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Hospital Expansion Planned in Queens ‘Trauma Desert’ Where Gunshot Victims Fare Worse
The state of New York plans to expand a trauma center in southern Queens, in part to plug a deficit in care for gun violence victims. In 2019, The Trace reported, in partnership with THE CITY and Measure for America, on the “trauma desert” in that part of the city. Our analysis of the 12,000-plus shootings recorded by the NYPD between January 2010 and October 2018 found that the farther away someone was from a Level I or II trauma center when they were shot, the more likely they were to die. The worst area of the city was southern Queens, which relied on the single, overburdened Level I trauma center at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Residents of the borough had a gunshot fatality rate 30 percent higher than in the rest of the city.
Gun Reform Groups Want to Expand the Supreme Court
A year after the Supreme Court upended the legal status quo on gun regulation with its landmark Bruen decision, more than a dozen gun violence prevention groups and advocates have signed on to an effort to reform the nation’s highest court. The nationwide “Just Majority” campaign, which launched on...
Gun Buybacks Are Popular, But Do They Work?
On April 29, Attorney General Letitia James plans to host New York’s first statewide gun buyback. The one-day event will operate at nine locations, where officials will offer prepaid gift cards for up to $500 to people who turn in their firearms — no questions asked. The buyback...
As More Politicians Lose Friends and Family to Gun Violence, Will It Change How They Govern?
Rhonda Fields doesn’t remember exactly how she first heard about the mass shooting in a Louisville, Kentucky, bank on April 10, but she remembers how it felt. “It just breaks my heart all over again,” she said. Fields knows what it means to “have somebody laughing in your kitchen” one moment, only to be robbed of “the promise of their future” the next.
Philly Wants the Public’s Help to Catch Killers. Victims’ Families Aren’t Hopeful.
Anger and frustration shade the faces of Ivory Bethune and Schaine Isaac as they discuss the text messages between their son, Khyrie Isaac, and the man they believe took part in a brazen ambush that killed the 18-year-old and his girlfriend in the parking lot of a North Philadelphia grocery store in August 2021, an hour after the messages were sent.
One of America’s Favorite Handguns Is Allegedly Firing On Its Owners
One warm afternoon in May, Dwight Jackson was getting dressed for a visit to his favorite cigar lounge. He slipped his holstered SIG Sauer P320 pistol onto his belt, put on a button-down shirt, and leaned across his bed for his wallet. Suddenly, he said, the gun fired, sending a bullet tearing through his right buttock and into his left ankle.
The NRA Paid a $12 Million Settlement to Its Former PR Firm
When a power struggle engulfed the National Rifle Association’s leadership in 2019, the group elected to file a lawsuit against its longtime public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen. A protracted legal fight followed, with the parties making allegations that included libel, fraud, and breach of contract. Each side was seeking more than $50 million in damages when a confidential settlement was reached in March 2022, shortly before the case was scheduled to go to trial in a federal court in Texas.
With Johnson Win, Chicago Chooses Social Investment Over Expanding Police Force
Amid turbulent weather and security issues in school voting centers, Chicagoans went to the polls on April 4 and elected Brandon Johnson as their new mayor. The race to lead America’s third-largest city was closely contested, with Johnson receiving 51 percent of votes as of Wednesday morning, and about 35 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. Public safety was the leading issue, with many voters seeking solutions to Chicago’s gun violence crisis, which has claimed 118 lives this year. Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas ran opposing campaigns on how to address violent crime in the city.
A Majority of U.S. States Now Have Permitless Carry
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a permitless carry bill into law on April 3, allowing adults in the Sunshine State to carry concealed firearms without training or a license from the government. “Constitutional Carry is in the books,” DeSantis said in a press release. With DeSantis’s signature, permitless carry...
In Philadelphia, Shootings Are Starting to Slow — Except Among Kids and Teens
Nicolas Elizalde and four other teenage football players had just left a scrimmage at Philadelphia’s Roxborough High School in September, when five gunmen opened fire on them. Nicolas, just 14 years old, was killed in the attack; the other teens were wounded, but survived. Police eventually arrested three teens and an adult man in connection to the attack, charging them with murder and related crimes. A fifth shooter, also a teen, is still being sought.
Gun Injuries Sent More Kids to the ER During the Pandemic
Hospitals saw a dramatic uptick in emergency department visits for gunshot injuries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among children, according to a March 30 report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report found that by the end of 2020, emergency visits for firearm...
‘I Don’t Want to Be a Statistic to You’: Chicago’s Latino Communities Are Focused on Gun Violence
Alexandria Imani Burgos would have turned 27 this month. But on October 19, 2014, the aspiring social worker went to pick up her younger brother from a friend’s house. As she waited inside, a stray bullet entered the home, killing her. She was only 18. At a mayoral candidate...
Dangerous Homes: Guns and Domestic Violence Exact a Deadly Toll on Kids
Angela Brooks will never forget the FaceTime call from her 10-year-old granddaughter, Nie’Mae. “She said, ‘Granny, please help us. Mama’s dead,’” recalled Brooks, 58, a nurse in St. Louis. Brooks didn’t believe it. Then Nie’Mae turned the phone around to show her a body on...
‘He Has a Battle Rifle’: Police Feared Uvalde Gunman’s AR-15
This article was originally published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief Weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues. Editor's note: This story includes graphic descriptions of injuries, and one graphic...
Biden’s Executive Order on Guns, Explained
During a March 14 visit to Monterey Park, California — where a gunman killed nine people and injured 11 more in January — President Joe Biden announced a wide-ranging executive order intended to address gun violence. The plan, which draws heavily on the provisions contained within the Bipartisan...
Craig Hunter Joins The Trace as Executive Editor
The Trace has hired veteran journalist Craig Hunter as its first executive editor. Hunter will work closely with editor in chief Tali Woodward to set The Trace’s editorial strategy and guide regular coverage. He will oversee the newsroom’s audience development staff, as well as our local reporting initiative and other grant-funded projects.
Shootings Remain High in Philly, But City-Funded Violence Interruption Shows Promise
An unexpected knock at the door in December caught Zeem off guard. He had not been expecting the visit from a social worker, a representative from the District Attorney’s Office, a mentor — called a credible messenger — two police officers, and a mother who had lost a child to violence.
The Illinois Cannabis License Lottery Is Now Prioritizing Gun Violence Survivors
On a foggy November day in 1999, Ricky Flores visited his mother’s home in the Chicago neighborhood of Brighton Park. While his younger sister went into the house to deliver groceries to their mom, he stayed outside to speak to his friends who were gathered in a Chevrolet Caprice.
How Many Guns Are Circulating in the U.S.?
We’ve heard for years that there are more guns in the U.S. than people, but a precise accounting remains elusive. Federal legislation that would track gun sales or establish a nationwide handgun registry has been proposed — to much resistance from the gun lobby. In lieu of exact figures, we have gun owner surveys, industry disclosures, and federal gun background check figures, none of which are comprehensive.
In Chicago, BUILD Wants Its New Headquarters to Be a Community Hub for Young People
In 1995, Adam Alonso met a 15-year-old who changed his life. Understand warning signs. More resources in our full guide. Alonso was working at Casa Central, an afterschool program operating out of a church basement. The teen came looking for a pastor, but there wasn’t one available. As the young man walked away, Alonso felt moved to call out and ask what he needed. From their conversation, Alonso learned that he was a father of a 2-year-old, had a mother addicted to drugs, and a father who had been shot and killed. The boy was considering suicide, he told Alonso, and was looking for guidance.
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