killed in a shooting at a private religious school in Nashville, authorities said.

The shooter, who police said was a 28-year-old from the Nashville area, was shot dead by two officers. Police initially identified the shooter as a woman but a spokesperson later told WPLN's Alexis Marshall that the shooter was assigned female at birth and used he/him pronouns.

Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale may have been driven to kill by “resentment,” according to the city’s top cop.

Police have said Hale was a former student at the Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school, where Hale slaughtered three 9-year-old students and three adults Monday morning before police closed in and killed her.

But they have yet to pinpoint a clear motive.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris once again pushed for an "assault weapons" ban after the mass shooting at Michigan State University that left three students dead and five others wounded.

The shooter, identified as 42-year-old Anthony McRae who ended up killing himself, did not use a rifle to carry out the attack. His motive for the shooting is still unclear but an "assault weapons" ban would not have prevented the tragedy. Still, Democrats have said the recent shooting is a reason for more gun control laws.

The shooting in Monterey Park, California has led to new calls to tighten Califonia’s gun laws. The gun used in the Saturday attack was likely illegal to possess in California, however, and it’s not clear whether the gunman obtained it by legal means.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday forcefully defended the FBI as the agency and its employees have come under withering criticism and threats of violence since executing a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence earlier this month.

“It’s sickening to see the new attacks on the FBI, threatening the life of law enforcement and their families, for simply carrying out the law and doing their job,” Biden said before a crowd of more than 500 at Wilkes University. “I’m opposed to defunding the police; I’m also opposed to defunding the FBI.”