Milwaukee’s violence trends are sending mixed signals. Nonfatal shootings declined in 2025. Homicides rose 8 percent. Meanwhile, the office overseeing violence prevention is navigating leadership upheaval and expiring federal funds. The system itself is under strain. New story for @thetrace.org

During last night's State of the Union, President Trump correctly touted a record-low murder rate — but homicides were already nearing record lows when he returned to office. More from our factcheck:

Story from @fairrionam.bsky.social on research linking ghost gun recoveries and suicide in California. It's a first-of-its-kind finding that drew on data we obtained and published at the Gun Violence Data Hub www.thetrace.org/2026/02/ghos...

In 2025, a few weeks into Trump’s second term, I spoke to researchers on what they were already seeing and what it could mean for gun violence research. A year later, I revisited that conversation: www.thetrace.org/2026/02/gun-...

Loved Bad Bunny’s halftime show, many of us noticed that he featured power lines in his show, here’s why: www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-... #BenitoBowl

The Trace's @bychipbrownlee.com is compiling a list of terminated federal funding related to public safety, violence prevention, and gun violence and violence prevention research. Check out his data here:

So far in his 2nd term, President Trump has eased up on gun dealer oversight, cut funding for research and violence prevention, and swapped the Office of Gun Violence Prevention for an office of gun rights. Here’s everything Trump has — and hasn’t — done on gun policy since retaking office:

There have been two shootings this week involving immigration enforcement agents, @thetrace.org is keeping track of these shootings: www.thetrace.org/2025/12/immi...

ICE has a chilling history of shootings — though when and how its agents use deadly force has long been shrouded in secrecy.

How much does the gun industry make each year? It's hard to estimate since it's made up of dozens of public and private companies. In this edition of Ask The Trace, we attempt an answer.

Virginia's outgoing GOP governor has vetoed 42 gun reform bills during his tenure, including a ban on abusive dating partners having guns, @jenmascia.bsky.social reports

Here's a nice @tedalcorn.bsky.social piece on the rise in folks aspiring to be legal gun toters in NYC for @thetrace.org. Can confirm his observation that in the past, "permits were largely held by business leaders, politicians, and celebrities." www.thetrace.org/2025/11/new-...

A Seattle program serves as an example of implementing culturally aware bleeding control training, specifically at a time when social and political tensions are high. Read my latest for @thetrace.org www.thetrace.org/2025/11/stop...

A powerful story of a father and cop, challenging the narrative that violence starts at home. @josiahbates.bsky.social reports: www.thetrace.org/2025/11/detr...

Since 2000, gunfire has killed more than 800,000 people in the U.S. @fairrionam.bsky.social breaks down what experts say it'll take to reverse the trend by 2040

Gun violence can seem like an intractable problem in the U.S., but there are ways to reduce it. In March, experts from a wide array of disciplines — doctors, historians, social workers, and others — gathered to discuss exactly what the country can do. Here’s their blueprint:

A New JAMA Report led by veteran gun violence prevention researchers explores the ways to significantly reduce gun violence in the next 15 years: www.thetrace.org/2025/11/how-...

The Government has been shutdown for 23 days —- and at its center is healthcare. In my latest, I look at some ways gun violence victims could be affected by the potential shifts to healthcare. www.thetrace.org/2025/10/shut...

Our Atlas of American Gun Violence is revamped, giving users new ways of exploring the data. Powerful @thetrace.org work. www.thetrace.org/2025/10/anno...

Dr. Tim Kummer responded to the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School. He wants a ban on assault-style weapons — and a way for Americans to have a healthier conversation about the gun issue.

Survey Respondents who approved of the NRA were more thank twice as likely to believe that violence was justified to advance political objectives, a new study finds: www.thetrace.org/2025/10/nra-...

Sobering story from @themainemonitor.org on the high rates of gun suicides among older Mainers. They're the first newsroom to use a new Gun Violence Data Hub dataset to localize a story on this subject. themainemonitor.org/maine-suicid...

Since 2020, much has been said about crime in cities—whether it's up, down, the cause. While we should discuss the impact of violent vs "quality of life" crimes, we can't ignore data. @fairrionam.bsky.social on what federal cuts do to places not under the political microscope.

Older Americans have the highest rates of gun suicide of any age group. Not by a little — by a lot. Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...

Public health experts say framing gun violence solely as an “urban” issue ignores rising rates in rural communities, especially suicides, and risks sidelining proven solutions. @fairrionam.bsky.social digs into this in her latest piece for @thetrace.org

More CDC cuts could wipe out one of the most reliable sources of gun violence data. To show what’s at stake as Congress moves to enact the agency’s next budget, @thetrace.org compiled 10 examples of how the CDC’s gun violence work has helped reveal trends, shape interventions, and inform policy.

An inside look from @vansant.bsky.social www.thetrace.org/2025/08/marc...

Can President Trump militarize crimefighting in Democrat-run cities like Chicago and Baltimore? Not legally. But that doesn’t mean he won't try, a policing expert told me. My latest for @thetrace.org:

Treating #gunviolence as a #publichealth crisis saves lives. These cuts are wrongheaded. Most Gun Violence Victims Are Enrolled in Medicaid. Trump’s Cuts Are Putting Them at Risk. www.thetrace.org/2025/07/medi... by @fairrionam.bsky.social @thetrace.org CC: @ruthz.bsky.social @kbfischer.bsky.social

And our leaders should be turning cartwheels to ensure that happens. It is painful to see just the opposite happening. Thank you to @thetrace.org and @fairrionam.bsky.social for including me in this article. You can read the full piece here: www.thetrace.org/2025/07/medi... 2/2

Gun homicides and suicides may be more connected than we think. A new study digs into 50 years of county-level data. Great reporting by @fairrionam.bsky.social for @thetrace.org

I am grateful to The Trace for including me in their coverage of how devastating Medicaid cuts will be to victims of gun violence. Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health services in the country. Slashing Medicaid means denying victims of violence the supports they need — and deserve. 1/2

The latest edition of the Trajectory explores an exciting solution aimed at addressing gun violence as a public health crisis: www.thetrace.org/2025/07/medi...

I went to Charleston to report on the tenth anniversary of the AME Church Shooting. Here is what I gathered from my reporting: www.thetrace.org/2025/06/char...

Under federal law, people who are convicted of domestic abuse or subject to a qualifying protective order aren’t allowed to have firearms, but actually separating them from their guns is another matter. In Ohio, a state Supreme Court advisory committee came up with an unusual solution: paperwork.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Mexico’s lawsuit against American gunmakers. The justices ruled that PLCAA, a 2005 federal law, shields the gunmakers from liability.

A top coronavirus vaccine adviser at the CDC has resigned, citing concerns that she could no longer help vulnerable people after officials rescinded recommendations to immunize children and pregnant women.

- I’m not crying…you are.

Check out my latest story covering Dan’s recent research that examines a startling link between exposure to gun violence and physical health:

Exposure to gun violence is linked to depression, risk of suicide, and mental health services use, especially when the violence happens over and over again. Thank you to @thetrace.org and @fairrionam.bsky.social for covering our latest national research. www.thetrace.org/2025/04/gun-...

For decades, epidemiologists have known that homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women and birthing people in the United States, surpassing sepsis and hemorrhaging. Experts say these deaths are largely preventable. A new study looks into the connections between policy and outcome.

For decades, gun violence researchers faced steep difficulties in tracking and funding their work. As Trump returned to the White House, so did the uncertainty about the future of gun violence scholarship. Experts say it’s only the beginning.

We just launched our 2025 reader survey. Can you take a few minutes to let us know how we’re doing? Your answers will help us better understand who we’re reaching, what your needs are, and how we can better serve you and everyone interested in America’s gun issue.

Though gun violence has returned to normal levels in many places, the aftermath of the COVID-era surge persists. To understand the scope of the loss, we analyzed over 220,000 shootings, finding that about 18,000 more people were killed than would have if gun violence remained at 2019 levels.

#MaternalHomicideCrisis: 17 y/o Ikea Hood had just given birth 3 weeks before she was fatally shot by her on/off boyfriend in Dallas last year. She was young and Black, putting her at a disproportionate risk to be a victim of a leading cause of death for pregnant women. The trial is underway.

In a new report, the ATF cautioned state and local law enforcement against reselling their used guns. The warning comes less than a year after a Trace investigation found that thousands of former police guns were involved in crimes.

Homicide is among the leading causes of death of pregnant and post-partum people. But there are ways to prevent these deaths — strategies ranging from screening pregnant patients for intimate partner violence to addressing upstream issues like financial inequity. From The Trajectory:

FYI any reporters looking at police staffing levels in your neck of woods, crimedatatool.com by @jacobkaplan.bsky.social probably have data for your jurisdiction of interest going all the way back to 1960. 1960-2023 in one place. Add current staffing and voila.

That LiAngelo Ball song is extremely catchy. Was not on my bingo card