1/ While we might be the only U.S. newsroom dedicated to full-time coverage of gun violence, we are far from alone in covering the topic.

In 2021, our fellow journalists at other news outlets broke new ground on the issue. Our annual roundup shares some of the most inspiring: 2/ While some of the pieces we feature here highlighted troubling new aspects of our gun violence crisis, many explored interventions and solutions that could help make communities across the country safer. thetr.ac/4MN1k

👇 NEWS 👇

NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre’s Misleading Testimony About Lavish Family Benefits and Yachting in the Bahamas

Read @mikespiesnyc’s latest, published in partnership with @NewYorker.

thetr.ac/sepjp @mikespiesnyc @NewYorker 🧵:

@NRA chief Wayne LaPierre has testified under oath that after Sandy Hook, threats on his life drove him to seek refuge on a yacht in the Bahamas.

Our reporting shows he attended the wedding of his niece while he was there.

1/ The desire to keep kids safe has spawned a multibillion-dollar industry promising to turn schools into fortresses.

Oxford High School is a prime example of that effort, @tomkutsch writes in our weekly newsletter: thetr.ac/NGtJe 2/ Oxford High School had a full-time sheriff’s deputy, was blanketed with security cameras, and is required to hold 3 lockdown drills per year.

In 2019, our podcast project with @Slate examined how these drills affect children: thetr.ac/XZ7Dw

1/ In early fall 2013, a Botswanan export company prepared a shipment of animal parts for Wayne LaPierre and his wife.

Efforts to keep the delivery secret would span months, records obtained by @mikespiesnyc, published in partnership w/ @NewYorker, show: thetr.ac/p1l3z 2/ The trophies: One cape buffalo skull, two sheets of elephant skin, two elephant ears, four elephant tusks, and four front elephant feet, as well as skulls and skins from warthogs, impalas, a zebra, and a hyena, according to emails between the company and Susan LaPierre.

Stephanie Rudy was used to supporting strangers when something terrible happened.

But when a mass shooting happened in her community it felt different. “These were my friends,” she tells @anngivenswrites for our latest Ricochet profile. [THREAD] thetr.ac/1wEzL Rudy has volunteered as a victim advocate with police in Boulder, Colorado, for more than 20 years.

Over the years, she’s witnessed many shades of sadness and fear — and resilience.

1/ In 2013, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and his wife Susan travelled to Botswana to hunt elephants. The trip was filmed by a crew from an NRA-sponsored television series — but never aired.

Those involved worried it could become a PR fiasco. thetr.ac/QOsTZ 2/ The Trace’s @mikespiesnyc obtained a copy of the video, which shows LaPierre struggling to kill the elephant, shooting it several times in the wrong place before another person delivers the fatal shot.

Video embedded here (contains graphic content):
newyorker.com/news/news-desk…

1/ From today's Daily Bulletin:

Developments from statehouses across the country last week:

https://twitter.com/teamtrace/status/1386750768888401925

2/ Indiana eliminated fees to obtain a handgun carry permit in a two-year budget plan a week after the Indianapolis shooting.

The Republican governor is expected to sign, @kaitlin_lange reports for @indystar. indystar.com/story/news/pol…

1/ In his first confirmation hearing, Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland said his top priority would be the ongoing investigation into Capitol insurrectionists, @mattzap, @amarimow, and @DevlinBarrett report for @washingtonpost. washingtonpost.com/national-secur… 2/ Garland expressed support for the DOJ’s role in pursuing local accountability:

“Police accountability is an essential element of the ability of a police department to have credibility with the community.” (via @SarahNLynch, @DoinaChiacu, @Reuters) reuters.com/article/us-usa…

1/ In this morning’s confirmation hearing, Merrick Garland highlighted his role in prosecuting the Oklahoma City bombing and his plan to focus @TheJusticeDept on the root causes of civil inequality, @tomkutsch reported in the Daily Bulletin. 2/ In prepared remarks, Judge Garland said: "Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment, and the criminal justice system; and bear the brunt of the harm caused by pandemic, pollution, and climate change."

#SinceParkland, at least 1,200 kids and teens across the U.S. have died by gun—in homicides, domestic violence, and accidental shootings.

The Trace and @MiamiHerald worked with 200+ student journalists to tell their stories. sinceparkland.org They include the 14 students fatally shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida:

As Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, a reminder: Celebratory gunshots can be lethal. thetrace.org/2017/07/celebr… A man was struck by celebratory gunfire at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, last night. Police say the bullet came from outside the theme park. wfla.com/news/local-new…

At noon today, the #MarchForOurLives student-led demonstration for gun reform will commence in Washington D.C., with satellite marches in at least 843 locations on seven continents. Follow along for updates from across the country: thetrace.org/2018/03/march-… 101 children and teenagers have been shot to death in the U.S. since the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14. Another 209 have been injured: @gundeaths

Students across the U.S. are leaving class at 10 a.m. local time to demand Congress act to end gun violence. The walkout will last for 17 minutes—one minute for each victim of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, one month ago today. Washington D.C.

External Tweet loading...
If nothing shows, it may have been deleted
by @fox5dc view original on Twitter

Brandon Moore was one of several gun owners contacted by The Trace who didn’t know that a gun stolen from his home had been used in a crime—one that left two families devastated. thetrace.org/features/stole… In June 2013, Brandon and his family moved into a new home just 30 minutes outside Denver. His wife stashed his loaded .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol in a closet.

1/The Trace launched just after the Charleston church shooting. We’ve covered several events like Las Vegas, where death toll is 10+. 2/Shootings like the one in Las Vegas are horrifying. In the aftermath, Americans try to make sense of our gun violence problem.