The Trace partnered with more than a dozen NBC TV stations as part of our yearlong investigation into the link between stolen guns and violent crime. With California partners NBC Bay Area in San Jose, NBC7 in San Diego, and NBC4 in Los Angeles, we identified nearly 5,000 stolen weapons that were later recovered by police in the Golden State. The vast majority of the weapons were used in crimes — including assaults, robberies, and murders.
Watch the segments below:
NBC Bay Area
NBC7
NBC4
Miles was with The Trace from its founding in 2015 to 2023, as news editor, special projects editor, and deputy editor. Under his leadership, The Trace completed complex special projects such as Off Target, co-reported with USA TODAY and republished by more than 100 local news organizations; Missing Pieces, a collaboration with several partners, including local NBC affiliates, that made data on stolen and recovered guns available to local journalists and the public; and Shot and Forgotten, a multimedia collaboration on survivors of gun violence, which included guidance for journalists on how to cover gunshot victims’ stories with empathy and sensitivity. Miles served as The Trace’s de facto art department, recruiting illustrators and photographers and working with digital design firms to create custom layouts and user experiences as needed. Miles previously worked at Eight by Eight, TIME, and Fast Company. He was a 2020 recipient of the American Society of Magazine Editors NEXT Awards, honoring transformative magazine journalists under 30.
