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This New York County Is Disarming Record Numbers of Potentially Dangerous People
In August 2023, police in Suffolk County, New York, received a 911 call. A person put a fake gun to their head, threatening suicide. “Wait until I get a real one,” they said. The responding officer quickly filed an Extreme Risk Protection Order application, which a judge granted soon after, temporarily barring the person from buying a gun. Just a few weeks later, the same person attempted to buy a real one. The order blocked the purchase.
Chicago Mayor Ends the City’s Use of ShotSpotter
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Tuesday that he will not renew the city’s contract with the company behind ShotSpotter, the controversial gunshot detection technology. ShotSpotter alerts police to shootings by using hundreds of acoustic sensors throughout the city. Johnson’s decision comes after years of criticism from researchers and community activists...
The IRS May Have Investigated the NRA, Document Suggests. What Happened?
Midway through week two of the National Rifle Association’s ongoing civil corruption trial in Manhattan last month, a defense attorney asked the organization’s chief financial officer whether the NRA had ever received “an inquiry from the IRS” about its annual tax filing. “Yes,” answered Sonya Rowling, who joined the NRA in 1999 and became CFO in 2021. “Just recently. A couple months ago maybe. Right before the holidays.”
Test Your Knowledge of U.S. Gun Laws
At the Trace, we often write about gun laws — but even we get stumped from time to time. We regularly come across something unexpected or have to check with legal experts for a refresher. This got us wondering about how much Americans know about their gun laws. So…...
The Lost Children of North Minneapolis
The story was published in partnership with Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota. On a rainy day in October 2022, K.G. Wilson rolled down Colfax Avenue in his burgundy Cadillac between the makeshift memorials to children who’ve been shot in North Minneapolis. He pointed to the street that was dedicated to a 12-year-old boy who was shot to death in front of his mother by a teenager after a fight. Farther north, he tended to the plastic flowers on a pole at Lowry and Penn, marking the spot where a 2-year-old was shot in the chest and killed in 2016 by shooters aiming for his stepfather. The boy’s younger sister was also shot, but she survived.
Mexico’s Lawsuit Against U.S. Gunmakers Has Cleared a Big Hurdle
On January 22, a U.S. federal appeals court revived a lawsuit by the Mexican government accusing America’s largest gunmakers of aiding and abetting the trafficking of weapons across the border. Litigation against gunmakers is almost always tossed out because of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or...
The Power of Shock: How a Philadelphia Activist Is Using a Casket to Prevent Gun Violence
As you walk into Michael Ta‘Bon’s North Philadelphia rowhouse, you can’t miss the tall, white rectangular object leaning against a wall. It’s a casket. Hanging nearby is a set of handcuffs. Vibrant paintings preaching messages of peace and anti-violence adorn the walls. A few miles away from the rowhouse sits a flatbed truck that Ta’Bon owns with a 20-by-6 foot custom-built, two-story compartment that contains a replica of a jail cell.
The Way We Define Mass Shootings Affects How We Respond
We’re one month into 2024 and, depending on who you ask, we’ve had 32 mass shootings, five mass shootings, or, according to some, no mass shootings at all. There are so many different numbers because there’s no single agreed-upon meaning of “mass shooting.” Researchers, nonprofit trackers, and the media use different definitions.
The Trace Is Hiring an Editorial Assistant
The Trace seeks an editorial assistant to support and collaborate with editors and reporters and tend to our growing nonprofit newsroom. Our team produces impact-focused independent journalism that shines a light on America’s gun violence crisis. While our newsroom is distributed around the United States, this particular role is hybrid, requiring in-person work at our Brooklyn, New York, office. The role is ideal for someone in the early years of their career who is passionate about journalism and is hungry to learn about how it works.
U.S. Handgun Exports to Israel Soar as Civilian Demand Grows
In 2023, the United States exported a record number of handguns to Israel. A review of U.S. International Trade Commission data by The Trace found that in the first 11 months of last year, the number of handguns exported to Israel by U.S. manufacturers increased more than 300 percent compared to 2022, from about 10,000 to 43,000. In October and November alone, the U.S. exported more than 27,500 handguns to Israel — more than in any full year over the past two decades.
Read the Transcripts From the NRA Corruption Trial
The National Rifle Association is defending itself in a Manhattan courtroom against a suit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James that alleges that the group enabled the looting of charitable assets. The NRA faces greater uncertainty than at any point in its 152-year history. Longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre resigned on the eve of trial, citing health concerns, and the organization could soon find itself under the eye of a court-appointed monitor.
Storing Guns Safely Could Save Lives. Why Aren’t Americans Listening?
This month marks six years since Ethan Song’s friend handed him a handgun that was kept in a food storage container. His friend wanted to show Ethan the weapon, which was owned by his father and kept in their Guilford, Connecticut, home. Ethan, 15, accidentally discharged the gun and died.
Wayne LaPierre’s Looming Departure Shakes Up Arguments at the NRA Trial
Five days into the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case against the National Rifle Association, a perplexed juror sent a note to Judge Joel M. Cohen. The juror wanted to know why it was that “the NRA lawyer at times seems like she’s against her own client.”
The Gun Measures Voters Want on Their State Ballots
At least four states could see their gun laws change as a result of citizen-led ballot initiatives this November, when voters head to the polls for the 2024 election. Residents in Missouri have submitted measures to reinstate gun laws that were stripped over the last two decades, while residents in Oregon and Washington are seeking to undo reforms approved by voters in previous elections. A prospective measure in Arizona would relax gun restrictions for lawful users of marijuana.
A Pro-Gun Elections Official Is Rewriting Missouri Ballot Initiatives
For years Missouri’s Republican Legislature has overseen a rightward turn on guns, taking the state from some of the country’s most restrictive laws to the most permissive. But several initiatives submitted for inclusion on the ballot in 2024 are seeking to change that. The initiatives would restrict the...
For Gun Violence Survivors, Winter Can Be Isolating — and Poignant
The new year is often seen as a time to start over. People write lists of resolutions and make plans to accomplish them. But for many Chicagoans who have lost loved ones to gun violence, these moments of celebration and the brutal winter that follows are overshadowed by the grief they feel when they see an empty seat at the table.
The Big Gun Cases Before SCOTUS
In 2024, the Supreme Court is set to decide three cases that could have major ramifications for how guns are regulated in the United States. These cases involve a law designed to protect domestic violence victims, a Trump-era ban on machine gun conversion devices, and the free speech rights of the gun industry.
Could International Pressure Ultimately Strengthen U.S. Gun Laws?
American gun politics and policy have sway far beyond our borders. U.S. guns fuel cartel violence in Mexico, find their way to crime scenes in Canada, and are contributing to a rising gun violence epidemic in the Caribbean. Despite this global dimension, the influence hasn’t run in the other direction.
How the NRA Ended Up on Trial for Corruption
On January 8, jurors sat down in a Manhattan courtroom to begin weighing evidence in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s corruption case against the National Rifle Association. James has accused top officials at the gun group of using the nonprofit’s assets to enrich themselves. A verdict in her favor could lead to additional oversight of the organization and even repayment of funds by the executives alleged to have orchestrated the looting.
Philadelphia Public Workers Face More Gun Violence, Even as Rates Decline Citywide
This story is published in partnership with The Philadelphia Citizen, a non-profit media outlet that combines solutions journalism with calls to civic action to create positive change in Philly. Sign up for its newsletter here. On the morning of October 26, Bernard Gribbin, a retired U.S. Army veteran and a...
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