Louisiana shooting exposes "dangerous gaps" in domestic violence, gun laws

U.S. Louisiana mass shooting prompts renewed calls to close "dangerous gaps" in domestic violence, gun laws By Emily Mae Czachor Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor April 21, 2026 / 7:36 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google After a gunman killed eight children, seven of them his own kids, in Shreveport, Louisiana on Sunday, advocates are urging policymakers to close "dangerous gaps" in legislation aimed at preventing fatal domestic violence crimes. The tragedy has also brought a renewed focus to the ways in which domestic violence and firearm deaths are connected."The nexus between gun violence and domestic violence is one of the most well-established and horrific realities of America's gun violence crisis," said Sam Levy, director of policy advocacy at the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety.Decades of research and data show a woman is five times more likely to be killed in a domestic violence situation if a gun is involved, with similar risks extending to kids. Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, according to statistics that are widely cited by organizations like the Children's Hospital Association and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, in addition to Everytown.Police said the Shreveport attacker also seriously wounded two women, one of whom was his wife. A neighbor told The Associated Press that the women were the children's mothers, and that the gunman and his wife had recently been arguing about their planned separation.It was the nation's deadliest shooting in more than two years, and local officials characterized it as one of the worst days Shreveport had ever experienced. They also acknowledged that the sh...