The collision of two American epidemics.
The programs, policies, and people driving positive change in America’s gun violence problem.
American lives, shaped by guns.
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How We Fix This
The gun background check system is only as good as the records it contains. How one affable bureaucrat helped Louisiana set the standard for flagging people banned from owning firearms.
Ricochet
After the killing, Tashante McCoy-Ham began advising the Stockton police chief. This summer, another family tragedy put the relationship to the test.
Domestic Violence
The Trace reviewed orders in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Dakota — and found that firearms restrictions were unevenly granted.
Rosemarie Reilly knew her ex might hurt her. But when she sought a restraining order, a judge allowed him to keep his guns.
Edwin Martinez's personal understanding of how trauma can wend its way through a home undergirds his work getting parents and children to process their grief.
2020's shooting surge was overwhelming and in many cities unprecedented. But for outreach workers and other experts, it also led to new ideas and approaches.
Police officer Valerie Martinez put her small department at the vanguard. Her inventive policies are spreading.
Marilyn Thompson left the Little Rock Police after less than two years. She believes policing would be more compassionate — and effective — if police departments reflected their communities.
Kelli Dunaway was part of an all-female voting bloc that made it illegal for abusers to carry concealed weapons in St. Louis County.
"Looking back, I can’t believe how easily the abuse kind of became normal for me," says Michelle Jankowski.
The shooting of a friend forced Marco Vargas to acknowledge his own gun-related trauma — and to start training other young activists in South Central LA.
Michael Lynn Jr. made national news when he guarded Michigan state Representative Sarah Anthony during shutdown protests. At home in Lansing, he questions the double standard applied to Black gun owners.
Only 15 people turned over their firearms, according to a watchdog report, despite a state law that requires them to be disarmed.
The coronavirus pandemic has inspired grassroots efforts to promote safe gun storage.
Brian Williams relocated to Chicago to focus his work on gun violence victims. Now he spends half his time treating coronavirus patients, while grappling with the role that race plays in both crises.
Coronavirus & Guns
In many cities, gun violence is dealing a double blow to black communities already ravaged by the pandemic. Community outreach workers are struggling to keep up.
