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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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.
Law Enforcement
At least 245 people have been fatally shot by authorities while in possession of replica firearms in the last six years, according to a Washington Post database.
The modern defund movement has roots in Baltimore activism. A new focus on bringing residents into city budgeting could inform the national movement.
Chicago
City officials have repeatedly blamed gangs for driving up shootings. But analysis shows that the Chicago Police Department’s own data doesn’t back up its leaders' claims.
The city quietly renewed its multi-million dollar contract with ShotSpotter. But a growing body of evidence suggests the technology is ineffective and activists say it leads to deadly over-policing.
Law
Victim advocates and law enforcement officials say that a new state law taking aim at federal gun rules could hamstring attempts to disarm abusers and prevent local authorities from reporting stores for failing to run background checks.
A conversation with Professor Sarah Seo, whose work explores the fraught history of traffic enforcement and the problems that emerge when officers get to decide whose cars to stop.
Newark’s Police Department went a full calendar year without shooting a civilian. But with cops still using force disproportionately against Black residents, activists are split on the future of public safety there.
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.
The department came under national scrutiny after officers used beanbag rounds on demonstrators, sending dozens to the hospital with serious injuries.
Community Violence
Away from the protests, shootings are on the rise. City leaders recently disbanded a police unit meant to prevent them — and what happens next might shape public safety for years.
New research on officers killed and injured in shootings shows a dangerous profession — but not one that’s getting riskier.
As the defund movement grows, Strategic Decision Support Centers have lost the support of politicians — including the man likely to be the next mayor.
Police are paying firms that preach extreme vigilance and deadly force.
From law enforcement killings to basic traffic stops, firearms shape every encounter between officers and civilians, especially when those interactions involve Black people.
