Brian Freskos
@brianfreskos.bsky.social
News editor at The Trace (thetrace.org).
Reposted by Brian Freskos
Trump’s DOJ is diverting money meant for community violence prevention to law enforcement and immigration crackdowns. Important reporting by @bychipbrownlee.com for @thetrace.org
Trump Plans to Take Money From Violence Prevention to Fund His Immigration Crackdown
Grants meant to help violence prevention are being steered to local law enforcement — and recipients must cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
www.thetrace.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Trump’s DOJ is diverting money meant for community violence prevention to law enforcement and immigration crackdowns. Important reporting by @bychipbrownlee.com for @thetrace.org
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
Virginia’s Election of a Democratic Governor Primes the State for Gun Reform
Democratic lawmakers are confident that Abigail Spanberger will resurrect bills vetoed by her Republican predecessor.
www.thetrace.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:56 PM
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
Reposted by Brian Freskos
My latest for @thetrace.org challenges a common narrative. That gun violence “starts in the home”.
Adlone Morris was a Detroit cop and a devoted father. Still, his sons got caught up in the streets he patrolled.
Their story highlights the complexities of gun violence that are often ignored [1]
Adlone Morris was a Detroit cop and a devoted father. Still, his sons got caught up in the streets he patrolled.
Their story highlights the complexities of gun violence that are often ignored [1]
He Patrolled the Neighborhoods Where His Sons Were Drawn into Violence
Despite Adlone Morris's best attempts, he couldn't keep his sons from joining a gang as teenagers. Now they all work to make Detroit safer.
www.thetrace.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:51 PM
My latest for @thetrace.org challenges a common narrative. That gun violence “starts in the home”.
Adlone Morris was a Detroit cop and a devoted father. Still, his sons got caught up in the streets he patrolled.
Their story highlights the complexities of gun violence that are often ignored [1]
Adlone Morris was a Detroit cop and a devoted father. Still, his sons got caught up in the streets he patrolled.
Their story highlights the complexities of gun violence that are often ignored [1]
Reposted by Brian Freskos
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-...
www.thetrace.org/2025/11/new-...
New Yorkers Fill Gun Classes as Applications for Concealed Carry Permits Surge
With few rules on how the courses are taught, gun aficionados have stepped in to run them.
www.thetrace.org
November 12, 2025 at 9:09 PM
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-...
www.thetrace.org/2025/11/new-...
The number of applications for permits to carry concealed guns in New York City has increased nearly tenfold in the past three years.
New Yorkers Fill Gun Classes as Applications for Concealed Carry Permits Surge
With few rules on how the courses are taught, gun aficionados have stepped in to run them.
www.thetrace.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The number of applications for permits to carry concealed guns in New York City has increased nearly tenfold in the past three years.
Reposted by Brian Freskos
The group that represents the interests of the gun industry has won accolades for trying to raise awareness about suicide, the leading cause of gun death.
But it uses deceptive numbers to promote its efforts.
But it uses deceptive numbers to promote its efforts.
My new story, published in partnership with @thetrace.org and @rollingstone.com: www.thetrace.org/2025/11/nssf...
The Gun Industry’s Suicide Prevention Effort Isn’t What They Say It Is
The National Shooting Sports Foundation has won accolades for trying to raise awareness about suicide, but it uses deceptive numbers to promote its efforts.
www.thetrace.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:13 PM
The group that represents the interests of the gun industry has won accolades for trying to raise awareness about suicide, the leading cause of gun death.
But it uses deceptive numbers to promote its efforts.
But it uses deceptive numbers to promote its efforts.
Modeling from The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub shows the steep downward trend in D.C. shootings predates Trump’s policing takeover in the capital by several months, suggesting his actions are not responsible.
What Have Trump’s Troops Done for Crime in D.C.?
The president has taken credit for reducing crime in the capital, but a new analysis by The Trace shows that a decline was already underway.
www.thetrace.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Modeling from The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub shows the steep downward trend in D.C. shootings predates Trump’s policing takeover in the capital by several months, suggesting his actions are not responsible.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two Second Amendment cases this year, the most in its history. @bychipbrownlee.com put together this explainer about the cases and their potential implications.
The Supreme Court Is More Interested in Second Amendment Cases Than Ever Before
The justices will consider two significant challenges this term. Here’s how they might affect gun laws.
www.thetrace.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two Second Amendment cases this year, the most in its history. @bychipbrownlee.com put together this explainer about the cases and their potential implications.
The Minnesota State Senate established a Gun Violence Prevention Working Group to find bipartisan solutions to address gun violence after the Annunciation school shooting. Here's how it's been going:
Minnesota’s Gun Politics Mirror the Nation’s Divide
State legislators established a gun violence working group after a high-profile school shooting. A debate over a basic safety measure has left them at a standstill.
www.thetrace.org
October 22, 2025 at 8:04 PM
The Minnesota State Senate established a Gun Violence Prevention Working Group to find bipartisan solutions to address gun violence after the Annunciation school shooting. Here's how it's been going:
We recently launched an update of our Gun Violence Atlas that includes several new features. Users can now view trends for specific types of gun violence — like mass shootings and domestic violence — and aggregate data on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis, among other things.
Where Are People Being Shot in America?
The Trace’s Atlas of American Gun Violence has been updated to allow you to search by address, county, congressional district, type of shooting — and to download maps.
www.thetrace.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
We recently launched an update of our Gun Violence Atlas that includes several new features. Users can now view trends for specific types of gun violence — like mass shootings and domestic violence — and aggregate data on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis, among other things.
Gun dealers have endured years of shrinkage and now face the prospect of a second “Trump Slump” — a calamitous dip in demand that befell the industry after Trump’s 2016 election calmed fears of tighter gun control.
Gun Stores Are Struggling Under Trump
Dealers say the president’s gun-friendly policies have actually hurt their sales. “People have a tendency to want what they feel is under threat," one said.
www.thetrace.org
October 14, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Gun dealers have endured years of shrinkage and now face the prospect of a second “Trump Slump” — a calamitous dip in demand that befell the industry after Trump’s 2016 election calmed fears of tighter gun control.
Reposted by Brian Freskos
Claim: President Trump says Portland is "war-ravaged" and "on fire."
Fact-check: Gun violence in Portland has been plummeting since the pandemic — and shootings in the neighborhood around the ICE facility are rare
Fact-check: Gun violence in Portland has been plummeting since the pandemic — and shootings in the neighborhood around the ICE facility are rare
October 9, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Claim: President Trump says Portland is "war-ravaged" and "on fire."
Fact-check: Gun violence in Portland has been plummeting since the pandemic — and shootings in the neighborhood around the ICE facility are rare
Fact-check: Gun violence in Portland has been plummeting since the pandemic — and shootings in the neighborhood around the ICE facility are rare
Since the assassination of former state House Rep. Melissa Hortman and the Annunciation school shooting, calls have growing for gun reform in Minnesota. But as @bychipbrownlee.com reports, the path to reform runs through Republicans, making gun restrictions unlikely to pass.
Minnesota Lawmakers Are Gridlocked Over Gun Reform
The assassination of a former House speaker, followed by the deadly Annunciation school shooting, has reignited a battle over the state's gun laws.
www.thetrace.org
October 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Since the assassination of former state House Rep. Melissa Hortman and the Annunciation school shooting, calls have growing for gun reform in Minnesota. But as @bychipbrownlee.com reports, the path to reform runs through Republicans, making gun restrictions unlikely to pass.
Reposted by Brian Freskos
Must-read story from @mikespies.bsky.social about what actually happened to the gun industry's suicide prevention effort
1/My latest story, part 4 of our series “The Secret Files of the Gun Industry,” begins in in 2016, when the country’s best-known suicide prevention group teamed up with the gun industry to tackle the biggest form of gun death + help reduce suicide 20% by 2025 www.thetrace.org/2025/10/gun-...
A Program Backed by the Gun Industry Failed to Reduce Suicide — and Was Secretly Shut Down Early
The country’s best-known suicide prevention group teamed up with the gun industry. The effort was good for public relations and raising money, but it never met its goal, and internal records show why.
www.thetrace.org
October 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Must-read story from @mikespies.bsky.social about what actually happened to the gun industry's suicide prevention effort
Reposted by Brian Freskos
Given yesterday's call to use American cities as military training grounds, sharing this debunking of Trump's crime claims and related @thetrace.org coverage put together by my colleague @jenmascia.bsky.social
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/trum...
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/trum...
Trump’s Big Crime Lies
As the president prepares to send federal troops into Memphis and Chicago, we debunk a few of his most mendacious talking points.
www.thetrace.org
October 1, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Given yesterday's call to use American cities as military training grounds, sharing this debunking of Trump's crime claims and related @thetrace.org coverage put together by my colleague @jenmascia.bsky.social
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/trum...
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/trum...
An estimated 70 percent of people currently detained by ICE have never been convicted of a crime.
Some Immigrants in Chicago Now Fear ICE More Than Gunfire
Donald Trump's deployment of federal agents to cities is based on the disproven claim that immigrants commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes.
www.thetrace.org
September 30, 2025 at 3:24 PM
An estimated 70 percent of people currently detained by ICE have never been convicted of a crime.
Sunday's church attack in Michigan was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a U.S. house of worship over the past two decades.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 dead and 100 wounded.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 dead and 100 wounded.
A Timeline of High-Profile Shootings at Houses of Worship
The attack on a Mormon church in Michigan was one of many similar shootings over the past 20 years, according to an analysis by The Trace.
www.thetrace.org
September 30, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Sunday's church attack in Michigan was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a U.S. house of worship over the past two decades.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 dead and 100 wounded.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 dead and 100 wounded.
Reposted by Brian Freskos
Are the writings shooters are leaving on their ammunition and weapons replacing manifestos? Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist and an expert on mass shootings and targeted violence, doesn't think so.
More likely: They're trying to make their violence seem "cool."
More likely: They're trying to make their violence seem "cool."
Why Are High-Profile Shooters Writing on Their Ammo?
Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin and the Dallas ICE shooter both scrawled messages on their rounds. A criminologist breaks down what these inscriptions mean.
www.thetrace.org
September 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Are the writings shooters are leaving on their ammunition and weapons replacing manifestos? Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist and an expert on mass shootings and targeted violence, doesn't think so.
More likely: They're trying to make their violence seem "cool."
More likely: They're trying to make their violence seem "cool."
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.
The Dallas ICE Shooting Underscores How Hard It Is to Stop Sniper Attacks, Experts Say
“There really is not anything you can do to secure a public place 100 percent,” said Caylen Wojcik, a former Marine sniper.
www.thetrace.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:44 PM
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.
Trace news writer @jenmascia.bsky.social debunks Trump's claims about crime:
Trump’s Big Crime Lies
As the president prepares to send federal troops into Memphis and Chicago, we debunk a few of his most mendacious talking points.
www.thetrace.org
September 25, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Trace news writer @jenmascia.bsky.social debunks Trump's claims about crime:
A bill in Illinois would require gunmakers to pay into what amounts to a compensation fund for gun violence. It's sort of like workers’ comp — but for gun injuries and deaths — shifting some of the burden from victims and taxpayers back onto the industry that profits from the product.
A Chicago Trauma Doctor Has a Plan to Shift the Cost of Gun Violence
Dr. Anthony Douglas is determined to compel the gun industry to fund victim restitution in Illinois — with national implications.
www.thetrace.org
September 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
A bill in Illinois would require gunmakers to pay into what amounts to a compensation fund for gun violence. It's sort of like workers’ comp — but for gun injuries and deaths — shifting some of the burden from victims and taxpayers back onto the industry that profits from the product.
Senior news writer @jenmascia.bsky.social compiled every active shooter swatting hoax at colleges and universities over the past two weeks, and she spoke to experts who said these incidents can be nearly as traumatizing as an actual shooting
More Than 20 Active Shooting Hoaxes Have Locked Down Colleges Over the Past Two Weeks
Experts said swatting incidents can traumatize students and first responders.
www.thetrace.org
September 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Senior news writer @jenmascia.bsky.social compiled every active shooter swatting hoax at colleges and universities over the past two weeks, and she spoke to experts who said these incidents can be nearly as traumatizing as an actual shooting
Reposted by Brian Freskos
As the Trump administration threatened to send federal troops in Chicago to fight crime, local leaders, including Governor Pritzker, responded by saying that not only is Trump not wanted, he’s flat out wrong: Chicago is experiencing a significant drop in gun violence.
As Trump Pushes for Troops in Chicago, City Leaders Say His Cuts Could Fuel Crime
Local leaders want federal funding reinstated to maintain Chicago’s progress in reducing gun violence.
www.thetrace.org
September 2, 2025 at 8:11 PM
As the Trump administration threatened to send federal troops in Chicago to fight crime, local leaders, including Governor Pritzker, responded by saying that not only is Trump not wanted, he’s flat out wrong: Chicago is experiencing a significant drop in gun violence.
Six GOP governors — MS, LA, TN, SC, OH, and WV — sent National Guard units to D.C., echoing Trump’s rhetoric about a city awash in crime.
But most of those states have some of the nation’s highest gun homicide rates, with counties worse than the capital Republicans portray as especially dangerous.
But most of those states have some of the nation’s highest gun homicide rates, with counties worse than the capital Republicans portray as especially dangerous.
Republican Governors Sent National Guard to D.C. Despite Violence at Home
Most of the states backing Trump’s crime crackdown have areas with higher gun homicide rates than the nation’s capital, a Trace analysis shows.
www.thetrace.org
August 29, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Six GOP governors — MS, LA, TN, SC, OH, and WV — sent National Guard units to D.C., echoing Trump’s rhetoric about a city awash in crime.
But most of those states have some of the nation’s highest gun homicide rates, with counties worse than the capital Republicans portray as especially dangerous.
But most of those states have some of the nation’s highest gun homicide rates, with counties worse than the capital Republicans portray as especially dangerous.
In 2019, the gun industry funded a study that showed pro-gun Americans could support reforms that are vigorously opposed by gun rights groups, Republican lawmakers, and the industry itself.
Those reforms include universal background checks, red flag laws, and even a gun registry.
Those reforms include universal background checks, red flag laws, and even a gun registry.
Gun Rights Supporters Could Accept Significant Regulations, Per Industry’s Research
After Parkland, the gun industry found that people with “positive feelings” about gun ownership were open to common reform arguments.
www.thetrace.org
August 29, 2025 at 8:50 PM
In 2019, the gun industry funded a study that showed pro-gun Americans could support reforms that are vigorously opposed by gun rights groups, Republican lawmakers, and the industry itself.
Those reforms include universal background checks, red flag laws, and even a gun registry.
Those reforms include universal background checks, red flag laws, and even a gun registry.