The Trace

The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom focused on gun violence reporting, is hiring a People and Operations Manager to oversee HR processes, employee engagement, and organizational operations. The role involves managing recruitment, benefits, performance, and compliance while supporting staff growth and improving workflows.

A federal appellate court struck down New Jersey’s assault weapons ban on Second Amendment grounds, marking the first such ruling in a case that could influence similar laws in other states. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decision, led by Judge Arianna Freeman, cited U.S. Supreme Court precedents as grounds for invalidating the law, potentially affecting Delaware, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and pending cases in Illinois and Connecticut. The Supreme Court will hear challenges to assault weapons bans later this year, with a ruling expected by 2027.

Over 4 million Americans have lost access to SNAP benefits since Congress passed President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law. Experts, including trauma surgeon Dr. Sharven Taghavi, link reduced food assistance to increased gun violence, citing studies showing SNAP expansion correlates with lower firearm injury rates.

Gun violence in the U.S. has significantly decreased in the first half of 2026, with 6,458 shooting deaths and 11,781 injuries, the lowest since 2015. However, gun sales have risen, with 7.3 million firearms sold, and some states like Iowa and New Hampshire saw increases in shooting deaths.

Philadelphia detectives have significantly increased their clearance rates for homicides and nonfatal shootings over the past decade, with homicide clearance rates rising from 45% in 2016 to 82% in 2023. The quick arrest of two 16-year-old suspects in the June 2024 fatal shooting of William 'Billy' Schmidt exemplifies this trend, attributed to reduced homicide rates and advancements in crime-solving technology.

A new report alleges that gun manufacturers like SIG Sauer coordinated with retailers to enforce minimum advertised prices, preventing price competition and inflating profits. Retailer John Kielbasa faced supply cutoffs after lowering SIG Sauer gun prices, highlighting challenges for small businesses in the industry.

Teens in Fort Wayne, Indiana, highlighted widespread exposure to gun violence during a youth-led forum, revealing that most knew individuals killed by gunfire. The event, organized by Alive Community Outreach and Fort Wayne Community Schools, followed recent shootings and aims to address rising violence in Black neighborhoods, despite some declines in juvenile gunshot victims.

Independence Day celebrations in the U.S. saw 139 shootings in 2024, a decline from 153 in 2023, with 35 deaths and 187 injuries reported. The reduction aligns with a broader five-year trend of decreasing gun violence, including a drop in gun deaths from 48,830 in 2021 to 44,447 in 2024. Notable incidents included multiple shootings in Centreville, Mississippi; Brooklyn, New York; and other locations, some linked to celebratory gunfire.

Baltimore's Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS), launched in 2022, led to a significant decline in homicides and shootings by 2026, marking the fewest first-half-year homicides since the 1960s. The strategy, combining focused deterrence, community intervention, and sustained leadership, shows a 23% drop in homicides and 2.5% in nonfatal shootings compared to 2025.

The Department of Justice sued Virginia and California to overturn their gun restrictions, including Virginia’s assault weapons ban and California’s prohibition on firearms susceptible to machine gun conversion devices. The lawsuits were filed by the Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section, which has initiated multiple similar cases targeting gun laws in other states and territories.

Philadelphia’s gun carry license revocations increased nearly 2.5 times over five years, prompting a federal investigation into the criteria used. The Black Lion Party for International Solidarity, a group conducting armed patrols, had several members’ licenses revoked after a clash with police, with their attorney alleging discriminatory tactics. A proposed Pennsylvania bill aims to prohibit revocations based on 'character and reputation,' criticized as vague.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases challenging assault weapons bans in Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut. The decision could determine the constitutionality of such bans under the Second Amendment, potentially affecting similar laws in other states. The cases, Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, will be argued in October 2023, with a ruling expected by 2024.

Florida hospitals discharge gunshot wound victims more quickly if they are uninsured, as seen in Alea Bates' case where she was sent home after four days without further diagnostic tests due to lack of health insurance. A new analysis by The Trace and KFF Health News reveals uninsured patients with gun injuries in Florida spend significantly fewer hospital days compared to insured patients.

A yearlong investigation by The Trace and KFF Health News reveals that uninsured gunshot victims in Florida have shorter hospital stays compared to insured patients. Uninsured patients averaged six days in the hospital, about three-quarters of the time for those with private insurance and less than half for Medicaid patients. Black patients were highly overrepresented, comprising nearly half of all gunshot wound hospitalizations.

A newsroom collaborated with photographer Robert Gerhardt to create a 50-page zine highlighting Brownsville, Brooklyn's community efforts to combat gun violence. The project aims to distribute the zine through community events and encourage readers to share their own stories about local initiatives addressing violence.

Over 3,300 challenges to gun laws have been ruled on by federal courts since the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision expanded the Second Amendment. The rulings, tracked by The Trace, include 2,488 cases targeting the federal felon gun ban and 28% success rate for civil lawsuits invalidating gun regulations, with a partisan divide in judicial outcomes.

The article discusses the emotional and social challenges faced by families of murder-suicide perpetrators, highlighting the lack of support groups addressing both grief and guilt. Tina Chevalier, whose brother killed himself and his girlfriend in 2021, co-founded a virtual support community for survivors of murder-suicides.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Hawaii’s law banning gun carrying at public-facing businesses without owner permission is unconstitutional, citing inconsistency with historical firearm regulation traditions. The decision in Wolford v. Lopez reinforces the 2022 Bruen ruling, requiring modern gun laws to align with early American practices, and clarifies that businesses can still prohibit firearms if they explicitly notify customers.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson launched the Office of Gun Violence Reduction to centralize violence prevention efforts and coordinate programs across the city. The office will publish monthly reports and form an advisory committee, though a standalone department requires City Council approval. Recent shootings on Chicago’s South and West Sides highlight ongoing concerns despite a decline in homicides.

A Los Angeles woman's dog was shot and killed by police who mistook her celebration of the New York Knicks' NBA championship for a 'screaming woman.' The incident, captured on body camera, highlights a lack of national data on police-involved canine shootings, with estimates suggesting 10,000 dogs are killed annually by officers due to inadequate training and mindset issues. Similar cases, like a therapy dog shot in Illinois, underscore the issue's prevalence.