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Under the Gun

How Gun Violence Is Impacting the Nation

As America emerged from the pandemic, communities continued to experience a rising tide of gun violence. School shootings and the rate of children and teens killed by gunfire both reached all-time highs since at least 1999. ProPublica’s coverage of gun violence reveals how first responders, policymakers and those directly affected are coping with the bloodshed.

Impact of Our Reporting
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Under the Gun

Texas Judge Orders Release of Uvalde Shooting Records

For more than a year, the state Department of Public Safety has blocked the release of records that could offer more clarity into the police response. The agency can appeal the ruling.

Under the Gun

Texas Legislature Closes Gun Background Check Loophole

State lawmakers passed a bill requiring courts to report involuntary mental health hospitalizations of juveniles for inclusion in the federal gun background check system. The law closes a gap revealed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune in 2022.

Under the Gun

Closing Critical Gun Background Check Loophole Gains Bipartisan Support in Texas

After a ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigation found courts failed to report juvenile mental health hospitalizations to the federal firearm background check system, lawmakers from both parties are backing bills to ensure compliance with the law.

Under the Gun

Hoping to Prevent Repeat of Botched Response to Uvalde, Lawmaker Calls for Improved Training for Police, EMTs

The proposed legislation comes after an investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and The Washington Post revealed that communication lapses among medical crews further delayed treatment for victims at Robb Elementary.

64 stories published since 2012

Historic Gun Suit Survives Serious Legal Threat Engineered by Indiana Republicans

In Rural Tennessee, Domestic Violence Victims Face Barriers to Getting Justice. One County Has Transformed Its Approach.

Federal Law Thwarted Chicago’s Attempt to Sue Gun-Makers. But Now It Has a New Strategy.

Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store’s Name Is Kept Secret

Nearly Two Years After Uvalde Massacre, Here Is Where All the Investigations, Personnel Changes Stand

Inside the Historic Suit That the Gun Industry and Republicans Are on the Verge of Killing

Check Your State: Here Are the Active Shooter Training Requirements for Schools and Law Enforcement

Indiana Lawmakers Trying to Kill Historic Suit Seeking Gun Industry Accountability

DOJ Blasts Law Enforcement’s Uvalde Shooting Response in New Report, Calls for Agencies to Prioritize Training

Reports Analyzing the Police Response to a Mass Shooting Can Leave Unanswered Questions — if They’re Released at All

Inside the Notorious Gun Shop Linked to Hundreds of Chicago Guns

Why We’re Publishing Never-Reported Details of the Uvalde School Shooting Before State Investigators

“Someone Tell Me What to Do”

New Uvalde School Shooting Documentary and Investigation Reveal Details of Law Enforcement’s Flawed Response

How a Maine Businessman Made the AR-15 Into America’s Best-Selling Rifle

The Supreme Court Will Decide if Domestic Abuse Orders Can Bar People From Having Guns. Lives Could Be at Stake.

A Sweeping Report on a Michigan School Shooting Finds Multiple Failures and a Troubled Aftermath

How Tennessee’s Justice System Allows Dangerous People to Keep Guns — With Deadly Outcomes

Former Gun Company Executive Explains Roots of America’s Gun Violence Epidemic

Could a Michigan School Shooting Have Been Prevented? Families Still Waiting for a Full Accounting of What Happened.

Tennessee’s Governor Calls for Expanding a Gun Dispossession System Already Failing Domestic Violence Victims

“He Has a Battle Rifle”: Uvalde Police Waited to Enter Classroom, Fearing Firepower From Gunman’s AR-15

Uvalde District Attorney Fights Release of Public Records Against Wishes of Most Families

Texas Governor Says Most Gun Crimes Involve Illegally Owned Weapons. That’s Not True for Mass Shootings.

Despite Decades of Mass Shootings in Texas, Legislators Have Failed to Pass Meaningful Gun Control Laws

Can Community Programs Help Slow the Rise in Violence?

Records Reveal Medical Response Further Delayed Care for Uvalde Victims

Newly Obtained Uvalde 911 Calls Shed More Light on Botched Police Response

Texas State Police Deflect Blame, Downplay Their Role in Uvalde Shooting Failures

Why Outlawing Ghost Guns Didn’t Stop America’s Largest Maker of Ghost Gun Parts

News Organizations Sue Texas Department of Public Safety Over Withheld Uvalde Shooting Records

Critical Omissions Plague Texas Gun Background Check Law

Texas Agencies Fight Releasing Records That Could Help Clarify Response to Uvalde School Shooting

Google Says It Bans Gun Ads. It Actually Makes Money From Them.

Why 18-Year-Olds in Texas Can Buy AR-15s but Not Handguns

What Philadelphia Reveals About America’s Homicide Surge

Why (Almost) No One Is Charged With Gun Trafficking in Illinois

How Chicago Gets Its Guns

How Much Could Obama’s Gun Moves Affect Gun Violence? Nobody Knows.

Why Counting Mass Shootings is a Bad Way to Understand Gun Violence in America

Is the Gun Lobby’s Power Overstated?

The Best Reporting on PTSD in Children Exposed to Violence

Podcast: Guns, PTSD, and the ‘Data-Free Debate'

The Hidden Cost of Gun Violence: Meet a Mother and Her 7-Year-Old With PTSD

Myth vs. Fact: Violence and Mental Health

Where Do the Guns Traced in Your State Come From?

The Best Reporting on Guns in America

Democrats Push to Restart CDC Funding for Gun Violence Research

Why Don’t We Know How Many People Are Shot Each Year in America?

Meet the Doctor Who Gave $1 Million of His Own Money to Keep His Gun Research Going

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

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