Q & A

The Trajectory

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Explains His Historic Warning About Gun Violence

In an interview with The Trace's Chip Brownlee, Murthy dives into the broader implications for public policy.

Extremism

How American Gun Culture Fuels Anti-Immigrant Politics

A sociologist embedded with a militia group on the southwest border and found that gun culture provided an avenue to recruit members and maintain morale.

Philadelphia

The Power of Shock: How a Philadelphia Activist Is Using a Casket to Prevent Gun Violence

Michael Ta’Bon, an ex-offender turned crime fighter, is in his 13th year of bringing interactive exhibits, “sidewalk therapy,” and a message on healing to neighborhoods affected by the city’s gun violence crisis.

Data

What Can We Learn From the Nation’s Historic Decline in Murders?

The U.S. endured a spike in gun violence during the pandemic, but it’s subsiding in many places. A researcher puts the latest homicide statistics into context — and warns lawmakers not to become complacent.

Chicago

How Do We Remember People Lost to Gun Violence?

The politics of memory are central to art therapist Rochele Royster, whose Dolls4Peace project celebrated the lives of those shot and killed in Chicago.

How We Fix This

Violence Interruption Programs Are Receiving Millions. This Initiative Wants to Make Sure They’re Prepared.

Chico Tillmon, the director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab's new leadership academy, discusses the challenges facing community-based organizations — and the tools they need to succeed.

Philadelphia

Gun Violence Has Shaped Their Lives. These Philly Teens Made a Documentary Series About It.

Bout Mine I Matter helps Philly’s youth process their grief through a filmmaking program that integrates behavioral counseling and de-escalation techniques.

Philadelphia

‘I Am Different Now’: A Doctor Reflects on Treating Trauma After Confronting Gun Violence Firsthand

Dr. Gillian Naro was working a night shift when her hospital faced an active shooter. In an interview with The Trace, she discusses the experience, and how she hopes to prevent more violence.

Q & A

How Climate Change Could Worsen Gun Violence

Criminologist Daniel Semenza says global warming may devastate communities already hit hardest by shootings.

Mass Shooting

The Gun Data Expert Who’s Changing the Way the Media Defines Mass Shootings

Looking for a second career, Mark Bryant sold several revolvers to fund the launch of the Gun Violence Archive.

Law Enforcement

How Police Gained Control of America’s Roadways

A conversation with Professor Sarah Seo, whose work explores the fraught history of traffic enforcement and the problems that emerge when officers get to decide whose cars to stop.

Chicago

What It’s Like to Be One of Chicago’s ‘Last Responders’

Rising homicides, the pandemic, and drug overdoses have created unprecedented loss in Cook County. Medical examiners see the devastation up close.

Extremism

The Gun Rights Rhetoric That Helped Seed the Insurrectionist Mindset

Duke Law professor Darrell Miller explains how a strain of Second Amendment advocacy convinced some Americans that they have the right to use violence against political opponents.

Chicago

An Outdated Understanding of Chicago Gangs Could Be Hampering Gun Violence Prevention

Roberto Aspholm spent years researching the transformation of the city’s gangs. He says law enforcement in Chicago hasn’t caught up.

Q & A

Finding Solutions for Police Suicides

The Trace spoke with a former New York State trooper about preventing self-harm among a group of people who are usually armed.