Tom Kutsch

Tom Kutsch was The Trace's newsletter editor from 2019 to 2022.

An Innovative Anti-Violence Program Expands in California

Bulletin

An Innovative Anti-Violence Program Expands in California

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY NEW from THE TRACE: Fearing COVID chaos, her abuser got a gun. Now she’s the one who is terrified. For years, Michelle Jankowski was in an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Charles Dickson. Fearing unrest during…

Tom Kutsch
FBI Finds Homicides Up 15% During First Half of 2020

Bulletin

FBI Finds Homicides Up 15% During First Half of 2020

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Preliminary FBI data adds to evidence of sharp rise in homicides during the first half of 2020. The numbers show a 15 percent year-to-date increase, according to the bureau’s Uniform Crime Report. Aggravated assaults…

Tom Kutsch
A Trump Official’s Ominous — And Unfounded — Election Warning

Bulletin

A Trump Official’s Ominous — And Unfounded — Election Warning

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Top Trump aide says without evidence that armed, left-wing hit squads are preparing for post-election insurrection. During a live Q&A on his Facebook page, Michael Caputo, the assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of…

Tom Kutsch
Fires Rage. Misinformation Swirls. Out Come the Guns.

Bulletin

Fires Rage. Misinformation Swirls. Out Come the Guns.

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Armed vigilantism makes its way into the forest fire crisis. As West Coast conflagrations spread, false rumors circulated in Oregon late last week that left-wing agitators were to blame for starting some of…

Tom Kutsch
New Research on Guns and Suicide Risks

Bulletin

New Research on Guns and Suicide Risks

WHAT TO KNOW THIS WEEK New research on the risks of firearms for groups with elevated suicide rates. Yesterday, we highlighted a federal grant to improve gun safety efforts targeted at young people. A new analysis of Centers…

Tom Kutsch
Chicago’s Homicide Rise Holds Steady Since Launch of Fed Crackdown

Bulletin

Chicago’s Homicide Rise Holds Steady Since Launch of Fed Crackdown

NEW FROM THE TRACE Portland, Oregon’s high-stakes experiment to shrink the role of police in fighting gun violence. Amid protests after police killing of George Floyd, the City Council — led by its lone Black member — disbanded a controversial…

Tom Kutsch
‘Help Was Needed but Instead More Harm Was Done’

Bulletin

‘Help Was Needed but Instead More Harm Was Done’

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY The police shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy adds to cries for reform. On Friday, a mother in Salt Lake City called 911 hoping that first responders would help hospitalize her young son who…

Tom Kutsch
Quantifiably Peaceful Protesters Vs. Increasingly Aggressive Militias

Bulletin

Quantifiably Peaceful Protesters Vs. Increasingly Aggressive Militias

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Armed extremists made some Labor Day weekend protests a powder keg, but the events ended without shots fired. Roughly 50 protesters continuing to rally against the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, found themselves surrounded by…

Tom Kutsch
The Terribly Unequal Risk of Gun Homicides

Bulletin

The Terribly Unequal Risk of Gun Homicides

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Another lens on the racial disparities of gun violence. Yesterday, we published a feature story on the previously unreported surge in mass shootings this year, nearly half of which have struck majority-Black…

Tom Kutsch
NRA’s Former No. 2 Comes Out For More Gun Reform

Bulletin

NRA’s Former No. 2 Comes Out For More Gun Reform

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY NEW from THE TRACE: As mass shootings trend toward a five-year high, they’re taking a heavy toll on predominantly Black neighborhoods. More than 320 people have been killed and over 1,600 injured in 395 mass shootings…

Tom Kutsch
Militia Rhetoric Gets Even More Alarming

Bulletin

Militia Rhetoric Gets Even More Alarming

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Militias escalate threats as experts raise the alarm. Talking Points Memo collects the frightening rhetoric coming from some far-right militia leaders. For years, groups like the Oath Keepers have issued predictions of…

Tom Kutsch
Daily Bulletin: ‘Like Growing up in a War Zone:’ Kenosha’s Legacy of Inequality

Bulletin

Daily Bulletin: ‘Like Growing up in a War Zone:’ Kenosha’s Legacy of Inequality

Receive this daily news briefing by email every morning. Sign up here. WHAT TO KNOW TODAY “Growing up in Kenosha was like growing up in a war zone.” A bracing investigation by Injustice Watch and The Chicago…

Tom Kutsch
Daily Bulletin: ‘The Early Signs of a Troubled Democracy’

Bulletin

Daily Bulletin: ‘The Early Signs of a Troubled Democracy’

Receive this daily news briefing by email every morning. Sign up here. WHAT TO KNOW TODAY Portland shooting adds to concerns about armed confrontations at protests. The Oregon city was the scene of…

Tom Kutsch
Daily Bulletin: Armed, Dangerous, and Extremely Online

Bulletin

Daily Bulletin: Armed, Dangerous, and Extremely Online

Receive this daily news briefing by email every morning. Sign up here. WHAT TO KNOW TODAY More details about the online militia activity ahead of the Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooting. Yesterday, we noted…

Tom Kutsch
Daily Bulletin: Teenager Charged in Fatal Kenosha Shootings

Bulletin

Daily Bulletin: Teenager Charged in Fatal Kenosha Shootings

Receive this daily news briefing by email every morning. Sign up here. WHAT TO KNOW TODAY The latest on the Kenosha vigilante shooting. During the continuing unrest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a teenager with…

Tom Kutsch

Gun violence journalism that informs and empowers.

Tom Kutsch

An Innovative Anti-Violence Program Expands in California

FBI Finds Homicides Up 15% During First Half of 2020

A Trump Official’s Ominous — And Unfounded — Election Warning

Fires Rage. Misinformation Swirls. Out Come the Guns.

New Research on Guns and Suicide Risks

Chicago’s Homicide Rise Holds Steady Since Launch of Fed Crackdown

‘Help Was Needed but Instead More Harm Was Done’

Quantifiably Peaceful Protesters Vs. Increasingly Aggressive Militias

The Terribly Unequal Risk of Gun Homicides

NRA’s Former No. 2 Comes Out For More Gun Reform

Militia Rhetoric Gets Even More Alarming

Daily Bulletin: ‘Like Growing up in a War Zone:’ Kenosha’s Legacy of Inequality

Daily Bulletin: ‘The Early Signs of a Troubled Democracy’

Daily Bulletin: Armed, Dangerous, and Extremely Online

Daily Bulletin: Teenager Charged in Fatal Kenosha Shootings