The breaking news cycle would give most consumers whiplash. In just four weeks, a string of rattling, gun violence-related headlines in local and national publications have shifted the landscape immeasurably. In April, the Trump administration announced plans to pull the financial plug on community violence intervention programs, leaving more than 360 initiatives potentially drained of funds. The Supreme Court declined to settle the question on age restrictions for guns. And, earlier this month, the ATF quietly took down a memorial exhibit honoring 120 people killed by gunfire.
Amid those shifts, The Trace is dedicated to helping readers stay grounded, gain context, and expand resources. That’s why we’re crafting a second list of books that can help us better understand America’s gun violence crisis — and we could use your insight.
Our list includes one from The Trace’s Great Lakes reporter Josiah Bates, whose book “In These Streets: Reporting From the Front Lines of Inner-City Gun Violence,” was published last May. But we know that there are some we’ve missed, and some which are connected to gun violence in unexpected ways.
What books would you recommend adding to our list? Let us know by filling out this form. Our editors will take a look, and we’ll share them in our published post.
— Tatyana Turner, editing fellow
From The Trace
A Gun Deemed Too Dangerous for Cops, but Fine for Civilians: Police are reselling their SIG Sauer P320 pistols — alleged in multiple lawsuits to fire without the trigger being pulled — to the public.
When Fatal Shooting Victims Are Black, Chicago Police Arrest Rates Drop: A Trace analysis found that Chicago’s clearance rates are declining even with fewer homicides to solve. Thousands of families are still looking for closure.
What to Know Today
Andy Greenberg, a journalist at Wired, built a nearly identical version of the partially 3D-printed gun that was allegedly used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In 2015, Greenberg took on a similar project, creating an AR-15 ghost gun and discerning a loophole in federal gun regulations that considers only the lower receiver of the weapon “the gun.” Now, 10 years later, Greenberg believes gun laws aren’t keeping up with DIY firearm technology. [Wired]
New FBI data reveals that large police agencies across the nation neither grew nor shrank in 2024. Despite most police agencies having seen a decrease in staffing after the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 showed that bigger departments shrank less. [Jeff-alytics]
Do people who cause unintentional death receive compassion? Every 18 minutes, someone is accidentally killed with a car, gun, or in a work-related error. After processing the loss of her husband in a workplace accident, Karne McKenna empathized with the man responsible, knowing the act was unintentional and caused him guilt. Now, McKenna raises awareness for people navigating crippling regret. [Maine Public]
This week, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Reddit argued in court that they weren’t liable for racist comments that fueled a gunman to murder 10 people in the May 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting. Under New York state’s product liability law, survivors believe tailored algorithms should be considered products. The state-level case raises questions about the line between online censorship and freedom of speech, and if users or web giants should be held responsible. [Bloomberg Law]
In April 2023, five people were fatally shot at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. A Jefferson County judge ruled Monday that survivors can sue a Louisville gun seller, a distributor, and a firearm accessory manufacturer for liability. The survivors claim that River City Firearms, which sold the shooter an AR-15, failed to properly assess warning signs that the shooter may have been unstable. [Louisville Public Media]
This section was written by assistant engagement editor Victoria Clark.
Data Point
1,214,016 — the number of guns bought in America in the month of April, down 2 percent compared to the same month last year. [The Trace]
Non-Sequitur
In ‘Sinners,’ the blues is a portal between this world and the next
Ryan Coogler’s hit film “Sinners” took the world by storm as an independent portrayal of blues in Black culture. [NPR]
