The Business of Guns

The Gun Industry Is Betting on Bigger High-Capacity Magazines

The Business of Guns

The Gun Industry Is Betting on Bigger High-Capacity Magazines

The new products can reliably fire 40 or more rounds before requiring reloading. They’re ending up in the hands of mass shooters.

Alain Stephens
Ghost Guns

Twitter Announces New Policy Banning 3D-Printed Gun Files

Three weeks after The Trace reported that Twitter users were freely distributing design files for 3D-printed guns, the social media platform rolled out a new policy prohibiting the practice. The rule change is part of a wide-ranging update…

Sean Campbell
Plans for 3D-Printed Guns Are Still Accessible on Twitter and YouTube

Ghost Guns

Plans for 3D-Printed Guns Are Still Accessible on Twitter and YouTube

The platforms say they don’t allow users to post blueprints or how-tos for building ghost guns. But the files continue to circulate.

Sean Campbell
Ghost Guns Are Everywhere in California

Community Violence

Ghost Guns Are Everywhere in California

Feds say nearly a third of firearms recovered in the state are homemade, unserialized, and untraceable.

Alain Stephens
New Bill Would Require Gun Stores to Secure Weapons After Hours

Gun Policy

New Bill Would Require Gun Stores to Secure Weapons After Hours

The proposal comes after an investigation by The Trace and The New Yorker found that thieves are exploiting lax security and stealing thousands of weapons that end up on the black market.

Brian Freskos
QUIZ: Is This Gun Real or Fake?

The Business of Guns

QUIZ: Is This Gun Real or Fake?

Some replica firearms are virtually indistinguishable from deadly weapons, adding peril to encounters with police. Can you tell the difference?

Daniel Nass
Gunmakers Are Profiting From Toy Replicas That Can Get Kids Killed

The Business of Guns

Gunmakers Are Profiting From Toy Replicas That Can Get Kids Killed

Manufacturers cut lucrative licensing deals that allow toy companies to make replicas of their products. Since 2015, police have killed more than 150 people who were holding look-alike weapons.

Alain Stephens
Major Bump Stock Retailer Sues Feds Over Destroyed Devices

The Business of Guns

Major Bump Stock Retailer Sues Feds Over Destroyed Devices

RW Arms, a Texas-based gun accessory company, is suing the government for $20 million in compensation after surrendering its inventory of bump stocks for destruction in compliance with federal regulations. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. Court of Federal Claims…

Alex Yablon
What the Sandy Hook Lawsuit Could Mean for the Gun Industry

Law

What the Sandy Hook Lawsuit Could Mean for the Gun Industry

The latest chapter in the extended legal battle could — emphasis on could — puncture the gun industry's immunity from lawsuits.

Olivia Li
U.S. Gun Makers Send Weapons South As Migrants Flee North

The Business of Guns

U.S. Gun Makers Send Weapons South As Migrants Flee North

Experts say the Trump administration's push to weaken oversight of gun exports could worsen the Central American refugee crisis

Alex Yablon
Oversight of International Gun Sales Is in Shambles

The Business of Guns

Oversight of International Gun Sales Is in Shambles

According to two government reports, officials are approving sales without adequate information about how the guns may be used, and are failing to notify Congress of large-scale deals.

Alex Yablon
Two Big Gun Companies Really, Really Don’t Want to Make Smart Guns

The Business of Guns

Two Big Gun Companies Really, Really Don’t Want to Make Smart Guns

Forced by investors to consider the prospect of developing smart guns, two of the oldest gun companies in America have released reports rejecting the idea. Sturm, Ruger & Co. and American Outdoor Brands (AOBC), the parent company of Smith…

Alex Yablon
Gun Sales Fell in 2018, Despite Parkland-Inspired Activism

The Business of Guns

Gun Sales Fell in 2018, Despite Parkland-Inspired Activism

Americans usually stock up on firearms when new restrictions are in the air. But not last year.

Alex Yablon
A New Generation of Entrepreneurs Thinks It Can Revive the Smart Gun

The Business of Guns

A New Generation of Entrepreneurs Thinks It Can Revive the Smart Gun

The first smart guns were unreliable, hackable, and a bad fit for their intended customers. Now several upstart companies think they can learn from the mistakes of the past.

Brian Freskos
Records Show Few Unlicensed Private Gun Sellers Face Federal Penalties

Gun Policy

Records Show Few Unlicensed Private Gun Sellers Face Federal Penalties

President Obama sought to stiffen enforcement of a federal rule that says frequent gun dealers need government authorization. Data show the crackdown never materialized.

Sean Campbell

Help our journalists shine a light on gun violence

The Business of Guns

The Gun Industry Is Betting on Bigger High-Capacity Magazines

Twitter Announces New Policy Banning 3D-Printed Gun Files

Plans for 3D-Printed Guns Are Still Accessible on Twitter and YouTube

Ghost Guns Are Everywhere in California

New Bill Would Require Gun Stores to Secure Weapons After Hours

QUIZ: Is This Gun Real or Fake?

Gunmakers Are Profiting From Toy Replicas That Can Get Kids Killed

Major Bump Stock Retailer Sues Feds Over Destroyed Devices

What the Sandy Hook Lawsuit Could Mean for the Gun Industry

U.S. Gun Makers Send Weapons South As Migrants Flee North

Oversight of International Gun Sales Is in Shambles

Two Big Gun Companies Really, Really Don’t Want to Make Smart Guns

Gun Sales Fell in 2018, Despite Parkland-Inspired Activism

A New Generation of Entrepreneurs Thinks It Can Revive the Smart Gun

Records Show Few Unlicensed Private Gun Sellers Face Federal Penalties