Choose your location
The Trace
The NRA Filed Another Suit Against Its Longtime Ad Firm — This Time in Secret
The National Rifle Association and its former public relations partner Ackerman McQueen spent years in court trading accusations of libel, fraud, and breach of contract. As the parties brawled, they were forced to expose much of their inner workings, which makes it particularly strange that the adversaries are now involved in a lawsuit that is being carried out entirely in secret.
Homicides in Philadelphia Are Trending Downward. Will It Last?
On a muggy July afternoon inside Mander Playground in Strawberry Mansion, a high-crime North Philadelphia neighborhood, a gaggle of politicians and community activists gathered in front of news cameras. They were there to call on the Republican-led state Senate to pass two gun violence bills that had recently been approved by the Democratic-led state House of Representatives — and that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has pledged to sign.
Can You Sue a Gun Company?
The Trace and The Washington Post published a joint investigation earlier this year into the gun manufacturer SIG Sauer’s controversial P320 handgun: More than 100 people claim their P320s fired on them when they hadn’t pulled the trigger, resulting in at least 80 debilitating bullet wounds. The anecdotes...
Biden’s Enhanced Background Checks Appear to Be Working
It’s a tragic reality: Many of America’s mass shooters are young adults. According to the Violence Project, from 1966 to the present, the median age of perpetrators of shootings at K-12 schools is 18. And The New York Times reports that six of the country’s nine deadliest mass shootings between 2018 and June 2022 were carried out by people younger than 21.
Are Handguns or Rifles Used More Often in Mass Shootings?
Public mass shootings capture the nation’s attention, and understandably so: They’re random, and statistically rare, making them seemingly impossible to prepare for. The deadliest mass shootings have been perpetrated with military-style rifles, which inflict devastating wounds that are often unsurvivable. This reality has steered the policy debate about how to respond to such incidents, leading to calls to ban rifles like the AR-15 and limit the sale of high-capacity magazines. But mass shootings accounted for less than 2 percent of gun deaths in 2022, according to an analysis of data collected by the Gun Violence Archive. In fact, the vast majority of shootings — including mass shootings — are comitted with handguns.
Can Domestic Violence and Community Violence Be Interrupted at the Same Time?
This story was reported in partnership with WNYC. Click the player below to listen to an audio version. Each meeting begins with participants sharing the highs and lows of their week: pictures of a sonogram for a coming baby, a recent trip down South to visit family, flaring allergies, too many or too few hours at work. The healing circle, as it’s called, is an opportunity to discuss troubles, blow off steam, and think about better ways to respond to conflict or stress, without turning to violence.
Gun Deaths Dropped Slightly in 2022 — But Were Still High
Gun deaths fell slightly in the United States in 2022, with homicides leading the decrease, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures suggest that while overall deaths have declined, they remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. A total of 48,117 people died of...
An Unlikely Peace: Survivors of Gun Violence Find Solace in Glassblowing
This story was published in partnership with Stranger’s Guide, a publication dedicated to place-based writing around the world. It’s a chilly Sunday afternoon in February, and N’Kosi Barber is taking great care to stay focused. “Never pick up glass,” he says, referring to pieces on the floor. Glass can be deceptive, he explains. It may look cold, but it can be several hundred degrees hot.
How Minnesota Became the Surprising Success Story of Gun Reform
About a year ago, as Minnesota was getting ready to receive an influx of federal dollars from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, I called up state Representative Kelly Moller to get a sense of how the funding might change the conversation around gun laws in St. Paul. At the time, in September 2022, Minnesota didn’t have an extreme risk protection order, or red flag, law — one of the intended uses of the funding. I wanted to know if Moller thought the cash would increase the chances that the Legislature would pass one of its own, after her attempts to do just that had failed repeatedly.
Evaluation Finds Philly’s Violence Prevention Grant Program Works — But Needs More Support
An independent evaluation has found that a much-debated city program that gives community groups grants to help reduce gun violence is mostly working and deserves to continue, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced on June 29. The Community Expansion Grant Program, which launched in late 2021 amid record deadly gun violence...
Let’s talk, Chicago.
I’m Justin Agrelo, The Trace’s community engagement reporter for Chicago. As someone who was born and raised here, I know what it feels like to have your community written about but not necessarily written for. That experience drives the motivating question of my work: What would the coverage...
Let’s talk, Philadelphia.
This is Afea Tucker, The Trace’s community engagement reporter for Philadelphia. We don’t often hear about what happens right after a shooting, who picks up the pieces, or how communities change after a crime scene is cleaned. But these moments can forever change how we interact with the city around us. As someone who was born and raised in Philadelphia, I’m acutely aware of the growing safety concerns here — but I’m also aware of the many people in our city who dedicate their lives to helping people who have been affected by gun violence.
For Formerly Incarcerated People, the Challenges of Reentry Make ‘Every Move an Emergency’
In May 2019, after spending nearly 13 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Hassan Bennett walked out of a Philadelphia courtroom a free man after successfully representing himself during a retrial. He was still wearing his prison uniform. The legal feat, which followed years of Bennett...
Bill to Regulate Defective Firearms Is Reintroduced in Congress
U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan has reintroduced legislation to grant the Consumer Product Safety Commission oversight of firearms, empowering the agency to investigate allegedly defective guns and force recalls. “The gun industry is the only domestic manufacturer of a consumer product in the United States that is exempt from...
Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club Aims to Build Up Chicago’s Youth
Many Englewood residents call Joseph Williams “the Black Mr. Rogers.” Just like the friendly television neighbor who celebrated children’s individuality, Williams works with other fathers to build up the youth in his community. “These children are living adult lives,” Williams said. Many, he noted, are stuck between...
One Major Factor Missing From the Gun Safety Debate: Alcohol
On April 28, a man opened fire on his neighbors in Cleveland, Texas, killing five of them. He had reportedly become enraged after they asked if he could stop firing guns on his property. It was late, they explained, and a baby was trying to sleep. “He had been drinking,...
In Brooklyn, Teens Learn to Treat Gunshot Wounds Before Ambulances Arrive
Aaron, age 16, told me to hold the 4-by-4-inch cloth pad on top of the imaginary gunshot wound on my forearm. He then secured it in place with gauze, wrapping the material around and around, as quickly as possible, before tying it taut. “I’m saving somebody’s life,” he said, with...
Philly’s Violence Prevention Grant Program Brought Mixed Results. Now What?
As Philadelphia’s gun-driven homicide rate hit record highs in recent years, the city opened its wallet and started funding grassroots organizations to help reach potential victims and perpetrators. The most expensive of these efforts, the Community Expansion Grant Program, funded 31 organizations that, starting in late 2021, were to...
Which States Have Universal Gun Background Checks?
Federal law doesn’t require background checks on private gun sales, but 20 states have expanded background checks. There’s perhaps no policy more central to the gun debate in the United States than background checks. A universal background check requirement is one of the most popular gun reform proposals,...
Violence Interruption Programs Are Receiving Millions. This Initiative Wants to Make Sure They’re Prepared.
The field of community violence intervention is experiencing something unfamiliar: a rush of funding. Amid a nationwide increase in shootings during the pandemic, federal and state governments have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into community-based programs, which seek to reduce violence by mediating conflicts and connecting at-risk people with services.
The Trace
784+
Posts
3M+
Views
The Trace is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to expanding coverage of guns in the United States.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.