The Guardian US’s Guns and Lies series covers the daily impact of gun violence across California communities and the people within these communities working to prevent it.
America’s gun violence crisis is driven not by high-profile mass shootings but by everyday gun deaths in Black and brown communities. During the pandemic, these communities have witnessed a historic surge in daily shootings, one that the country has barely acknowledged and most Americans have hardly begun to understand.
We’re commissioning reported stories and comment pieces to run in the series in 2022. We’re looking for coverage that goes beyond the news to:
Highlight the daily realities of gun violence in California communities.
Spotlight bright people and innovative programs working to curb violence.
Reveal gaps in resources and policies aimed at curbing gun violence or serving survivors.
Correct misconceptions about the gun violence crisis.
Illuminate the dynamics behind the recent rise in gun violence in California and across the country.
We’re particularly interested in stories that are centered in communities outside of the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and tackle aspects of gun violence that the series hasn’t covered in depth.
We publish a range of story types and formats, from news features to enterprise stories, investigative reporting, Q&As, comment pieces, first-person accounts, photo essays, data visualizations, and audio and video stories. We’re also interested in projects with a community engagement component, which amplify the experiences of gun violence interrupters and survivors.
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