Behind the Gun: Read the project about firearms deaths in Wisconsin here
John DiedrichGun deaths have doubled in Wisconsin since 2004, a trend being driven by suicides, especially in the rural parts of the state, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has found.
Over the course of a year, the Journal Sentinel examined the full extent of gun deaths in Wisconsin. It conducted a first-of-its-kind effort to obtain gun death data from every county, talked to dozens of gun owners about their experiences with firearms, and conducted the most in-depth survey of gun owners in Wisconsin to date.
The team, led by reporter John Diedrich, found that Milwaukee County does not have the highest gun death rate in the state when suicides are included. The project also highlighted efforts among gun owners to reduce suicides, for instance, a grassroots program by gun stores to temporarily hold firearms for people during a crisis.
And the poll of Wisconsin gun owners found that more are getting guns for self-defense and that a majority of them keep their firearms locked.
Explore the stories here:
Diedrich did the project through the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University. He was assisted by Marquette student researchers Alex Rivera Grant and Ben Schultz.
Marquette University and administrators of the program played no role in the reporting, editing or presentation of this project.
Project credits
Contributing reporter: Natalie Eilbert, Alex Rivera Grant, Ben Schultz
Data analysis, graphics: Andrew Hahn, Daphne Chen, Kevin Crowe, Eva Wen
Photos, video: Mike De Sisti, Bill Schulz
Story editing: Greg Borowski
Photo editing: Sherman Williams, Berford Gammon
Copy editing: Ray Hollnagel, Pete Sullivan
Design: Kyle Slagle
Social media: Ridah Syed