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Samantha Storey

@samanthastorey.bsky.social

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Reposted by Samantha Storey

Dr Rasu Shrestha @rasushrestha.bsky.social · 16d

If you think Tylenol is bad for children’s health, wait until you see what guns do.

Firearms were responsible for 20 percent of all child and teen deaths in the U.S. for both 2020 and 2021, compared to an average of less than 2 percent in similarly large and wealthy nations, according to a new KFF analysis. This puts the U.S. far ahead of peer nations in child and teen firearm deaths.

Data show that U.S. firearm deaths for children and teens again surpassed motor vehicle deaths – the second leading cause of death – and that the increase has been primarily driven by gun assault deaths.

On a per capita basis, the firearm mortality rate among children and teens in the U.S. is over 9.5 times the rate of Canada, the country with the second-highest child and teen firearm death rate. If firearm deaths in the U.S. had mirrored Canada’s rates between 2010 and 2021, approximately 30,000 U.S. children and teenagers would still be alive.

Reposted by Samantha Storey

The Trace @thetrace.org · 26d

School swatting incidents have accelerated in recent years. Experts say these hoaxes can traumatize students and first responders. thetr.ac/EryMr

“You have all the kids who are texting their parents. You have parents who think they’re not gonna see their kids later. And that’s incredibly traumatizing. And you don’t know what kind of trauma that community experienced before that moment.”
— Jaclyn Schildkraut, a school safety expert who directs a gun violence research group at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, on the psychological damage of school “swatting” incidents

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Chip Brownlee @bychipbrownlee.com · 26d

There's a lot of speculation about the motive of the man who killed Charlie Kirk. Regardless of what we learn, this assassination is an accelerant on an already burning fire.

"The question is how high it’s gonna burn and how much destruction it’s gonna do," @jeffsharlet.bsky.social tells me.

Narratives About the Killing of Charlie Kirk May Be More Powerful Than the Facts

Jeff Sharlet, the author of ‘The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War,’ talked to The Trace about making sense of this tense moment.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 26d

Political violence like the Charlie Kirk assassination accelerates our march toward civil unrest — but it's not to late to stop it, @jeffsharlet.bsky.social tells my colleague @bychipbrownlee.com

Narratives About the Killing of Charlie Kirk May Be More Powerful Than the Facts

Jeff Sharlet, the author of ‘The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War,’ talked to The Trace about making sense of this tense moment.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Alma Beauvais @almabeauvais.bsky.social · 27d

Multiple sites around the country are scrambling after the Trump administration canceled funding for the Firearms Technical Assistance Project, a program that brings together community organizations to tackle the dangers posed by guns in domestic abuse situations. www.thetrace.org/2025/09/trum...

When Domestic Violence Grant Funding Is Lost, What’s Plan B?

DEK: Multiple sites are scrambling after the Trump administration canceled a program designed to help tackle the dangers posed by guns in domestic abuse situations.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Will Van Sant @vansant.bsky.social · 26d

Rita Oceguera keeps a spotlight on disinfo for @thetrace.org

www.thetrace.org/2025/09/chic...

Trump Says Chicago Is Crime-Ridden. But Shootings Are Down 50 Percent Since His First Term.

Chicagoans interviewed by The Trace say they’ve been feeling safer in their neighborhoods — and do not want intervention from ICE or the National Guard.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Joy Resmovits @joyresmo.bsky.social · 27d

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...

A Call to Protect Democracy From Political Violence

Experts at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions consider what led to the current climate — and how we can change it.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

The Trace @thetrace.org · 28d

Cleaner neighborhoods and green spaces point to a decline in crime. Could it help Philadelphia?

Bulletin: Could Cleanup Initiatives in Philadelphia Help Reduce the City's Gun Violence?

Cleaner neighborhoods and green spaces point to a decline in crime.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Joy Resmovits @joyresmo.bsky.social · Sep 5

@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

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 Samantha Storey

Aaron Mendelson @amendelson.bsky.social · Aug 28

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...

Data on mass shootings in the United States, from the Gun Violence Archive.

datahub.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Joy Resmovits @joyresmo.bsky.social · Aug 27

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...

Legal Constraints Could Stymie Trump’s Plans to Police Other Cities

We spoke with a policing expert from Yale Law School about whether a federal takeover could come to New York or Chicago.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

The Trace @thetrace.org · Aug 27

Full story here:

Samantha Storey @samanthastorey.bsky.social · Aug 28

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

You drop your child off at kindergarten where they learn how to hide from an active shooter. You spot a rifle-strapped shopper in the cereal aisle at the supermarket. You stuff your belongings in a cl...

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

mikespies.bsky.social @mikespies.bsky.social · Aug 27

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

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Josiah Bates @josiahbates.bsky.social · Aug 27

"Under the Constitution, policing powers are reserved to the states. The federal government has very little legal authority to intrude on those powers."

Important context from Yale’s Jorge Camacho in this @thetrace.org Q&A by @jenmascia.bsky.social

Legal Constraints Could Stymie Trump’s Plans to Police Other Cities

We spoke with a policing expert from Yale Law School about whether a federal takeover could come to New York or Chicago.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Will Van Sant @vansant.bsky.social · Aug 27

In a Q&A with a law and policing expert, @jenmascia.bsky.social explores limits to further crackdowns in Democratic cities that have opposed Trump.

www.thetrace.org/2025/08/trum...

Legal Constraints Could Stymie Trump’s Plans to Police Other Cities

We spoke with a policing expert from Yale Law School about whether a federal takeover could come to New York or Chicago.

www.thetrace.org

Samantha Storey @samanthastorey.bsky.social · Aug 26

An inside look from @vansant.bsky.social www.thetrace.org/2025/08/marc...

They Rallied the Nation After the Parkland School Shooting. Years Later, Their Group Is Floundering.

The gun reform group has been rocked by divisions, layoffs, and — most recently — a lawsuit alleging racism and retaliation.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

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 Samantha Storey

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · Aug 26

Claim: Washington D.C. hasn't had a murder since Trump sent in the troops on August 11.

Fact: There was a murder on August 13.

No murders since then — but there have been 7 shootings. A total of 8 people were wounded

www.gunviolencearchive.org/query/3378d4...

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Joy Resmovits @joyresmo.bsky.social · Aug 21

"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."

Josiah Bates @josiahbates.bsky.social · Aug 21

Minneapolis poured millions into community violence intervention groups after George Floyd’s murder.

Five years later, shootings are down, but the network of interrupters that helped stabilize the city is now fractured, caught in a contract standoff with the city.

My latest for @thetrace.org

'It's a Bully Tactic': Minneapolis Violence Interrupters Stand Off With the City

At the height of the racial justice protests in 2020, the Rev. Jerry McAfee was on the front lines in Minneapolis. When residents filled the streets after George Floyd’s murder, McAfee and other veter...

www.thetrace.org

Samantha Storey @samanthastorey.bsky.social · Aug 21

The latest from @josiahbates.bsky.social

www.thetrace.org/2025/08/minn...

'It's a Bully Tactic': Minneapolis Violence Interrupters Stand Off With the City

At the height of the racial justice protests in 2020, the Rev. Jerry McAfee was on the front lines in Minneapolis. When residents filled the streets after George Floyd’s murder, McAfee and other veter...

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

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

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Josiah Bates @josiahbates.bsky.social · Aug 20

March for Our Lives helped usher in major gun policy wins, but now faces new challenges. Layoffs, internal divides, and a lawsuit alleging racism all point to deeper questions about sustainability and leadership in young advocacy groups.

New @thetrace.org story by @vansant.bsky.social

They Rallied the Nation After the Parkland School Shooting. Years Later, Their Group Is Floundering.

The gun reform group has been rocked by divisions, layoffs, and — most recently — a lawsuit alleging racism and retaliation.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Will Van Sant @vansant.bsky.social · Aug 20

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...

They Rallied the Nation After the Parkland School Shooting. Years Later, Their Group Is Floundering.

The gun reform group has been rocked by divisions, layoffs, and — most recently — a lawsuit alleging racism and retaliation.

www.thetrace.org

Reposted by Samantha Storey

Steve Mullis @stevemullis.net · Aug 5

As a former homepage and engagement editor for NPR, I found @joshuabenton.com's latest Nieman Lab piece from their rankings of media (first local newspapers, then nonprofit news sites) takes a look at the top 25 local public media sites very insightful about the challenges ahead.

These public radio stations have built online audiences that’ll help them survive federal cuts

They may have been born on the airwaves, but these public media stations compete on the web as well. Here's our first monthly ranking of the top 25 local public media websites in the United States.

www.niemanlab.org