As America emerged from the pandemic, communities continued to experience a rising tide of gun violence. [School shootings](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-database/) and the [rate of children and teens](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/04/06/gun-deaths-among-us-kids-rose-50-percent-in-two-years/) killed by gunfire both reached all-time highs since at least 1999. ProPublica’s coverage of gun violence reveals how first responders, policymakers and those directly affected are coping with the bloodshed.