Researching gun violence has never been an easy task. For one thing, violence is complicated, and by nature, it’s difficult to pull apart. For another, formal public health and sociological studies are expensive — a burden that for decades was exacerbated by a lack of federal funding for gun violence research, courtesy of a 1996 measure pushed by the National Rifle Association. As The Trace’s Jennifer Mascia and Chip Brownlee reported last month, in 2019, there was finally a breakthrough: Congress struck a bipartisan deal to begin allocating $25 million each year to the CDC and the NIH to study gun violence, and scientists quickly began applying for funding and making up for lost time.

September marked four years since most of the first projects received grants. Among other things, those dollars have gone toward researching youth gun violence, firearm suicide prevention, and community violence intervention, including the systemic inequities and disparities that contribute to a higher burden for communities of color. In short, these studies have focused on how to effectively reduce the country’s gun violence crisis.

Now, federally funded research is once again under threat. Republicans in Congress have been trying to remove dollars for the study of gun violence from the budget, and the new Trump administration will likely bolster those efforts. One researcher outlined the effects for The Trace’s Rita Oceguera: “When we’re funded on behalf of the federal government, we’re doing work on behalf of the people within the United States. … If we stop our momentum now, my deep fear and concern is that firearm violence is just going to increase again.”

This issue has renewed relevance for The Trace, which has been using data to report on gun violence since we opened shop in 2015. This week, we formally launched the Gun Violence Data Hub, an initiative that provides support and reliable data to newsrooms, researchers, and the public. The goal is to make gun violence data accessible, and to make the crisis easier to comprehend — not only through work with journalists, but also through resources like Gun Violence Glossary and Gun Violence 101 guide that contextualize the crisis. Explore the Data Hub here.

From The Trace

What to Know This Week  

On Wednesday, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars media company — including assets ranging from his online vitamin supplements store to his “extensive in-office fitness equipment” — went up for auction behind closed doors. The proceeds will help pay nearly $1.5 billion in court-ordered damages to families of Sandy Hook victims who won defamation lawsuits against Jones over his false claims that the 2012 school shooting never happened. Billionaire Elon Musk and the owners of satire news outlet The Onion were among the potential Infowars buyers who spoke publicly about their interest. [NPR/NBC] 

As in many big cities, gun violence in Baltimore is trending downward — and the decline in one neighborhood is particularly notable. In July 2023, a block party in the city’s Brooklyn community was interrupted by a mass shooting that left two people dead and nearly 30 others injured. The area has now marked a full year without a single homicide. [Associated Press] 

President-elect Donald Trump selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to run the Department of Homeland Security, an agency anticipated to play a central role in Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations and aggressively police the border. Noem became the subject of controversy earlier this year when she revealed in a memoir that she had shot and killed her family dog. [The New York Times/CNN] 

Via The Bulletin newsletter: A federal judge declared Illinois’ controversial ban on assault weapons unconstitutional, permanently blocking enforcement pending a one-month stay, during which the state is likely to file an appeal. U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, a Donald Trump appointee, introduced his 168-page ruling with a discussion of “perils”: “Too often, the perils we face are forced upon us by other people. By people who are negligent, reckless, insane, impaired, or evil. Sometimes it is the proverbial lone wolf; sometimes, it is the whole wolf pack,” McGlynn wrote. “Truly, life comes at you quickly.” [Courthouse News/Chicago Sun-Times]

In Memoriam 

La’Tavion Johnson, 18, was “full of energy,” but it might have taken you a little while to see it: “He was shy until he got to know you,” his father told AL.com, “and then he was [the] life of any party.” Johnson was killed on Sunday, the victim of a mass shooting at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Sixteen others were wounded during the shooting, which took place at the end of the school’s 100th homecoming celebration week. His parents said he died a hero; video indicates that Johnson was shot after pushing someone out of the way. He was a “lively soul,” loved ones told WSFA — and a “mama’s boy,” according to his mother. Johnson was getting ready for the next steps in his life: He was slated to start a career with the Alabama Department of Transportation next week, and he and his girlfriend were planning their future together, discussing how many kids they’d like to have together. He loved the outdoors, his parents said, and had a great sense of humor. Perhaps above all, Johnson’s dad said, “He was a loving person.”

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The Real Problem With Banning Masks at Protests

“Privacy advocates worry banning masks at protests will encourage harassment, while cops’ high-tech tools render the rules unnecessary.” [The Marshall Project] 

Pull Quote

“Young people themselves are saying, ‘Enough of this.’ They want to live. They see for themselves what’s going on.”

— Berto Elmore, a criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia who specializes in defending those charged with drug and gun crimes, on the city’s decline in shootings and how he’s seen young people reframe their thinking on firearm violence, to The Trace

Sunny Sone
Sunny is in charge of our newsletters, leading the growth of existing products and dreaming up new ones. They previously worked as a copy editor at The Intercept and as digital editor for the Texas Observer, and co-published a web-only magazine under the Brick House media cooperative. Sunny has covered topics ranging from the Texas funeral industry to the life of visionary composer Pauline Oliveros. They hold a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.