Aaron Mendelson
@amendelson.bsky.social
journalist @thetrace.org. data + investigations. based in los angeles.
priors: the center for public integrity, kpcc/laist, ucbsoj
email: aaron AT aaronmendelson dot com
priors: the center for public integrity, kpcc/laist, ucbsoj
email: aaron AT aaronmendelson dot com
Pinned
Aaron Mendelson
@amendelson.bsky.social
· Sep 18
The Quiet Crisis: What’s Driving Gun Suicides Among Older Americans?
More and more older Americans are dying by firearm suicide, a new analysis from The Trace and GQ reveals. Older white men and those in rural areas experience alarmingly high rates.
www.thetrace.org
Older Americans have the highest rates of gun suicide of any age group. Not by a little — by a lot.
Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...
Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...
What a play by Purdy. He’s a joy to watch when he’s playing like this
December 29, 2025 at 3:35 AM
What a play by Purdy. He’s a joy to watch when he’s playing like this
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
After what we're seeing at CBS, if today is not the perfect day for everyone to find some independent journalism & nonprofit newsrooms to support... what day could be better?
December 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
After what we're seeing at CBS, if today is not the perfect day for everyone to find some independent journalism & nonprofit newsrooms to support... what day could be better?
Powerful story from @calmatters.org. 5,825 Californians aged 70+ died by gun suicide between 2009 and 2023 — especially in places like rural Douglas City.
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
Older men in rural California are dying by suicide. How officials are trying to save lives
In Trinity County, isolation, pain, and limited healthcare drive gun suicides among seniors. Health officials plan prevention programs to address the crisis.
calmatters.org
December 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Powerful story from @calmatters.org. 5,825 Californians aged 70+ died by gun suicide between 2009 and 2023 — especially in places like rural Douglas City.
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
I've probably spent, cumulatively, a week plus of my journalism career helping editors find emails
December 17, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I've probably spent, cumulatively, a week plus of my journalism career helping editors find emails
🚨 new dataset alert 🚨
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
December 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
🚨 new dataset alert 🚨
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
I say it every year but ... if your previous NiemanLab prediction didn't come true you should be forced to apologize publicly or to just stay silent for the next 10 years
December 8, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I say it every year but ... if your previous NiemanLab prediction didn't come true you should be forced to apologize publicly or to just stay silent for the next 10 years
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Good reporting here about a troubling trend from Rocky Mountain PBS: www.rmpbs.org/blogs/health...
A rising number of older Coloradans are dying from gun suicides. Why? | Rocky Mountain PBS
Behind Colorado’s hidden public health crisis.
www.rmpbs.org
December 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Good reporting here about a troubling trend from Rocky Mountain PBS: www.rmpbs.org/blogs/health...
Hard to believe it's been ten years since the mass shooting in San Bernardino www.latimes.com/california/s...
San Bernardino: The mass shooting that helped Trump redefine America's immigration debate
A decade ago, 14 people were gunned down in San Bernardino. Survivors and family of the victims are still processing what happened, and the national impact.
www.latimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Hard to believe it's been ten years since the mass shooting in San Bernardino www.latimes.com/california/s...
It should be illegal to release a "best of" list on December 2
December 2, 2025 at 6:12 PM
It should be illegal to release a "best of" list on December 2
Yerba Buena Island is a strange place
November 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Yerba Buena Island is a strange place
Powerful story from @taylorblatchford.bsky.social on suicide among older Washingtonians, drawing in part on Gun Violence Data Hub figures www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
November 25, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Powerful story from @taylorblatchford.bsky.social on suicide among older Washingtonians, drawing in part on Gun Violence Data Hub figures www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Yearly deaths caused by cars and trucks striking pedestrians rose 70 percent between 2010 and 2023, an examination of federal data and other public records by The Post shows.
The deadliest roads in America
The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Yearly deaths caused by cars and trucks striking pedestrians rose 70 percent between 2010 and 2023, an examination of federal data and other public records by The Post shows.
Can’t believe I hadn’t read this before. Harrowing stuff, compelling read. Thanks @lapubliclibrary.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Can’t believe I hadn’t read this before. Harrowing stuff, compelling read. Thanks @lapubliclibrary.bsky.social
just amazing how bad AI is sometimes
November 14, 2025 at 11:45 PM
just amazing how bad AI is sometimes
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
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]
Excited to check this one out
November 8, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Excited to check this one out
Powerful story out today from @oklahomawatch.bsky.social that localizes the Gun Violence Data Hub's reporting on the alarming rates of gun suicide among older Americans
oklahomawatch.org/2025/11/07/i...
oklahomawatch.org/2025/11/07/i...
Isolation, Illness and Guns: Why More Older Oklahomans Are Dying by Suicide - Oklahoma Watch
More older Americans are dying by gun suicide. The rate is particularly high in Oklahoma, and especially in rural counties.
oklahomawatch.org
November 7, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Powerful story out today from @oklahomawatch.bsky.social that localizes the Gun Violence Data Hub's reporting on the alarming rates of gun suicide among older Americans
oklahomawatch.org/2025/11/07/i...
oklahomawatch.org/2025/11/07/i...
What kind of sick person seeks out an edited version of Marquee Moon
November 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
What kind of sick person seeks out an edited version of Marquee Moon
Quite the lede in this WSJ data analysis of states with stand-your-ground laws: "It’s easier than ever to kill someone in America and get away with it." www.wsj.com/us-news/homi...
Six Words Every Killer Should Know: ‘I Feared for My Life, Officer’
The number of legally sanctioned homicides has grown substantially in states with expanded self-defense rights under stand-your-ground laws.
www.wsj.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Quite the lede in this WSJ data analysis of states with stand-your-ground laws: "It’s easier than ever to kill someone in America and get away with it." www.wsj.com/us-news/homi...
I’m in DTLA picking up an item from Roadrunner Bags, but seems like many other folks are here for the Dodger victory parade
November 3, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I’m in DTLA picking up an item from Roadrunner Bags, but seems like many other folks are here for the Dodger victory parade
Time to lock in and throw on the big game ... Warriors at Pacers
November 2, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Time to lock in and throw on the big game ... Warriors at Pacers
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Even as more older Americans are dying by gun suicide, their deaths often stay hidden. Many isolated older Americans have no obituary, memorial, or funeral, and for those who do, the cause of death often goes unmentioned. But doctors and researchers have been sounding the alarm.
The Quiet Crisis: What’s Driving Gun Suicides Among Older Americans?
More and more older Americans are dying by firearm suicide, a new analysis from The Trace and GQ reveals. Older white men and those in rural areas experience alarmingly high rates.
www.thetrace.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Even as more older Americans are dying by gun suicide, their deaths often stay hidden. Many isolated older Americans have no obituary, memorial, or funeral, and for those who do, the cause of death often goes unmentioned. But doctors and researchers have been sounding the alarm.
Paul Newby is one of the most quietly powerful elected officials in America. Here's what he's been up to. Great reporting from @dougbockclark.bsky.social here.
Appreciate him linking to stories I did at CPI on state supreme courts and Newby's conflicts of interest
www.propublica.org/article/paul...
Appreciate him linking to stories I did at CPI on state supreme courts and Newby's conflicts of interest
www.propublica.org/article/paul...
October 30, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Paul Newby is one of the most quietly powerful elected officials in America. Here's what he's been up to. Great reporting from @dougbockclark.bsky.social here.
Appreciate him linking to stories I did at CPI on state supreme courts and Newby's conflicts of interest
www.propublica.org/article/paul...
Appreciate him linking to stories I did at CPI on state supreme courts and Newby's conflicts of interest
www.propublica.org/article/paul...
Ohtani getting the Barry Bonds treatment in extra innings in the World Series. Wild
October 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Ohtani getting the Barry Bonds treatment in extra innings in the World Series. Wild