The Trace Live: Safer Together 2026
On September 22 in Washington, D.C., The Trace will host Safer Together 2026, a forum about the next frontiers for ending gun violence. Reserve your spot now to take part in a day of insight-packed conversations about what’s working to stop shootings, what’s getting in the way, and what can be done to save more lives.
This year’s Safer Together forum will feature Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, in a keynote interview about finding federal dollars for local solutions, the future of gun reform legislation, and the links between preventing violence and protecting democracy.
Attendees will hear from a dynamic lineup of senior leaders and scholars whose work offers different perspectives on solutions. Session topics and speakers include:
Research That’s Proving What’s Possible
Fresh evidence on bridging divides, thwarting tragedy, and sustaining progress
Charles Branas, Gelman Professor and Chair of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Jaclyn Schildkraut, Executive Director, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of Government
Michael Siegel, Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Director, Bridging the Divide on Firearms Policy project
Ruth Abaya, Attending Physician, Emergency Department, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Senior Director, The HAVI
Turning the Tide on Firearm Suicide
Lessons from veterans and gun owners on closing an urgent prevention gap
Chris Marvin, Marvin Strategies; Veteran Lead, Everytown for Gun Safety; former Army officer
Caleb Morse, Owner, the Rustic Renegade; Co-Founder, The Armory Project; Army combat veteran
Joshua Horwitz, Newly added, Dana Feitler Distinguished Professor of the Practice; Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
No-Excuses Strategies for Safer Cities
How local governments get good at stopping shootings
Thomas Abt, Founding Director, Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction
Marcus Ellis, Deputy Director, Cities United
Latisha McNeil, Senior Manager, NICJR National Office of Violence Prevention Network
Kim Gutierrez, Giffords Center for Violence Intervention
Programming will conclude with a conversation between Trymaine Lee and Brandon Wolf. Lee, an award-winning journalist and The Trace board member, is the author of “A Thousand Ways to Die,” about the toll of violence on Black America. Wolf, the chief spokesperson for Equality Florida, wrote about his experience as a survivor of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in “A Place for Us.” They’ll discuss how they’ve confronted tragedy, cultivated hope, and countered the normalization of gun violence through their work.
Panels will be moderated by The Trace journalists, including Chip Brownlee, Fairriona Magee, and Jennifer Mascia, with other members of our newsroom set to participate in the forum as well.
During the lunch hour, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in table talks facilitated by an array of experts. Topics will include making state reforms stick, building CVI coalitions, protecting the next generation, and more.
Generous support for this year’s Safer Together forum is being provided by the Fund for a Safer Future and the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation.