As Texas goes, they say, so goes the nation. If that’s true, the political events of the past week may reveal a lot about what’s to come.
06.03.2026 16:50
👍 1
🔁 0
💬 0
📌 0
As Texas goes, they say, so goes the nation. If that’s true, the political events of the past week may reveal a lot about what’s to come.
Armed safety patrols were a hallmark of the Black Panthers, the group founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in the 1960s. The Black Lions intend to pick up where the Panthers left off — but if history is a guide, they’ll have to ready themselves for more pushback than they’ve faced so far.
Bridging the Divide on Firearm Policy is a new effort dedicated to bridging the gap on gun regulation.
Over a year, it brought together leaders in gun violence prevention and gun rights spaces, in the hopes that they could find mutually acceptable gun reform ideas.
It worked: thetr.ac/AoRup
President Donald Trump said he’s ousting Kristi Noem as head of Homeland Security. Noem has been the subject of increasing, bipartisan scrutiny since immigration agents killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti. There were numerous other gun incidents connected to DHS agents under Noem’s watch.
A new project brought together people from opposing sides of the gun debate to craft model legislation for violence prevention. Participants said focusing on “harm reduction” was what made the effort successful.
On March 2, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in U.S. v. Hemani, a case challenging the federal ban on gun possession by people who use illegal drugs. The court’s decision could affect hundreds of other challenges pending in lower federal courts.
thetr.ac/D66TB
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in U.S. v. Hemani. Chip Brownlee has a recap.
Gun rights advocates joined with gun violence prevention leaders to create a set of state-level gun policies that both sides could live with.
A rare bit of good news on the gun beat from @bychipbrownlee.com:
Aside from the baseline of federal law, gun regulation mostly lives at the state level. The result is a bifurcated patchwork, where the strictness of a state’s gun laws reflects the political party in power.
A new effort wants to narrow that gap.
SCOTUS seems skeptical of the federal gun ban for illegal drug users, especially for weed use. During oral arguments, Justice Amy Coney Barrett rattled off drugs — Ambien, Robitussen, Tylenol with codeine, testosterone, and Adderall — that could trigger the ban if used without a prescription.
A Georgia jury has found Colin Gray, father of the Apalachee High School shooting suspect, guilty of all charges in connection to the attack. His conviction marks the third time that a jury has held a parent responsible for a school shooting allegedly carried out by their child.
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.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could determine whether people who use marijuana and other illegal drugs can lawfully own guns. During the hearing, justices peppered the government with questions that suggested they were uncomfortable with the extent of the ban.
Recent cuts now jeopardize the future of already shaky statistics about the number of K-12 students caught with firearms on campus.
Here’s what we know.
In 2025, as homicide rates were inching up in Milwaukee, the Trump administration severed millions in grants for community violence intervention groups.
The cuts have put more pressure on the city’s violence prevention efforts, which face renewed scrutiny from elected officials and the public.
Last month, a shooter killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, including five students and an educator at a local school.
There were warning signs about the alleged shooter, but perhaps the most significant was the suspect’s conversations with ChatGPT — and what OpenAI knew about them.
As federal funds are set to expire, community violence intervention is facing renewed scrutiny from elected officials and the public. In Milwaukee, where homicide rates increased last year, that’s left violence prevention programs at a crossroads.
thetr.ac/4v29W
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
Fear of school shootings is growing among teachers, parents, and students.
But cuts made to the Department of Education, will make tracking the number of guns in schools harder.
In lieu of accurate, federal data, The Trace analyzed several data sets to understand how guns end up in schools.
The attack resulted in more injuries than any mass shooting in Austin since 2021, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. It was also the city’s deadliest public mass shooting since 2023. thetr.ac/rOKiM
At least two people were killed and 14 others were injured in a mass shooting at a popular beer garden in Austin, Texas, early Sunday morning. Police killed the suspected perpetrator. Follow KUT for updates:
Some hope the sentencing of former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, who shot and killed Sonya Massey in 2024, might signal a shift in police accountability.
Recent cuts now jeopardize the future of already shaky statistics about the number of K-12 students caught with firearms on campus.
Here’s what we know. thetr.ac/gqKJi
ICYMI: The Trace’s Mike Spies, Champe Barton, and Ava Sasani discussed the inner workings of the gun industry and its lobbyists during our Investigating the Gun Industry event. Catch a recap of their talk here:
Image of (very fashionable) Trace hat, plus text: This is one of Chip Brownlee's favorite hats.
📣 We want your feedback!
🧢 And you could receive one of @bychipbrownlee.com's favorite hats for sharing it.
Take our survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/YFQQS2C
Gun violence intervention programs have long had to fight to prove the value of their work. Federal funding cuts are renewing that challenge.
Milwaukee’s violence trends are sending mixed signals. Nonfatal shootings declined in 2025. Homicides rose 8 percent.
Meanwhile, the office overseeing violence prevention is navigating leadership upheaval and expiring federal funds. The system itself is under strain.
New story for @thetrace.org
Cuts by Trump’s Department of Education are making it even harder to track firearms.
🏆️ The Trace is a finalist for the 61st annual National Magazine Awards! We've been nominated in the General Excellence, Special Interest category.
Trump continued to spew false claims during the State of the Union.
He claimed that the deployment of federal troops to D.C. wiped out crime. The Trace reported in October that this decline in violence predated the deployment.
See what else we debunked from his speech: thetr.ac/O5213