“Long Shadow: In Guns We Trust” has officially completed its run — so you can now binge the entire podcast. It’s a story about how guns became America’s political third rail, how people find hope in the wake of tragedy, and how Gen Z are taking the lead on gun safety. It is deeply and humanely reported and features research from The Trace’s senior news writer Jennifer Mascia, who’s been covering this beat for 11 years.
The podcast begins at Columbine High School, then goes back to the writing of the Second Amendment, following the trail of guns from the country’s founding to the present day. Over the course of the series, host Garrett Graff explains how the National Rifle Association seized on the Second Amendment to change the course of history, and profiles the key players behind the gun group’s central philosophy; examines the political climate that propelled assault-style weapons into the mainstream; breaks down the pivotal Supreme Court decisions that relaxed our gun laws; and explores the effects of school shootings and active shooter drills on Gen Z — who are now charting the way forward.
Listen to the entire series now — and hear interviews with Senator Chris Murphy, Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis, former NRA insider Richard Feldman, journalists Dave Cullen and Cameron McWhirter, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (yes, that one), and Sandy Phillips, whose daughter Jessi was killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting.
In addition to Mascia, Trace staffer Mike Spies and Alain Stephens made guest appearances on the podcast.
“In Guns We Trust” is produced by Long Lead and Campside Media in partnership with The Trace.
