US saw biggest spike in gun violence in 50 years. Don’t panic yet.

The surge in gun violence during the pandemic has strengthened both pro- and anti-police stances. But experts – and history – indicate that a more nuanced approach is needed.

Last year likely marked America’s largest single-year rise in gun violence in 50 years – sparked by a sharp increase in shootings after the pandemic began.

Though the FBI won’t release official numbers until the fall, Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist at Princeton University in New Jersey and an expert on violent crime, estimates the national murder rate rose by 25% to...