Everyone knows gun violence is a problem, but whose problem, exactly? Big cities or rural areas? Republicans or Democrats? Most people respond to these questions with emotion, best guesses, knee-jerk anger, but our guest Magic Wade responds with data. A professor in Illinois, Wade started the profound 1000 Cities Project on Substack to show that “gun violence isn't merely a ‘red state’ or ‘blue city’ problem. It's a widespread, worsening phenomenon affecting too many American communities. This isn't moral panic, it's rational outrage.” The old storylines about gun violence aren’t working, but if we’re going to confront one of the great social catastrophes of our time, we need more robust information, and Magic Wade (her real name!) has it.

Also discussed:

* Growing up in Alaska with homesteader parents

* Sometimes Mom sleeps with a loaded gun beside the bed

* Assault-rifle deaths are a drop in the bucket

* Why some victims of gun violence elicit more sympathy than others

* When journalists turn academic research into hot takes

* “When conflict escalates past a certain point, the conflict itself takes charge. The original facts and forces that led to the dispute fade into the background. The us-versus-them dynamic takes over.”

* How Salon went hyper-partisan …

* Mike Schmidt, ouuut in Portland

* A better de-carceration movement

* That time Minneapolis wanted to abolish the police

* Surveillance vs. safety

* Requested: More men dancing!

* Two Degrees of Nancy Rommelmann

Plus, tips from a homicide detective that Sarah once dated, the feel-good caper of the summer, and the masculine hotness of Gene Kell