Gun Violence Data Hub FAQ

The Gun Violence Data Hub is a project of The Trace, the only news outlet dedicated exclusively to covering gun violence in the United States. The Data Hub’s mission is to increase the accessibility and use of accurate information on gun violence. We do so in three main ways:

• Through our help desk, working with partner newsrooms to report and tell stories using our data – especially in underserved markets and communities with severe gun violence.

• By collecting, analyzing, and publishing data along with metadata, methodologies, and guides to using those resources in the Hub’s library. (COMING SOON!)

• By providing general gun violence resources including fact sheets, guides, a glossary of terms, and this FAQ.

Great question! We answer that in our Guide to Reporting on Gun Violence (COMING SOON!). The short answer is that the U.S. currently has in place strict laws that prevent government agencies and researchers from releasing — and sometimes even gathering — certain firearm and gun violence related information.

The same people and groups that fund The Trace. Read more about our donor and financial transparency.

Hard no. We are a news operation that is an initiative of The Trace, a publication that exclusively covers gun violence and follows strict editorial standards and donor transparency policies. Our staff are alumni of respected institutions like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, and more. Read more about our standards here.

Great question! Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on new data releases and future plans. If you’d like us to work on something specific, submit a help desk ticket. In the meantime, check out our fact sheets and guides for information about where to find reliable gun violence information.

We’d love to hear from you! Submit a help desk ticket to set up a meeting with one of our staffers. Give us as much information as you can about your aspirations and needs.

Here are a few information sources regularly used by the Gun Violence Data Hub and The Trace. Most of these sources require at least an intermediate understanding of either data analysis, gun violence as a public health issue, guns, or some combination of all three. (That’s why we’re doing this here Data Hub thing!)

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER database – Tracks mortality in the United States including firearm fatalities.
• Gun Violence Archive – An independent nonprofit that collects data from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government, and commercial sources daily.
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives data and statistics – The law enforcement arm of the federal government charged with enforcing firearms manufacture and sale regulations.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for in this list, send us a help desk ticket and we can discuss incorporating what you’re looking for into the Data Hub. We especially love ideas that have national implications, but are easily localized to smaller geographic areas.

By becoming a supporting member of The Trace right here. Thank you!