The Trace

Image: Person using a gun lock on a gun Text: Chicago hopes safe storage workshops can save kids. City leaders implore residents to secure their weapons and talk to their friends about gun safety. By Rita Oceguera

Chicago leaders want residents to secure their firearms and talk to their friends about gun safety. A new city-run initiative looks to address unintentional gun injury deaths among children and adolescents.

Read more: thetr.ac/xPYpz

Newest CDC Data Confirms Gun Deaths Fell in 2024, But Were Still Higher Than Before the Pandemic Annual gun deaths came in below 45,000 for the first time in five years. Until 2020, the country had never surpassed 40,000 gun deaths in a single year.

Recent CDC data shows signs of progress after a surge in gun violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the overall death toll remained high. Gun suicides continued to climb, and stark disparities persisted across racial groups and regions.

Bulletin: The Military Has Strict Gun Policies. How Did the Fort Stewart Shooting Happen? Despite rules regarding carrying personal weapons, the perpetrator of the August 6 shooting was still able to bring his on base. He wasn’t the first.

Despite rules regarding carrying personal weapons, the perpetrator of the shooting at Fort Stewart was still able to bring his on base. He wasn’t the first.

Since 2018, women have accounted for nearly a quarter of defendants charged for straw purchasing in Philadelphia, according to data provided exclusively to The Trace by the District Attorney’s Office. In many cases the women buy firearms because they feel they can’t say no to the men who ask. Straw purchasers’ motivations range from seeking profit to misguided intentions of wanting to help lovers, relatives, and friends.

Straw purchasing is the act of buying guns for people legally barred from owning them. In Philadelphia, women make up nearly a quarter of those arrested for the crime.

Read more: thetr.ac/cWfLJ

Text: Maryland's new data dashboard could aid local leaders in preventing shootings The new tool makes shooting data publicly available. It was designed to withstand the political turmoil in Washington. By Chip Brownlee Image: Man in a gallery passing by a black-and-white image of a child holding a sign that reads Less Talk More Action

Maryland is seeing a significant and sustained drop in gun violence. In hopes of keeping up the momentum, the state launched the Firearm Violence Data Dashboard, a public portal that shares near real-time data on shootings.

Read more: thetr.ac/UiItN

Concealed Handguns Create a Climate of Fear, the Gun Industry’s Own Research Reveals The gun industry is pushing Congress to loosen restrictions on carrying, even though routine carrying makes even its customers feel less safe.

The firearms industry is pushing Congress to loosen nationwide restrictions on carrying, even though routine carrying makes even its customers feel less safe.

While many cities and communities have curfew laws, a growing body of research has found that they do little to reduce serious crime. In Philadelphia, though, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said he still believes they can be effective.

Read more: thetr.ac/sE8rd

Chicago Hopes Safe Storage Workshops Can Save Kids City leaders implore residents to secure their weapons and talk to their friends about gun safety.

In Chicago, city-run firearm safety workshops are teaching residents about safe gun storage and the dangers of guns. Local leaders and violence prevention workers hope that the effort will reduce the number of unintentional shootings among youth.

Read more:

To Curb Youth Crime, Philly Embraces a Controversial Policy Research shows curfews do little to reduce crime, but Philly community members believe the city's curfew centers have become a vital hub for young people.

While many cities and communities have curfew laws, a growing body of research has found that they do little to reduce serious crime. In Philadelphia, though, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said he still believes they can be effective.

Bulletin: Community Members in Anaconda, ‘A Goldilocks Town,’ Pull Together “This community will come together, and we’ll take care of each other.”

“This community will come together, and we’ll take care of each other.”

Gun Homicide and Suicide Are Closely Linked, New Study Shows Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a new...

Gun homicides and suicides may be more connected than we think. A new study digs into 50 years of county-level data.

Great reporting by @fairrionam.bsky.social for @thetrace.org

Both Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command have halted use of the SIG Sauer P320 pistol amid widespread concerns about the gun's safety, according to July memos authenticated by The Trace.

Read more: thetr.ac/BaapH

Trump Abandoned Police Reform. Fort Wayne is Paying the Price. Gawon Benson was supposed to turn himself in. Last July, he’d been charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to 80 days at the DeKalb County Jail, in Indiana, but when he didn’t show, corrections…

In 2024, Fort Wayne recorded its highest number of police shootings in five years. The increase comes as locals say the city’s commitment to police reform faded in recent years, and there wasn’t enough emphasis on community building by law enforcement.

Read more:

Chicago Hopes Safe Storage Workshops Can Save Kids City leaders implore residents to secure their weapons and talk to their friends about gun safety.

Safe storage workshops are a part of a new city-run effort to reduce unintentional shootings among Chicago kids and teens. The training acknowledges the growing number of guns in circulation and seeks to educate residents about their dangers.

Image: Hand placing "Dad" decoration on a memorial at a grave Text: Public Health. Gun homicide and suicide are closely linked, new study shows. A long-term national study draws a possible correlation between community gun violence and suicide by firearm — and finds key disparities. By Fairriona Magee

Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a new study by researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. thetr.ac/hDTpw

Concealed Handguns Create a Climate of Fear, the Gun Industry’s Own Research Reveals The gun industry is pushing Congress to loosen restrictions on carrying, even though routine carrying makes even its customers feel less safe.

1/ICYMI: For my latest w/ @thetrace.org + @rollingstone.com, I obtained gun industry-funded research that contained a shocking finding: As legally armed Americans have moved into public spaces, even gun owners and conservatives have felt an increased sense of danger: www.thetrace.org/2025/07/gun-...

Caught in the crossfire: Indiana schools on the front lines of community gun violence • Indiana Capital Chronicle Gunfire has echoed near Indiana’s K-12 campuses more than 2,700 times over the past decade, according to The Trace's Gun Violence Data Hub.

New @thetrace.org Gun Violence Data Hub analysis finds 2,700 shootings near Indiana schools over the past decade. Important reporting from our partners at the Indiana Capital Chronicle indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/04/c...

Bulletin: Inside Philadelphia’s Evening Resource Centers for Youth In some places with curfew laws, officials have introduced centers where kids caught in violation can go if they don’t want to go home. Here’s what that looks like in Philly.

In some places with curfew laws, officials have introduced centers where kids caught in violation can go if they don’t want to go home. Here’s what that looks like in Philly.

Trump Abandoned Police Reform. Fort Wayne is Paying the Price. Gawon Benson was supposed to turn himself in. Last July, he’d been charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to 80 days at the DeKalb County Jail, in Indiana, but when he didn’t show, corrections offic...

In another era, Fort Wayne might have gotten federal help.

But after Trump ended DOJ oversight of local police departments, the city is on its own, facing rising gun violence, more police shootings, and growing mistrust.

My latest for @thetrace.org

To Curb Youth Crime, Philly Embraces a Controversial Policy Research shows curfews do little to reduce crime, but Philly community members believe the city's curfew centers have become a vital hub for young people.

Philadelphia’s evening resource centers give kids arts and crafts activities, STEM projects, conflict resolution resources, and food. While the centers are helping keep kids off the streets, community members say more needs to be done to promote them.

A Trump Administration Plan to Restore Some People’s Gun Rights Could Actually Protect Gun Laws The Trace spoke to a Yale law professor about the strengths and weaknesses of the Justice Department’s proposal.

Two law professors urged Congress to restore a long-dormant process that allows some people with felony convictions to apply for legal gun ownership. They argue this would help prevent the felony gun ban from being struck down.

The Trump administration is moving to adopt this idea.

Gun Homicide and Suicide Are Closely Linked, New Study Shows A long-term national study draws a possible correlation between community gun violence and suicide by firearm — and finds key disparities. Image: A man adjusts a bouquet with a decoration reading "Dad" at a grave

Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a new study by researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. thetr.ac/hDTpw

Gun Homicide and Suicide Are Closely Linked, New Study Shows Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a…

Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a new study by researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.

“One thing that I like is that the Justice Department is not trying to increase the chance that the Supreme Court strikes down these laws. They’re doing something good and reasonable. They’re saying, ‘Let’s try to stop all this constitutional litigation, and let’s try to create a process that gives the right kind of people their gun rights back.’” – Ian Ayres, a professor at Yale Law School who co-authored an article urging Congress to revive a process that would let some people with felony convictions apply to legally own guns again

The DOJ has proposed reestablishing a process for people convicted of felonies to legally own guns again. A Yale professor says the new process could prevent gun restrictions from being overturned in the courts. thetr.ac/u17cC

The NYC Shooter Had a Documented Mental Health History. How Did He Get a Gun? The July 28 mass shooting highlights a gap in the law that has allowed shooters to keep their gun rights after hospitalization for a mental health crisis.

The New York mass shooter who killed four people was hospitalized twice in Nevada for mental health reasons. The shooting has renewed questions about what kinds of mental health hospitalizations disqualify someone from gun ownership.

Bulletin: What Does It Take to Feel Safe in America? “The gun industry isn’t just selling firearms; it’s selling fear, even to its own customers.”

“The gun industry isn’t just selling firearms,” Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, told The Trace’s Mike Spies. “It’s selling fear, even to its own customers.”

Trump Abandoned Police Reform. Fort Wayne is Paying the Price. Gawon Benson was supposed to turn himself in. Last July, he’d been charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to 80 days at the DeKalb County Jail, in Indiana, but when he didn’t show, corrections…

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, shootings at the hands of officers have increased, fraying community trust in law enforcement as gun violence continues to rise.

Gun Homicide and Suicide Are Closely Linked, New Study Shows Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a…

Interpersonal violence and self-directed violence have long been treated as separate public health issues, but the two are more connected than previously understood, according to the findings of a new study by researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.

A Trump Administration Plan to Restore Some People’s Gun Rights Could Actually Protect Gun Laws The Trace spoke to a Yale law professor about the strengths and weaknesses of the Justice Department’s proposal.

A Yale Law School professor talks to The Trace about a Justice Department proposal that would allow some people convicted of felonies to regain their right to own guns.

'Scared to Say No’: Inside the Effort to Stop Philadelphia Women From Buying Guns Illegally While women in Philadelphia commit less than 10 percent of the city’s shootings, they make up nearly a quarter of those arrested for buying guns on behalf of people legally barred from owning them.

While women in Philadelphia commit less than 10 percent of the city’s shootings, they make up nearly a quarter of those arrested for buying guns on behalf of people legally barred from owning them. A large portion have said that they can’t say no to the men who ask them for firearms.