Through interviews with legislators, family members of victims and key figures like the principal of Columbine High School principal, a podcast produced by The Trace, a newsroom devoted to covering gun violence in the United States, tries to explain this country’s relationship with guns and gun violence, including the history behind guns becoming what The Trace calls “America’s political third rail.”
As the Trace explains, “The podcast, called 'Long Shadow: In Guns We Trust,' begins at Columbine High School, then goes back to the writing of the Second Amendment, following the trail of guns from the country’s founding to the present day. Over the course of the series, host Garrett Graff explains how the National Rifle Association seized on the Second Amendment to change the course of history, and profiles the key players behind the gun group’s central philosophy; examines the political climate that propelled assault-style weapons into the mainstream; breaks down the pivotal Supreme Court decisions that relaxed our gun laws; and explores the effects of school shootings and active shooter drills on Gen Z — who are now charting the way forward.”