Firearms are one of the country’s most potent political symbols — and one of its most divisive. When an issue becomes as contentious as the debate over guns, it also becomes deeply difficult to unravel. 

The Trace was launched nearly a decade ago to fill the information gap around gun violence and policy. Our work is based on respectfully dispelling myth from fact, making clear what gun violence really looks like in the United States. To help create a better understanding of the issue, we have to know what’s missing.

That’s why, after a yearlong hiatus, we’ve decided to relaunch Ask The Trace, our reader-driven series that explores what you want to know about gun violence in the United States. Do you have questions? Send them our way using the submission form on this page. Our reporters and editors will review them and publish articles exploring the answers.

In the meantime, you can check out prior series entries in our archive. Some of my favorites:

Thanks for reading our work.

From The Trace

Supreme Court Upholds Biden Administration’s Ghost Gun Rule: The decision clears the way for federal authorities to continue restricting the sale of kits for assembling untraceable weapons at home — at least for now.

This Lawmaker Wants to Give the Families of Illinois Homicide Victims a Way to Reopen Cold Cases: After four years of rejection, Kam Buckner is advancing legislation that would help survivors of gun violence get information about their loved ones’ cases and work toward closure.

Ahead of Potential Funding Cuts, Philadelphia’s Gun Violence Prevention Sector Prepares to Pivot: Even with a city budget proposal that pays for community-driven intervention work, organizers are worried about President Donald Trump’s promises to slash federal grants.

What Questions Do You Have About Guns in America?: After a yearlong hiatus, we’re soliciting new questions for Ask The Trace, our reader-driven series about guns, gun violence, and the industry at large.

What We’re Reading  

Justice Department proposes merging ATF with DEA, other major changes: The potential changes were outlined in a memo sent from the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. [The Washington Post] 

New Mexico Legislature March 22: A somber conclusion: In the aftermath of a mass shooting in Las Cruces, the governor censured lawmakers for “inaction” on juvenile crime and said the Legislature should be prepared for a special session. [Source NM] 

Donald Trump Jr., Blake Masters join board of GrabAGun as it prepares to go public: A slew of conservative political figures and gun rights activists are joining the board of GrabAGun, a digital firearms retailer that plans to go public this summer. [Axios] 

‘This Town Has Nothing’: Rural Texas’ Mental Health Crisis: Against long odds, Sweetwater’s public hospital recruited counselors to help address a wave of mental health crises in rural Texas — yet struggles continue. [Texas Observer] 

Domestic Violence and Maternal Mortality Are Rising. The NIH Just Defunded a Project to Study Both: Pregnant people are more likely to die by homicide than any obstetric-related cause, an evolving, underexamined crisis that’s been fueled by firearms. Last week, the National Institutes of Health canceled funding for a project meant to enhance research on intimate partner violence during pregnancy. [Mother Jones] 

‘Uber With Guns’ App Contracts With Police Officers Accused Of Misconduct: The Protector app requires users to waive the company of any liability for the actions of the armed guards hired through the platform. [HuffPost] 

Violent Threats Against Members of Congress Spiked as Senate Considered Trump’s Nominees: Exclusive Capitol Police data shows that threats doubled this January and February. [Mother Jones] 

A “Goofy” DJ’s Secret Life at the Center of an Online Terrorism Network: Matthew Allison, a well-liked convenience store worker and Saturday-night DJ in Boise, Idaho, was a key figure in an online network of white supremacist and neo-Nazi chat groups and channels known as Terrorgram. Prosecutors link him to a trio of mass shootings that killed six people and wounded a dozen others. [ProPublica and FRONTLINE] 

Officer’s murder trial hinges on whether he had a right to be on the property of a man he shot: A police killing raises larger questions about Alabama’s “stand your ground” law. [Associated Press] 

In Memoriam 

Jorge Arbaiza, 61, “was crazy for his grandkids,” said his wife, Teresa Arbaiza. A dedicated family man, Arbaiza was shot and killed earlier this month inside a McDonald’s near Katy, Texas, where he had been picking up food for his two grandchildren. The kids and Teresa were waiting for him in the car outside the restaurant. Arbaiza immigrated to the United States at age 19, per an obituary, determined to fulfill his dream of building a better life for his future family. He and Teresa, his childhood sweetheart, married a few years later; they were preparing to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary when he died. He was silly by nature, and had a gift for making people laugh. Arbaiza was “was an exceptional husband, father, brother, and grandfather,” one of his sons wrote on a GoFundMe page. “He was larger than life, devoted everything to his family, and always made sure that his loved ones had everything they needed.”

Spotlight on Solutions 

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh is located, is home to 130 municipalities and 108 police departments — ranking among the most fragmented in the nation. Those borders present a unique problem for violence prevention and intervention work: How do you coordinate across so many different agencies? 

The county responded with an innovative solution: an app. The internal tool was developed to facilitate Allegheny’s Rapid Response protocol, part of a larger public health effort to reduce gun violence. It lets intervention teams know when and where a shooting happens, allowing them to mobilize quickly, standardizing the flow of information, and fostering “symbiotic” relationships across the county’s community violence intervention system, said one of the researchers who helped build the app. PublicSource has more. 

Pull Quote

“When do you stop caring? There is no time limit for that.”

— Jason Moran, a commander in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and an expert on cold cases, on why someone who was killed years ago is no less important than someone killed today, to The Trace 

Sunny Sone
Sunny is The Trace’s senior editor for audience and engagement. Sunny previously worked as a copy editor at The Intercept and as digital editor for the Texas Observer, and has covered topics ranging from the Texas funeral industry to the life of visionary composer Pauline Oliveros. Sunny holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.