The ATF, charged with policing the gun industry, lets dealers get away with falsifying records and selling firearms without background checks.
The programs, policies, and people driving positive change in America’s gun violence problem.
American lives, shaped by guns.
The National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful special interest groups in America. We’re investigating how it spends its money.
Our team, our mission, our partners, and more. Plus: How to contact us.
We report stories that would go untold. Generous readers sustain our work.
Sign up now to get our latest stories and eye-opening briefings.
Community Violence
Feds say nearly a third of firearms recovered in the state are homemade, unserialized, and untraceable.
Gun Policy
He pledged to loosen gun restrictions, but his biggest contribution on gun policy was the ban on bump stocks.
Data
The ruling rejects arguments the federal government has used to habitually block the release of figures tracing crime weapons to their prior owners.
Law Enforcement
The department came under national scrutiny after officers used beanbag rounds on demonstrators, sending dozens to the hospital with serious injuries.
Coronavirus & Guns
Firearm sales are soaring, but manufacturers like Henry and Century Arms received coronavirus relief funds from the federal government.
Before they instigated some of the earliest protests against COVID-19 shutdowns, the Dorr brothers honed a brand of fiery Second Amendment activism that doesn’t sway lawmakers, but keeps the donations flowing.
Police are paying firms that preach extreme vigilance and deadly force.
Our West Coast correspondent, a longtime gun owner, breaks down the dos and don'ts of keeping a firearm in the house.
Since Parkland, more than a dozen states have passed bills allowing law enforcement and family members to remove firearms from at-risk people.
Extremism
The arrest of a white supremacist cell before the Richmond gun rally shows how extremist motives are colliding with easy access to ghost guns, homemade silencers, and unregulated tactical accessories.
Ghost Guns
Everything you need to know about the homemade, untraceable firearms that are increasingly turning up at crime scenes.
The perpetrator’s handgun was assembled from parts available for purchase without a background check.
After an international manhunt, Wilson pleaded guilty to a felony in Texas court. But the particulars of his deal left him in a legal gray area that allows him to own and work with firearms.
How We Fix This
Calling itself the “Google of Crime,” Forensic Logic processes and analyzes troves of gun-related data so officers can spot patterns and make more informed decisions in the field.
Mass Shooting
The background check system once stopped some shooters from getting a gun. But in Texas, like 29 other states, private sellers don’t have to vet their customers.
The city has used the law aggressively — and says it has prevented suicides and mass shootings.