The programs, policies, and people driving positive change in America’s gun violence problem.
Looking back at the stories we told, and which stuck with us, during an eventful year.
The role of the gun industry in America’s gun violence epidemic.
The National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful special interest groups in America. We’re investigating how it spends its money.
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Philadelphia
A recent study found that a Philadelphia program can reduce shootings among participants by about half.
Fifteen months after the community’s last high-profile killing, Philadelphia’s largest university is still struggling to keep its people safe.
In neighborhoods that account for 43 percent of Philadelphia's shootings, residents are wary, with some only leaving their homes for essentials.
Ask The Trace
Laws to expand the technology's use have passed in three states and the District of Columbia. But some are questioning its effectiveness.
Danielle Outlaw heads a dwindling police force in a city that just logged 500 homicides, but Philadelphians from all walks of life are giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Features
In the spring of 2020, Rochester, New York, was poised for genuine police reform. Then came a 911 call for a Black man in crisis.
Shootings at gas stations are rising across the city. As police search for answers, the families of victims are grieving — and filing lawsuits.
Few police are ever prosecuted for on-duty killings. In Philly, Krasner charged three officers; one has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
Community Violence
As city leaders double down on policing amid a spike in shootings, a new idea is gaining hold among experts: could less policing actually reduce gun violence?
Civil liberties advocates worry the NYPD is repeating the mistakes it made with its gangs list — and that innocent people are being tracked without even knowing it.
Law Enforcement
Artist and activist Tracy Brown is pressuring the feds to terminate the "Rubber Dummie" contract.
A reader asks about a provision in the new Violence Against Women Act that requires the federal government to notify local officials when someone fails a background check.
How We Fix This
The city hopes that providing officers and residents the space and tools to listen to each other can remedy distrust and prevent further violence.
The Industry
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.
ATF
An internal report urged the ATF to open up its exclusive contract. Instead the contract was renewed, and several ATF officials went to work for the contractor.
