The role of the gun industry in America’s gun violence epidemic.
Our team is examining a decade's worth of data from the Gun Violence Archive for insights into one of the most devastating public health crises in the United States.
The National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful special interest groups in America. We’re investigating how it spends its money.
A newsletter spotlighting the people, policies, and programs grappling with the gun violence crisis.
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.
The Business of Guns
In a new episode of “Reveal,” The Trace’s Alain Stephens reports on how law enforcement agencies routinely resell their used guns to buy new ones.
The court’s rollback of the 40-year-old precedent could dilute the power of federal agencies — including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The push comes as Republicans seek to rally their base ahead of the 2024 election.
The Industry
A Georgia jury concluded that the company had failed to adequately warn consumers about the risk of its most popular gun, the P320, unintentionally discharging.
Our investigation found that more than 52,000 police guns have been involved in crimes since 2006. Many of those weapons were resold by law enforcement agencies sworn to protect the public.
Evidence that surfaced during a failed lawsuit in Florida raises questions about the reliability of the Axis II.
A new rule is designed to end years of ambiguity and allow law enforcement to crack down on unlicensed gun dealers.
A federal law protects American gun manufacturers against most lawsuits, but an appeals court has allowed Mexico’s case to move forward.
The surge in exports comes after the Israeli government loosened gun ownership requirements in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Leaders in San Diego, Oakland, and San Francisco hope the effort will incentivize better practices across the gun industry.
Longform
Weapons-maker Byrna is touting "less lethal" guns for self-defense. Can the company find a market in a country dominated by gun lovers and gun haters?
The Gun Machine
In the fifth episode of The Gun Machine, we explore how and when police departments across the country began to stockpile their armories with high-powered weapons and gear.
To build a civilian firearms market, U.S. gun manufacturers pioneered myths about the American West that live on to this day.
In episode two of The Gun Machine, Alain Stephens explores the history of gun ownership in America — including the racist roots of the Second Amendment — and talks to Black gun owners about why they carry.
In the first episode of The Gun Machine, Alain Stephens tells the story of how, without the federal government, the gun industry as we know it might not exist at all.