By Steve Neavling
A memorial exhibit honoring victims of gun violence has been removed from ATF headquarters, the Justice Department confirmed, NPR reports.
The “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit featured portraits and biographies of 120 victims, including those lost to mass shootings, domestic violence, and suicide. It was installed in April 2024 under the Biden administration and was set to be updated annually. An online version of the memorial has also been taken down.
A DOJ spokesperson said the agency “will continue to honor the memory of all victims of violent crime while at the same time preserving the rights of law-abiding Americans.”
Families of victims expressed outrage. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, said her photo was now “disregarded by this heartless Administration.” Kris Brown of Brady: United Against Gun Violence called the removal “deeply troubling” and politically motivated.
The memorial once included a portrait of Robert Godwin Sr., a Cleveland man shot and killed in 2017 while collecting aluminum cans. His daughter, Brenda Joiner, said the tribute had made her feel the country was finally recognizing the toll of gun violence. “It was absolutely an honor and a very proud moment,” she told NPR.
Gun safety advocates say the decision to dismantle the exhibit reflects a broader shift under the Trump administration toward loosening firearms regulations and minimizing the visibility of gun violence victims. Brown, of Brady, warned that ignoring the crisis could lead to “a rise in homicide, suicide, and unintentional injury of kids with guns in the home.”
