Commentary

Commentary

My Job Is to Tell the Public When People Are Shot in Baltimore. This Time, It Was My Little Brother.

Stricken by grief by the July slaying, T.J. Smith, the chief spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department, now feels overwhelmed by the support that has poured in from around the country.

The NRA and Me

The NRA Annoyed Me Into Quitting — But I Get Why Some Gun Owners See It as a ‘Necessary Evil’

"I have 30 emails from Wayne LaPierre that I never asked for."

Commentary

My Abuser Shot and Killed Our Son. I Found Healing at the Gun Range.

He shot me, too, with a 9mm Glock. Now that's the gun I keep at home.

Commentary

A Missouri Student Imagines Life on an Armed Campus

Mining the experiences of other states for an educated guess at what may lie ahead.

Shot and Forgotten

I Was Shot 9 Times. I Can Barely Walk Around the Block, Let Alone Earn a Living Wage.

Debilitated by bullet wounds, Derrick Strong now finds himself cut off from the means to a full recovery.

Commentary

We’re Just Starting to Comprehend How Social Media Breeds Shootings

The future of gun violence prevention depends on decoding how tweeted taunts send bullets flying.

Commentary

I’m a Police Chaplain Who Had to Tell Virginia Tech Families Their Children Were Dead

In the 10 years since the massacre, I’ve made it my mission to help law enforcement cope with the trauma of repeated exposure to brutal killings.

Commentary

I Just Lost My Fourth Student This Year to Gun Violence. I Want to Make Sure He’s the Last.

A Baltimore principal wants her kids to better understand how certain relationships boost the odds that they will be shot.

Chicago

I Make $13.50 an Hour. It’s Not Enough to Support a Teenager with a Gunshot Injury

For the past three years, Brenda Herron has struggled to support four kids she welcomed into her home. The cost of caring for one who was shot over the holidays threatens financial ruin.

Commentary

My Son Was Murdered in the Line of Duty by Right-Wing Extremists. Trump Should Focus on the Threat Posed by ‘Sovereign Citizens.’

Last week, President Donald Trump called on the Department of Justice to devote extra resources to prosecuting crimes against law enforcement. “It’s a shame what’s been happening to our great, truly great law enforcement officers,” Trump said as…

Commentary

The False Promise That ‘Armed Citizenship’ Will Keep Women Safe

The greatest threat women face is from men they know. The criminal justice system doesn't always recognize that fact.

Commentary

Trump Wants Better Crime-Fighting Data? We Should Start With Counting All Shootings.

We can’t understand gun violence without the full picture.

Shot and Forgotten

I Got Shot on Facebook Live. The World Hasn’t Shown Much Interest in My Recovery.

"It’s like they forgot about me."

Background Checks

A Smaller ‘Private Sale’ Loophole Suggests We’re Closer to Universal Background Checks Than We Thought

The old 40 percent estimate came from a research paper I co-authored. Here’s why I think the new number is good news for reform advocates.

Chicago

The Unlearned Lessons of Chicago’s Last Gun Violence Crisis

In 1992, the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old boy galvanized the city. Today’s violence is a reminder that underlying problems remain unsolved.