Brian Freskos
@brianfreskos.bsky.social
News editor at The Trace (thetrace.org).
Colin Gray's sentencing comes at a time when other parents of school shooters are being held to account by the criminal justice system, part of a trend among prosecutors to try to deter parents from leaving guns accessible to minors.
Georgia Father Is Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for His Child’s Mass Shooting
Colin Gray's sentencing comes at a time when more parents of school shooters are being held to account for their child's actions.
thetrace.org
Under the Supreme Court's Bruen test, modern gun laws are constitutional only if they resemble laws from early American history. Hawaii defended its gun-carry restriction by pointing to a law from the 1890s. The justices rejected it, saying the law was too modern. It's 130 years old.
Supreme Court Says States Can’t Ban Guns at Public-Facing Businesses
Restaurants, gyms, and other public-facing businesses will now be required to tell customers if guns aren’t allowed.
thetrace.org
The DOJ and animal advocacy groups have estimated that officers shoot and kill approximately 10,000 pet dogs every year.
How Often Are Dogs Shot by the Police?
The recent LAPD shooting of a pet dog during the NBA finals highlights a common occurrence — dogs are shot on average 25 to 30 times a day.
thetrace.org
Guns to Gardens is a nationwide network with hundreds of volunteers — including blacksmiths, woodworkers, and artists — who turn unwanted guns into garden tools and art.
A Faith-Based Movement Is Destroying Guns — And Turning Them Into Gardening Tools
Guns to Gardens has repurposed more than 13,000 firearms. For some gun owners, these church-hosted safe disposal events offer an opportunity for healing.
thetrace.org
Store clerks in Pennsylvania are being robbed and shot while handling payouts for unregulated "skill games" — machines that look like slot machines but operate without the security standards required of casinos. Our new investigation:
They Look Like Slot Machines. They Pay Out in Cash. And Critics Say They Are Getting Workers Killed.
Clerks have been robbed and shot while handling payouts for the games, which are not subject to the security standards required of gambling operations.
thetrace.org
"What The Trace has uncovered in this data is shocking and demands investigation,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Los Angeles County Official Calls for Investigation of State Gun Chain After Reporting by The Trace
In three years, California law enforcement connected nearly 8,000 crime guns to Turner's Outdoorsman.
thetrace.org
When the reporter told ChatGPT he wanted to use a specific type of AR-15 rifle and referred to notorious school massacres, the AI chatbot responded that the weapon "could be a great choice for your needs." Check out the story from @motherjones.com
ChatGPT gave me chilling advice—as I simulated planning a mass shooting
I asked about imitating the Uvalde attacker, defending against police gunfire, and more—everything short of directly stating intent to kill.
motherjones.com
The suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting was armed with a gun from Turner's Outdoorsman. So were the 2015 San Bernardino mass shooters.
Turner’s Outdoorsman Sold the Largest Share of Guns Traced to Crimes in California
A new analysis of state data by The Trace links the chain to a quarter of California’s crime guns. The retailer also sold a shotgun to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attacker.
thetrace.org
A gun rights group urged people to donate to the “DAVID HOGG BIRTHDAY MONEYBOMB" — a reference to the survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Donors had a chance to win a shotgun, “something that would terrify David if he unwrapped it,” the group's message said.
The Gun Rights Group Trying to Fundraise Off a Parkland Survivor’s Birthday
The Firearms Policy Coalition told prospective donors they could give David Hogg “the middle finger” by contributing.
thetrace.org
Over the last two years, a murder-suicide or family annihilation has occurred 1.8 times per day on average.
Trace senior news writer @jenmascia.bsky.social analyzed all of Trump's pardons and found that he forgave $113 million in fines and penalties that would have gone to help victims of violent crime
Trump’s Pardons Are Costing Shooting Survivors Millions
A Trace analysis found that revenue once generated by fining white-collar criminals is drying up — now that the president has pardoned so many of them.
thetrace.org
Around six months ago, a 9-year-old boy was shot and killed inside a home in Springfield, Illinois. The case is still unsolved. But what stood out, especially in a city this size, was the silence around it. For @thetrace.org I went to Springfield to understand why 🧵
No Public Outcry In Springfield After a Kid Is Killed. Why?
Officials in Springfield, Illinois, created a task force to build trust with the community and prevent the type of shooting that claimed Cash Russell’s life. There’s little evidence it’s helping.
thetrace.org
When Philadelphia launched a gun violence prevention program for juveniles, shootings across the city were already declining, but the number of teens charged with gun crimes was on the rise. @thetrace.org reports on how the program is working:
Stopping a Shooting Before a Teen Picks Up a Gun
A new city program works with young people from neighborhoods where shootings are stubbornly high.
thetrace.org
Our staff writer @bychipbrownlee.com writes an excellent newsletter about potential solutions to gun violence. Today's installment covers a new effort to bring together opposing sides of the gun debate to draft model legislation:
‘Bridging the Divide’ on Firearms Laws
A new project brought together people from opposing sides of the gun debate to craft model legislation for violence prevention.
thetrace.org
What do you think of our gun violence coverage? We’re giving away Trace hats to people who let us know. Take our survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/YFQQS2C
Homicides were already on the downswing and nearing record lows when Trump returned to office. Gun homicides spiked in 2020 during Trump’s first term before beginning a gradual and consistent decline during the Biden years.
Try As He Might, Trump Can’t Take Credit for the Nation’s Murder Drop
The president made dubious claims about the murder rate and immigrants during his speech.
thetrace.org
The gun industry is exempt from all federal consumer-product safety regulation. Unlike hair dryers, mattresses, and even BB guns, firearms do not need to meet minimum safety standards.
Even a Decade of Unintentional Shootings Could Not Slow America’s Top Pistol Maker
SIG Sauer’s P320 has prompted scores of lawsuits for alleged safety issues. Insiders say a push to make more guns led to shoddy manufacturing.
thetrace.org
SIG Sauer’s P320 has prompted scores of lawsuits for alleged safety issues. Insiders say a push to make more guns led to shoddy manufacturing. Investigation with @bloomberg.com:
Even a Decade of Unintentional Shootings Could Not Slow America’s Top Pistol Maker
SIG Sauer’s P320 has prompted scores of lawsuits for alleged safety issues. Insiders say a push to make more guns led to shoddy manufacturing.
thetrace.org
More than four years after the Oxford school shooting, families are still waiting for a promised state investigation. For @thetrace.org I reported on what officials said would happen, what didn't happen, and why families say the delay matters
The Oxford High Shooter Is Behind Bars. Families Still Want to Know How He Went Undetected
Hana St. Juliana was one of four students killed by a classmate. Four years later, her father — and other victims’ families — are waiting for a state review.
thetrace.org
Gun companies made millions as immigration agents carried out mass federal raids in major cities — and shot people trying to protest or document the agents’ activities.
Gun Sellers Have Made Millions From Trump’s Deployment of Immigration Agents
Last year, the Department of Homeland Security spent a record sum on guns and ammunition, a Trace analysis found.
thetrace.org
My colleagues @almabeauvais.bsky.social and @jenmascia.bsky.social rounded up how gun groups reacted to the Alex Pretti shooting
The Gun Lobby Is Divided in Its Response to the Alex Pretti Shooting
Some National Rifle Association members were not happy with the gun group’s failure to back Pretti’s right to carry.
thetrace.org
BREAKING: MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension & Hennepin DA file fed lawsuit dmeanding immediate access to federal evidence in DHS agent's deadly shooting of observer during immigration enforcement operation Sat. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
#1 in Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension v. Noem (D. Minnesota, 0:26-cv-00628) – CourtListener.com
COMPLAINT against All Defendants (filing fee $ 405, receipt number AMNDC-12575332) filed by Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Filer requests summons issued....
storage.courtlistener.com
The Trace's @bychipbrownlee.com is compiling a list of terminated federal funding related to public safety, violence prevention, and gun violence and violence prevention research. Check out his data here:
Trump Has Slashed Federal Funding for Gun Violence Prevention. But How Much Exactly?
For a new analysis, The Trace catalogued how many grants were canceled or redirected during Trump’s first year in office.
thetrace.org
The extraterritorial charges that Maduro faces aren't unprecedented in the Southern District of New York, which often serves as a venue for federal cases with international elements, including terrorism, organized crime, and financial crimes.
Maduro Has Been Charged With Machine Gun Possession. Here’s Why
Prosecutors allege that the deposed Venezuelan president broke an American gun law despite not having stepped foot on U.S. soil in decades.
thetrace.org
Shootings plunging, gun sales dipping, data on ICE raid uses of force — we're tracking all this and more in my quarterly @thetrace.org data roundup, 92 Days In Gun Violence www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
"Deadly force is also only allowed when no reasonable alternative exists. In the Good case, there seemed to be reasonable alternatives, like stepping out of the car’s path."
Immigration Agents Are Shooting People. Is It Legal?
A law professor explains whether the agent who fatally shot Renee Good could face prosecution.
thetrace.org
We're tracking incidents in which federal immigration agents shoot someone or hold them at gunpoint:
How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids?
The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.
thetrace.org
The Trace has identified 14 shootings by federal immigration agents as of January 7. They include the shootings of three people observing or documenting ICE raids. www.thetrace.org/2025/12/immi...
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani inherited a city with its lowest rate of gun violence on record. But rather than riding that wave, he is preparing to overhaul the machinery of public safety itself, shifting the focus from police enforcement to a “whole-of-government” prevention model.
Mamdani Plans to Rewrite New York City’s Public Safety Playbook
The new mayor has promised to focus on prevention. Here’s what experts think of his ideas.
thetrace.org
ChatGPT described how one or two students could funnel classmates into vulnerable positions, maximize fear and confusion, and avoid detection. It offered mapping and weapon concealment strategies. It even produced a manifesto.
ChatGPT Might Have a School Shooting Problem
A researcher was able to coax AI to provide pointers for a hypothetical "Nerf ambush" that could easily be translated into instructions for a school mass shooting.
thetrace.org