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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Come and Take It

What to Know: As the Second Amendment and gun control become larger and larger topics of conversation (the Texas Tribune, for example, has a new report out), the Texas Public Policy Foundation has weighed in with an empirical look at what works—and what doesn’t.

The TPPF Take: Too often, firearm violence prompts calls for lawmakers to “do something.”

“It’s far more important to do something that works,” says TPPF’s Derek Cohen. “And the evidence is clear that common gun control proposals often penalize law-abiding gun owners while failing to improve public safety.”

Becoming a Crusader

What to Know: How did TPPF’s John Koufos go from prison to leading a national criminal justice reform movement? A New York Times essay charts his path.

The TPPF Take: John now works to help ex-offenders re-enter society and become productive, as he did after a DWI wreck that almost killed someone.

“I have never stopped feeling that I owe a lot of society for what I took,” he says. “And I hope that our work now helps the next person like me, the next alcoholic or addict who is on the verge of hurting another person. If we develop systems that intervene, then we stop the next John Koufos and save the next victim.”

Texas Leads the Nation

What to Know: Texas had the fastest growing economy in the U.S. in the second quarter of this year.

The TPPF Take: Those GDP gains are accompanied by jobs.

“Private sector job growth in the 27 states with low state and local taxes continues to double the pace of employment gains compared to their high-tax peers,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “The bottom line is that the American economy remains robust, with stronger growth generally found in states with lower taxes, such as Florida, Nevada, Texas and Utah.”