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Brian Freskos

@brianfreskos.bsky.social

340 followers 130 following 30 posts

News editor at The Trace (thetrace.org).

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Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · 11h

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

Reposted by Brian Freskos

Tali Woodward @taliwoodward.bsky.social · 1d

Must-read story from @mikespies.bsky.social about what actually happened to the gun industry's suicide prevention effort

mikespies.bsky.social @mikespies.bsky.social · 1d

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

Reposted by Brian Freskos

Will Van Sant @vansant.bsky.social · 7d

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...

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · 8d

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · 8d

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.

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

Reposted by Brian Freskos

Chip Brownlee @bychipbrownlee.com · 12d

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."

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · 12d

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · 13d

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · 15d

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Sep 5

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

Reposted by Brian Freskos

The Trace @thetrace.org · Sep 2

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Aug 29

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.

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Aug 29

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.

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

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Aug 26

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.

CDC Data Is Helping Combat Gun Violence. But It’s at Risk of Disappearing.

As the Trump administration pushes deep cuts to the CDC, we’ve compiled 10 examples of how the agency’s gun violence work has shaped policy and prevention.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Brian Freskos

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 22

National Guard troops in D.C. have been ordered to carry weapons. Why might that make some people nervous?

Kent State.

With Troops in Los Angeles, Echoes of the Kent State Massacre

The 1970 shooting of student demonstrators shows the risks of Trump’s decision to deploy the military against protesters, a history professor explains.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Aug 21

In the 1990s, John Jay professor David Kennedy pioneered a groundbreaking violence prevention strategy. @bychipbrownlee.com spoke to him about Trump's strategy to reduce crime in D.C. and what a more effective approach might look like.

What Would a More Effective Policing Strategy Look Like in D.C.?

We spoke with crime prevention expert David Kennedy about the Trump administration’s takeover of law enforcement in the nation’s capital.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Aug 19

Trump claimed that D.C. has been “taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals” and suggested that he might expand federal intervention to other major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Chicago.

But crime is not out of control in these cities — in fact, it’s decreasing.

The Data Doesn’t Support Trump’s Justification for Deploying the National Guard

Trump has taken over policing in D.C. and threatened to do the same in other cities. A Trace analysis shows that his claims of runaway violence are false.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Jul 29

Gun deaths have now outnumbered motor vehicle fatalities for eight straight years, with guns killing 3,200 more people than car crashes in 2024.

Newest CDC Data Confirms Gun Deaths Fell in 2024, But Were Still Higher Than Before the Pandemic

Annual gun deaths came in below 45,000 for the first time in five years. Until 2020, the country had never surpassed 40,000 gun deaths in a single year.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Brian Freskos

The Trace @thetrace.org · Jun 23

June 18 was the 10-year anniversary of The Trace’s founding. To mark this milestone — a decade of covering this preventable public health crisis — we have rounded up some of the Trace stories that have had the greatest impact.

A Decade of Impact on a Crucial Issue

The Trace launched 10 years ago. We look back at some of the impact generated by our work.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Jun 17

During her 20 years in the Minnesota House, Melissa Hortman had a hand in passing several pivotal gun reforms.

‘Fearless’ Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman, Assassinated by Firearm, Leaves a Legacy of Gun Reform

The former state House speaker had a role in passing several bills to curb violence.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Jun 12

Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles harks back to May 4, 1970, when Ohio's Republican governor summoned the National Guard to quell demonstrators at Kent State, leading to the fatal shooting of students.

With Troops in Los Angeles, Echoes of the Kent State Massacre

The 1970 shooting of student demonstrators shows the risks of Trump’s decision to deploy the military against protesters, a history professor explains.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Jun 5

A Trace analysis of more than 2,000 challenges to gun laws since SCOTUS's 2022 Bruen decision found that a case's outcome now hinges on conflicting interpretations of America’s complex and often uncomfortable past.

Musket vs. AR-15: Judges Are Throwing Out Gun Restrictions Because of Antiquated Laws From America’s Founding

A 2022 ruling that gun laws should align with the nation’s “history and tradition” has sown confusion in courts and weakened longstanding gun restrictions.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · May 19

Our reporters found police departments and sheriff's offices had resold their P320 pistols to the public after determining the gun was unsafe for officers for use.

A Gun Deemed Too Dangerous for Cops, but Fine for Civilians

More than 20 law enforcement agencies contacted by The Trace had moved to prohibit the SIG Sauer P320 because of fears about unintentional discharges.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Apr 23

The turmoil has caused an exodus of senior-level employees and left remaining staff feeling discouraged and destabilized, current and former ATF officials told The Trace.

Another ATF Leadership Shakeup, an Employee Exodus, and Low Morale

Current and former agency officials told The Trace that the appointment of two acting directors in as many months has roiled staff.

www.thetrace.org

Brian Freskos @brianfreskos.bsky.social · Apr 9

The turmoil coincides with a Trump administration push to establish a process for people with criminal convictions, including those for domestic abuse, to legally own guns again.

Domestic Violence Services Are in Jeopardy, Providers Say

The Trump administration’s push to cut federal grants has domestic violence groups considering layoffs, reduced hours, and shelter closures.

www.thetrace.org