Chip Brownlee
@bychipbrownlee.com
Reporter @thetrace.org
Protonmail: chip.c.brownlee@protonmail.com
Signal: byChipBrownlee.01
Protonmail: chip.c.brownlee@protonmail.com
Signal: byChipBrownlee.01
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
Over 1,000 anti-violence workers descended on Kentucky’s biggest city in late October for the Cities United conference. The gathering came at a pivotal moment for a field that proved central to responding to the post-COVID spike in gun violence — but now finds itself facing headwinds.
Despite a Turbulent Year, Violence Prevention Leaders Press On
At a gathering of anti-violence workers from around the country, advocates sought to reclaim momentum as federal support collapses.
www.thetrace.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Over 1,000 anti-violence workers descended on Kentucky’s biggest city in late October for the Cities United conference. The gathering came at a pivotal moment for a field that proved central to responding to the post-COVID spike in gun violence — but now finds itself facing headwinds.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two Second Amendment cases this year, the most in its history. @bychipbrownlee.com put together this explainer about the cases and their potential implications.
The Supreme Court Is More Interested in Second Amendment Cases Than Ever Before
The justices will consider two significant challenges this term. Here’s how they might affect gun laws.
www.thetrace.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two Second Amendment cases this year, the most in its history. @bychipbrownlee.com put together this explainer about the cases and their potential implications.
"Brownsville, I’ve found, is a place where people help people. It includes community groups and violence interruptors directly facing conflict, as well as others — faith leaders and volunteers, drug counselors, social club members — working to fix the underlying factors that lead to violence."
These Neighborhood Groups Are Fighting to Rewrite Brownsville’s Legacy of Violence
I first met Gene Krell in February of 2020, when I was photographing the Black Lives Matter movement in New York City. Krell was a native of Brownsville, a residential neighborhood on the east side of...
www.thetrace.org
October 20, 2025 at 3:01 PM
"Brownsville, I’ve found, is a place where people help people. It includes community groups and violence interruptors directly facing conflict, as well as others — faith leaders and volunteers, drug counselors, social club members — working to fix the underlying factors that lead to violence."
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
A few years ago, The Trace launched the Atlas of American Gun Violence, a map that allows users to see where people are being shot around the United States. In the past, the Atlas has had limitations to the search.
In this updated version we’ve tried to improve on those.
In this updated version we’ve tried to improve on those.
Where Are People Being Shot in America?
The Trace’s Atlas of American Gun Violence has been updated to allow you to search by address, county, congressional district, type of shooting — and to download maps.
www.thetrace.org
October 14, 2025 at 1:02 PM
A few years ago, The Trace launched the Atlas of American Gun Violence, a map that allows users to see where people are being shot around the United States. In the past, the Atlas has had limitations to the search.
In this updated version we’ve tried to improve on those.
In this updated version we’ve tried to improve on those.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
The June assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman — followed weeks later by a deadly mass shooting at Minneapolis's Annunciation Catholic School — has reignited the state's long-running fight over gun laws.
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
October 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
The June assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman — followed weeks later by a deadly mass shooting at Minneapolis's Annunciation Catholic School — has reignited the state's long-running fight over gun laws.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
The Trump administration has claimed violent crime is rampant in Oregon’s largest city. A Trace analysis shows that shootings have actually plummeted.
Here Are the Facts About Gun Violence in Portland
The Trump administration has claimed violent crime is rampant in Oregon’s largest city. A Trace analysis shows that shootings have actually plummeted.
www.thetrace.org
October 8, 2025 at 9:20 PM
The Trump administration has claimed violent crime is rampant in Oregon’s largest city. A Trace analysis shows that shootings have actually plummeted.
A series of shootings prompted York officials to ban ghost guns and machine gun converters. But the laws may not stick.
This Small Pennsylvania City Is Challenging the State’s Control Over Local Gun Laws
A series of shootings prompted York officials to ban ghost guns and machine gun converters. But the laws may not stick.
www.thetrace.org
October 6, 2025 at 2:14 PM
A series of shootings prompted York officials to ban ghost guns and machine gun converters. But the laws may not stick.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
“We just try to grow food, grow lives, and grow community. I think that's the only way that the world will get better — if everyone works hard at the same thing together.”
‘Hands in the Soil, Off the Trigger’
A community gardening program in Milwaukee teaches young people not only about tending to plants, but also about life.
www.thetrace.org
October 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM
“We just try to grow food, grow lives, and grow community. I think that's the only way that the world will get better — if everyone works hard at the same thing together.”
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
@thetrace.org mapped two decades of high-profile shootings at Houses of Worship. It's a sobering timeline carefully reported by @jenmascia.bsky.social and @bychipbrownlee.com
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
October 1, 2025 at 6:35 PM
@thetrace.org mapped two decades of high-profile shootings at Houses of Worship. It's a sobering timeline carefully reported by @jenmascia.bsky.social and @bychipbrownlee.com
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
Make a gift to help The Trace inform more people about an issue that affects all of us: thetrace.fundjournalism.org?campaign=701...
September 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Make a gift to help The Trace inform more people about an issue that affects all of us: thetrace.fundjournalism.org?campaign=701...
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
A community gardening program in Milwaukee teaches young people not only about tending to plants, but also about life.
If it sounds like a violence intervention program disguised as a garden, that’s because in many ways it is.
If it sounds like a violence intervention program disguised as a garden, that’s because in many ways it is.
‘Hands in the Soil, Off the Trigger’
A community gardening program in Milwaukee teaches young people not only about tending to plants, but also about life.
www.thetrace.org
September 30, 2025 at 7:19 PM
A community gardening program in Milwaukee teaches young people not only about tending to plants, but also about life.
If it sounds like a violence intervention program disguised as a garden, that’s because in many ways it is.
If it sounds like a violence intervention program disguised as a garden, that’s because in many ways it is.
The Michigan attack was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a house of worship in the U.S. over the past two decades.
Many of the shootings were motivated by hate, while others stemmed from domestic disputes or a grudge the attacker had against the church.
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/chur...
Many of the shootings were motivated by hate, while others stemmed from domestic disputes or a grudge the attacker had against the church.
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/chur...
September 30, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The Michigan attack was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a house of worship in the U.S. over the past two decades.
Many of the shootings were motivated by hate, while others stemmed from domestic disputes or a grudge the attacker had against the church.
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/chur...
Many of the shootings were motivated by hate, while others stemmed from domestic disputes or a grudge the attacker had against the church.
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/chur...
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin and the Dallas ICE shooter both scrawled messages on their rounds. A criminologist breaks down what these inscriptions mean.
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
September 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin and the Dallas ICE shooter both scrawled messages on their rounds. A criminologist breaks down what these inscriptions mean.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
The September 28 attack on an LDS church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a house of worship in the past two decades.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 people dead and 100 wounded.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 people 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
September 29, 2025 at 11:30 PM
The September 28 attack on an LDS church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, was at least the 20th high-profile shooting at a house of worship in the past two decades.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 people dead and 100 wounded.
Collectively, these shootings left at least 92 people dead and 100 wounded.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
In several recent high-profile shootings, law enforcement has found inscriptions on perpetrators’ weapons and ammunition. The Trace spoke to Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist and an expert on mass shootings and targeted violence, to unpack what these messages mean.
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
September 26, 2025 at 9:29 PM
In several recent high-profile shootings, law enforcement has found inscriptions on perpetrators’ weapons and ammunition. The Trace spoke to Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist and an expert on mass shootings and targeted violence, to unpack what these messages mean.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
Unlike many forms of public gun violence, sniper attacks evade most security measures like metal detectors and armed guards.
It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.
My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:
It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.
My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:
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
September 25, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Unlike many forms of public gun violence, sniper attacks evade most security measures like metal detectors and armed guards.
It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.
My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:
It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.
My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:
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."
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
September 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
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."
More likely: They're trying to make their violence seem "cool."
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site
As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.
www.miamiherald.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
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
September 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
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.
In an undercover operation last year, the FBI recorded Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration.
Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.
The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.
www.msnbc.com
September 20, 2025 at 8:13 PM
In an undercover operation last year, the FBI recorded Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration.
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
We've posted the data behind this story — on the alarming prevalence of gun suicides among older Americans — on the Gun Violence Data Hub.
That includes county- and state-level data that journalists can use to investigate how this issue affects their communities
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/gun-...
That includes county- and state-level data that journalists can use to investigate how this issue affects their communities
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/gun-...
September 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
We've posted the data behind this story — on the alarming prevalence of gun suicides among older Americans — on the Gun Violence Data Hub.
That includes county- and state-level data that journalists can use to investigate how this issue affects their communities
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/gun-...
That includes county- and state-level data that journalists can use to investigate how this issue affects their communities
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/gun-...
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
In 2020 the gun industry urged the ATF to add a nonbinary category to the federal background check form for gun sales. The Trump administration made the change.
Now the 2nd Trump administration is reversing it. My colleague @vansant.bsky.social has the scoop:
Now the 2nd Trump administration is reversing it. My colleague @vansant.bsky.social has the scoop:
Buying a Gun Is About to Get More Complicated for Nonbinary People
The ATF has told The Trace that the federal background check form for gun sales is being revised to recognize only two sexes.
www.thetrace.org
September 19, 2025 at 3:42 PM
In 2020 the gun industry urged the ATF to add a nonbinary category to the federal background check form for gun sales. The Trump administration made the change.
Now the 2nd Trump administration is reversing it. My colleague @vansant.bsky.social has the scoop:
Now the 2nd Trump administration is reversing it. My colleague @vansant.bsky.social has the scoop:
Reposted by Chip Brownlee
For decades, the CDC has been a backbone of gun violence research. Now sweeping cuts are gutting that work—layoffs, slashed budgets, even the dismantling of the injury prevention team and its vital data.
This research informs laws, prevention, & care nationwide.
This research informs laws, prevention, & care nationwide.
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
August 23, 2025 at 1:46 PM
For decades, the CDC has been a backbone of gun violence research. Now sweeping cuts are gutting that work—layoffs, slashed budgets, even the dismantling of the injury prevention team and its vital data.
This research informs laws, prevention, & care nationwide.
This research informs laws, prevention, & care nationwide.
Really important work by my colleague @amendelson.bsky.social and @thetrace.org's Data Hub. Give it a read.
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-...
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
September 18, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Really important work by my colleague @amendelson.bsky.social and @thetrace.org's Data Hub. Give it a read.
Licensing fees pegged to how often firearms are recovered in fatal incidents could nudge the industry to design safer products and police supply chains, supporters say.
“We accept this as normal,” Dr. Selwyn Rogers Jr. said of the daily toll of gunfire. “We should not accept this as normal.”
“We accept this as normal,” Dr. Selwyn Rogers Jr. said of the daily toll of gunfire. “We should not accept this as normal.”
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
September 17, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Licensing fees pegged to how often firearms are recovered in fatal incidents could nudge the industry to design safer products and police supply chains, supporters say.
“We accept this as normal,” Dr. Selwyn Rogers Jr. said of the daily toll of gunfire. “We should not accept this as normal.”
“We accept this as normal,” Dr. Selwyn Rogers Jr. said of the daily toll of gunfire. “We should not accept this as normal.”