Photographer Lou Bopp spent years documenting the lives of children killed in school shootings. He told The Trace about how his team approached shooting victims’ families, and whether he’ll ever truly be finished with this project.

Now that gun violence in Philadelphia is on a sustained downward trajectory, the city is trying to figure out what to do next. So for the first time in its history, the Philadelphia Police Department is developing a five-year strategic plan designed to enhance public safety.

Important context from @thetrace.org and the Gun Violence Data Hub: An of 150 U.S. Cities Shows One of the Greatest Drops in Gun Violence — Ever www.thetrace.org/2025/10/gun-...

As Philly officials draft a new plan for making the city safer, @thetrace.org's Mensah M. Dean spoke to residents about their priorities. One theme: Better police relations. "They should say, 'Good morning,' and, 'Good afternoon.' It doesn’t hurt to say that." www.thetrace.org/2025/10/phil...

Today, we're debuting a new feature on @thetrace.org called 92 Days in Gun Violence. It's a quarterly update. The big finding thru Q3 is that have been fewer shooting deaths in 2025 than any year in a decade. Plus more on gun sales, our work, and recent research: www.thetrace.org/2025/10/shoo...

Gun dealers talk to @champebarton.bsky.social about the drop in demand, what drives sales, and the state of the industry. Some dealers are seeing folks who bought during the pandemic sales surge now seeking to sell their guns. www.thetrace.org/2025/10/gun-...

"The attack was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a house of worship in the United States over the past two decades, according to a Trace analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive and other nonprofits that track such incidents."

An estimated 70 percent of people currently detained by ICE have never been convicted of a crime.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims of Sunday's shooting and fire at a Latter-day Saint church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. So far, at least four people have been confirmed as dead and either others were wounded.

In the past two years, several shooters have attempted long-range assaults on politicians and government workers. Unlike many forms of public gun violence, these sorts of attacks evade most security measures, which makes preventing them exceedingly difficult.

We've covered this some at @thetrace.org, but Lydia Polgreen goes further here, showing how the rush to blame trans people for high-profile shootings exemplifies a broader mindset. (Trace story by @jenmascia.bsky.social) www.thetrace.org/2025/07/mass...

Important, sobering story on something we rarely talk about from @amendelson.bsky.social @thetrace.org @gqmagazine.bsky.social. From our analysis: -Americans 70+ had the highest suicide rates -Gun suicides kill more men 70+ than car crashes -From 2009-23, 63,836 older Americans died by gun suicide

“They are taking innocent people and it’s affecting the community,” Raquel said. “You can’t even be at peace in your own home.” Important story from Rita Oceguera in @thetrace.org @chicagoreader.com

"The shooting that claimed Kirk’s life did not happen in a vacuum. It follows a string of politically motivated attacks in the past two years: the attempted assassination of.. Donald Trump; the assassination of former Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband," and the CDC.

Rita Oceguera keeps a spotlight on disinfo for @thetrace.org www.thetrace.org/2025/09/chic...

From a prescient 2024 opinion piece in @thetrace.org : "To counter the ideology that drives political violence, we must refrain from normalizing the permission structure that condones it. ... Political leaders bear a significant responsibility." www.thetrace.org/2024/08/trum...

Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot today at an event in Utah while on his “American Comeback” tour. He reportedly was being fact-checked at his “Prove Me Wrong” table about the trans mass shooter myth when he was shot.

Washtenaw County, Michigan, sits just west of Detroit but faces its own split gun violence crisis. In Ypsilanti, shootings are driven by retaliation. Across the county’s rural towns, older white men are dying by suicide at far higher rates. Local leaders have built two playbooks in response.

Philly gets yet another resource for keeping its streets clean. It's part of the city's effort to continue reducing violent crime.

@jenmascia.bsky.social found there were at least 22 swatting hoaxes at American colleges just between the last week of August and early September. "Most of the calls involved an armed person in the library. Some featured gunshots in the background." www.thetrace.org/2025/09/swat... #tellewa

"The NSSF study, then, raises a key question: Why have Republican lawmakers largely stood against more significant reforms, let alone any reform at all? As the study indicates, many people with a favorable view of gun ownership appear open to going further than ... lawmakers."

Some helpful historical context from my colleagues @jenmascia.bsky.social and @bychipbrownlee.com on how we got here www.thetrace.org/2024/04/colu...

We have updated the Gun Violence Data Hub's page featuring data on mass shootings. This data comes from the Gun Violence Archive, and uses their definition of "a minimum of four victims shot." You can find more information and download the data at this link datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/mass...

If you don't think "thoughts and prayers" suffice at this moment, you may want to read about what the gun industry knows about firearms laws, by @mikespies.bsky.social www.thetrace.org/2025/07/gun-...

From a @thetrace.org Q&A with a Yale policing expert: "If we were talking about a city and a state, the National Guard wouldn’t be able to exercise general police powers like making arrests or investigating crimes. Washington poses a very different issue." www.thetrace.org/2025/08/trum...

In light of today’s shooting in Minnesota, here’s a relevant bit from the gun industry’s own research, which I obtained earlier this summer

Washington D.C.'s 12-day murder-free streak ended early this morning with the shooting death of a man just after midnight www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-n...

"The ongoing dispute exposed a foundational fracture in the city’s community violence intervention efforts. … That structural shift, according to several local activists, marked the beginning of a more top-down, enforcement-driven approach."

March for Our Lives, an important youth mobilizer, has hit hard times. Quite hard. Details in my latest story: www.thetrace.org/2025/08/marc...

Trump claimed the nation’s capital has been “taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals.” But crime in D.C. and other cities he's targeted is not out of control — in fact, it’s decreasing. Below, we fact-check his claims.

"Without these buyers, civilian sales would collapse, which the gun industry knows. Still, the industry is defensive about the role it plays in arming this demographic." www.thetrace.org/2025/07/gun-... @mikespies.bsky.social

In this fascinating piece, @bychipbrownlee.com breaks down the strange consequences of the landmark Bruen decision. Co-published with @slate.com www.thetrace.org/2025/06/gun-...

An important update on @thetrace.org's approach, from @taliwoodward.bsky.social : "We know that things are changing quickly, and that we need to be nimble and creative. We also need to refrain from turning too much of our time and attention to Trump-induced chaos." www.thetrace.org/2025/04/edit...

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll's takeover as acting director of the ATF was the latest in a string of unexpected developments at the agency. Current and former officials say the turmoil has caused an exodus of senior-level employees and left staff feeling discouraged and destabilized.

“It was a feeling of justice, like justice actually worked," Byrd told reporter Mensah M. Dean.

Florida’s Retreat From Stricter Gun Laws www.thetrace.org/2025/04/flor... from @thetrace.org

“It’s important to understand that when the shooting is over, if your shooter didn’t die… there’s a whole other fight and battle you have to go through.” Highland Park survivors say the gunman who fired into the quiet Chicago suburb’s Fourth of July parade shattered their sense of safety.

Three acts of violence committed by youth — and the loss and law enforcement activity that followed — show just how acutely Philly’s gun violence crisis has crossed generational lines, shedding light on why more young people may be carrying firearms. Published with The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Even As Shootings Plummet, Philly Sees an Alarming Uptick in Children and Teens Charged With Gun Violence www.thetrace.org/2025/04/teen... Mensah M. Dean for @thetrace.org with @inquirer.com

Last week, a Pennsylvania jury found Maurice Byrd — a Black man who fatally shot a white man, claiming self-defense — not guilty of first-degree murder and all related counts. His case tested “stand your ground” in the state. Background in Mensah M. Dean’s 2024 story:

In Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood — known as one of the city’s most dangerous areas — homicides last year dropped by 45 percent, nonfatal shootings by 57 percent, and all violent crimes by 17 percent. After one year of change, officials and community members want to keep the momentum going.

“No, it's still the same. Because the same thing is still going to happen. It's normal.” Despite a stark drop in gun violence in Philadelphia, many residents don’t feel any safer. Some say their sense of security depends on where they are in the city.

“Where’s the level of due care for people who are in dire, traumatic situations?” Chicagoans often experience delayed responses from emergency services. To avoid the risk of slow transport, many gunshot victims are getting rides from friends or driving themselves to a nearby hospital.

Detroit Ended 2024 with the Lowest Number of Homicides Since 1965. Now It May Lose a Crucial Program. www.thetrace.org/2025/02/detr... @josiahbates.bsky.social @thetrace.org

President Trump has signed an executive order directing AG Pam Bondi to “review” much of the Biden administration’s actions on guns. That review will include ATF regulations and the reports of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Coolers Are Banned Near This Year’s Super Bowl. Guns? They’re OK www.thetrace.org/2025/02/supe... @jenmascia.bsky.social @thetrace.org

"Next time, do it on Day One. Do it bigger. Do it better, right? This isn’t the final form of what an office can be. This is just version one. And version two is yet to come."

The Legacy of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention www.thetrace.org/2025/02/whit... @bychipbrownlee.com @thetrace.org

How Chicago Drill Artists Hacked the Conversation about Gun Violence www.thetrace.org/2025/01/dril... @thetrace.org with @thetriibe.com