The Business of Guns

Chicago

Their Guns Fueled Chicago Crime. When They Broke the Law, The ATF Went Easy.

A report from the Chicago mayor’s office named gun stores whose wares consistently wound up in city crimes. ATF records show the agency was lenient.

Concealed Carry

Gun Training Loophole Leaves Florida’s Concealed Carriers Ill-Prepared, Instructors Say

A vaguely worded law requires applicants to fire a gun under the supervision of an instructor. It's inspired some training companies to meet the requirement in creative ways.

The Industry

ATF Moves to Revoke License of Gunmaker Tied to Jimenez Arms

The Trace previously reported that the company declared bankruptcy and rebranded multiple times, avoiding lawsuits and investigations.

The Business of Guns

Watch: Machine Gun Conversion Kits Are ‘Everywhere,’ Feds Warn

With VICE News, we document the rise of the auto sear, a small, cheap device that converts a semiautomatic firearm into an automatic one. Court records show that auto sears have been used in robberies, homicides, and extremist attacks.

The Business of Guns

The Return of the Machine Gun

For decades, fully automatic weapons were expensive, collectable, and rarely used in crimes. Auto sears, which can cost less than $20 online, have changed that.

The Business of Guns

Smith & Wesson Gets Second Chance to Avoid Release of Internal Documents

A federal appeals court vacated an earlier ruling that could have required the gun company to comply with a subpoena from the New Jersey attorney general.

Mass Shooting

The Sandy Hook Lawsuit Against Remington Is Over

The gunmaker agreed to pay a $73 million settlement, which will allow it to shield some details about the industry’s internal workings.

The Business of Guns

In Disadvantaged Areas, Shootings Cluster Near Gun Shops, Study Finds

The finding from Rutgers University researchers comes as the Biden administration pursues a harder line against noncompliant gun dealers.

The Industry

Gunmaker Under ATF Scrutiny Over Connections to Jimenez Arms

The Trace's reporting has shown that JA Industries is largely a clone of Jimenez Arms, which declared bankruptcy in what experts said was an effort to avoid accountability for unscrupulous business practices.

Gun Trafficking

How U.S. Guns Drive Cartel Violence in Mexico

American firearms power a brutal conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives.

Law Enforcement

Florida Teen Is Latest Person Killed By Police While Carrying a Toy Gun

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.

Ricochet

Ryan Busse Was a Rising Star in the Gun Industry. Then He Had a Change of Heart.

The former executive started to question some of the political positions he’d accepted all his life — and to feel complicit in the country's tragedies.

ATF

Biden’s Pistol Brace Rule Would Put Pressure on an Already Strained ATF Division

If adopted, the rule would require brace owners to apply to the NFA Division, which has long been understaffed and routinely misses its own performance benchmarks.

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.

Off Target

‘Kitchen-Table’ Gun Dealers Rack Up ATF Violations

Some of the strictest federal penalties land on home-based sellers who fail to invest in sales tracking and security.