Mental Health

Gun Violence Affects Suicide Risk Among Black People, Study Finds

Community Violence

Gun Violence Affects Suicide Risk Among Black People, Study Finds

In the United States, people of color are the most vulnerable to gun violence, and they’re also the least likely to receive mental health care. The New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center has explored the connections.

Fairriona Magee
The Osteen Church Shooter Doesn’t Fit a Neat Profile

Gun Policy

The Osteen Church Shooter Doesn’t Fit a Neat Profile

Some characteristics of the February 11 shooting at the Houston megachurch set it apart, while others highlight gaps that have allowed several shooters to acquire guns.

Jennifer Mascia
‘True Love Almost Killed Me’: On Life After Loss

Chicago

‘True Love Almost Killed Me’: On Life After Loss

Losing two boyfriends to gun violence and serving time in prison hurt me. But that pain helped me find my purpose: supporting other returning citizens.

Eroica Del Real
How to Have Better Conversations with Survivors of Gun Violence

Chicago

How to Have Better Conversations with Survivors of Gun Violence

The Trace spoke to nearly 20 survivors about how to engage with them. Mostly, they want to be seen and heard.

Justin Agrelo
After an Emergency Mental Health Hospitalization, Few States Block Gun Purchases

Mass Shooting

After an Emergency Mental Health Hospitalization, Few States Block Gun Purchases

October’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, was one of more than a dozen high-profile attacks carried out by people who retained their gun rights after hospitalization during a mental health crisis.

Jennifer Mascia and Chip Brownlee
Research Indicates That Red Flag Laws Work — But Only If People Know About Them

Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Research Indicates That Red Flag Laws Work — But Only If People Know About Them

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act incentivized states to implement extreme risk protection orders, and provide information about them to the public. A new study focuses on what messages are likely to work best.

Fairriona Magee
Youth Gun Suicide Is Rising, Particularly Among Children of Color

Health Care

Youth Gun Suicide Is Rising, Particularly Among Children of Color

An American teenager took their life with a firearm every seven hours on average between 2019 and 2020.

Jennifer Mascia and Olga Pierce
To Stem Shootings, Poughkeepsie Is Bringing Therapy Directly to City Streets

Community Violence

To Stem Shootings, Poughkeepsie Is Bringing Therapy Directly to City Streets

A state program launched amid rising violence seeks to provide counseling on front porches and in pizza joints, instead of trying to draw residents into a clinical setting.

Ann Givens
Mental Health

As Students Return to Classrooms, Schools Hope Investments in Mental Health Will Also Curb Violence

The connections between gun violence and mental health are murky, but experts bet that supporting student well-being will help keep them safe.

Chip Brownlee
The Chattanooga Shooter Reportedly Suffered from Mental Illness and Abused Drugs and Alcohol. Only One of Those Has a Clear Link to Gun Violence.

Armed With Reason

The Chattanooga Shooter Reportedly Suffered from Mental Illness and Abused Drugs and Alcohol. Only One of Those Has a Clear Link to Gun Violence.

Mass shootings, public misperceptions, and what the research really says.

Devin Hughes and Evan DeFilippis