Investigation

Missing Pieces

The Trace, in partnership with more than a dozen local NBC TV stations, spent over a year reporting on the relationship between stolen guns and violent crime. Reporters obtained records from in excess of 1,000 police departments and law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and connected thousands of weapons to crime scenes.

Longform

Missing Pieces

Gun theft from legal owners is on the rise, quietly fueling violent crime across America.
Brian Freskos

Full Coverage

Lead Reporters

  • Brian Freskos

    News Editor
    Brian is The Trace’s news editor. He is responsible for identifying emerging opportunities for quick-turn news stories, ongoing watchdog coverage, and follow-up reporting. Between 2016 and 2022, Brian served as a reporter and staff writer at The Trace, covering gun trafficking and community-based violence prevention. He was part of the team that produced Missing Pieces, a multi-partner collaboration about the link between gun theft and violent crime that won a Deadline Club Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Brian was also a lead reporter for Off Target, an investigation in partnership with USA Today that helped prompt reforms to how the federal government polices gun dealers. Brian is based in Chicago and holds degrees from Columbia University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.