Champe Barton

Champe Barton is a reporter at The Trace covering the gun industry. His work has focused on the role of gun distribution in America’s gun violence epidemic, including lax enforcement of federal firearms laws by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, failure by California police departments to properly trace crime guns, and efforts by gun manufacturers to monitor how the guns they produce slip into the criminal black market. His work has appeared in USA TODAY, Rolling Stone, Slate, The Guardian, FiveThirtyEight, and The Daily Beast, among other publications.

Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, and Washington all closed dealers because of the coronavirus. Firearms were still flying off shelves.

Champe Barton, Daniel Nass, and Kevin Johnson

‘Outrageous’: California Lawmakers Slam Police for Failing to Use Gun Database

The Industry

‘Outrageous’: California Lawmakers Slam Police for Failing to Use Gun Database

The development comes after an investigation by The Trace and NBC Bay Area found police are violating state law by not logging guns into the database so they can be traced.

Champe Barton
California Police Aren’t Tracking Crime Guns, Ignoring Thousands of Potential Leads

Data

California Police Aren’t Tracking Crime Guns, Ignoring Thousands of Potential Leads

For more than a decade, agencies have flouted a state law requiring them to use a tool that policing experts say can help reduce gun violence.

Champe Barton
Exactly How High Are Gun Violence Rates in the U.S., Compared to Other Countries?

Ask The Trace

Exactly How High Are Gun Violence Rates in the U.S., Compared to Other Countries?

A reader asks about the differences between firearm homicide and suicide rates in the United States and the rest of the world.

Champe Barton and Daniel Nass
Mexico Looks to Bypass U.S. Gun Companies’ Special Legal Immunity

The Industry

Mexico Looks to Bypass U.S. Gun Companies’ Special Legal Immunity

The latest attempt to hold gunmakers accountable for soaring violence relies on a novel legal argument.

Champe Barton
New York to Roll Out Pioneering Violence Prevention Program That Involves Financial Incentives

How We Fix This

New York to Roll Out Pioneering Violence Prevention Program That Involves Financial Incentives

The Advance Peace model, which pairs young people with mentors and rewards them for reaching life goals, has achieved positive outcomes in other cities. It's about to face its biggest test yet.

Champe Barton
A 22-Year-Old Lawsuit May Generate Unprecedented Access to Gun Industry Secrets

The Industry

A 22-Year-Old Lawsuit May Generate Unprecedented Access to Gun Industry Secrets

A long-winding legal case brought by the city of Gary, Indiana, faces a crucial test in September, when a judge will rule whether a handful of major gun manufacturers have to hand over years of internal documents.

Champe Barton
To Shed a Cage

Criminal Justice

To Shed a Cage

Hamid Abd-Al-Jabbar and David Thompson bonded in juvenile detention in the 1980s, then spent most of the next 40 years in prison. When they emerged from one of the country’s most unforgiving state penal systems, their friendship proved crucial.

Champe Barton
St. Louis Has Never Shared Police Shooting Investigation Results With Its Civilian Oversight Board

Law Enforcement

St. Louis Has Never Shared Police Shooting Investigation Results With Its Civilian Oversight Board

The board, established five years ago in the wake of Michael Brown’s killing, is supposed to review all concluded internal investigations of police shootings. Despite dozens of incidents, it has yet to see a single case.

Champe Barton
The Way We Think About Mass Shootings Ignores Many Black Victims

Mass Shooting

The Way We Think About Mass Shootings Ignores Many Black Victims

High-casualty shootings didn’t disappear during the pandemic — they nearly doubled.

Champe Barton
Promising Crime Solutions Are Being Undermined by Flawed Federal Ratings, Researchers Say

How We Fix This

Promising Crime Solutions Are Being Undermined by Flawed Federal Ratings, Researchers Say

While local leaders seek answers to a sharp rise in violent crime, experts worry the Justice Department’s CrimeSolutions clearinghouse may be holding back effective programs.

Champe Barton
What Are 3D-Printed Guns, and Why Are They Controversial?

The Industry

What Are 3D-Printed Guns, and Why Are They Controversial?

Breaking down the technology, the legality, and the ideology of a growing movement.

Champe Barton and Chip Brownlee
Keybase, a Platform Owned by Zoom, Will Ban Groups Sharing Blueprints for 3D-Printed Guns

The Business of Guns

Keybase, a Platform Owned by Zoom, Will Ban Groups Sharing Blueprints for 3D-Printed Guns

After major social media platforms cracked down, makers of largely unregulated firearms flocked to Keybase. Now they must find a new home.

Chip Brownlee and Champe Barton
A Historic Surge in Gun Violence Compounds the Traumas of 2020

Coronavirus & Guns

A Historic Surge in Gun Violence Compounds the Traumas of 2020

In over a dozen cities, homicides rose by 50 percent or more this year. “It’s very likely that these increases are larger than any on record,” said one criminologist.

Champe Barton, Brian Freskos, and Daniel Nass
Far-Right Gun Festival Boosts Election Conspiracy Theories

Election 2020

Far-Right Gun Festival Boosts Election Conspiracy Theories

A Pennsylvania event organized by the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon featured speakers like Steve Bannon, who repeated unfounded claims about voter fraud.

Champe Barton
The Case That Could Topple the Gun Industry’s Special Legal Protections

The Industry

The Case That Could Topple the Gun Industry’s Special Legal Protections

An opinion handed down in a Pennsylvania appeals court threatens a law that gunmakers have long used as a shield against wrongful-death suits.

Champe Barton

The only newsroom dedicated to covering gun violence.

Champe Barton

Gun Shops Flouted State Closure Orders in April as Industry Notched Another Big Month

‘Outrageous’: California Lawmakers Slam Police for Failing to Use Gun Database

California Police Aren’t Tracking Crime Guns, Ignoring Thousands of Potential Leads

Exactly How High Are Gun Violence Rates in the U.S., Compared to Other Countries?

Mexico Looks to Bypass U.S. Gun Companies’ Special Legal Immunity

New York to Roll Out Pioneering Violence Prevention Program That Involves Financial Incentives

A 22-Year-Old Lawsuit May Generate Unprecedented Access to Gun Industry Secrets

To Shed a Cage

St. Louis Has Never Shared Police Shooting Investigation Results With Its Civilian Oversight Board

The Way We Think About Mass Shootings Ignores Many Black Victims

Promising Crime Solutions Are Being Undermined by Flawed Federal Ratings, Researchers Say

What Are 3D-Printed Guns, and Why Are They Controversial?

Keybase, a Platform Owned by Zoom, Will Ban Groups Sharing Blueprints for 3D-Printed Guns

A Historic Surge in Gun Violence Compounds the Traumas of 2020

Far-Right Gun Festival Boosts Election Conspiracy Theories

The Case That Could Topple the Gun Industry’s Special Legal Protections