Guns, health care and more issues at stake : NPR

What do you want from your government?

It’s a question that speaks to the core of our country. In a presidential election year it comes up a lot.

For the next three months NPR will dig into the matters you’ve signaled are most important to you when choosing a leader with outsized power to shape the issues and the results. Consistently top of mind for NPR listeners and readers are the often complicated questions related to gun violence, the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, healthcare, and U.S. foreign policy.

NPR’s specialty is our ability to deliver local, national and international perspectives in partnership with Member stations in cities and towns, large and small and across the political spectrum. We work hard to fairly present differing viewpoints that provide a complete picture. Our hope? That our rigorous and respectful reporting spurs meaningful conversations within our broadcast programs, on our site and podcasts and at dinner tables across the land that help you decide what’s right for you, your family and your community.

Project Schedule

• Gun Violence — this week
• Economy — week of April 22
• Immigration — week of May 6
• Abortion and Reproductive Rights — week of May 20
• Health Care — week of June 3
• Foreign Policy — week of June 20

This Week: April 15-19

Gun Violence

The U.S. has the 28th-highest rate of deaths from gun violence in the world — with 4.31 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. And for our first week of our We, The Voters series, join NPR as we explore gun violence in the U.S. and its impact on communities across the nation.

» Listen on Morning Edition // Find your local station «
» Listen on All Things Considered // Find your local station «

Tanya Warden, 55, sits for a portrait at her workplace in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 26, 2024. Warden’s son, Tyron Alexander, was shot multiple times and died in October 2020.

Hannah Yoon/Hannah Yoon for NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Hannah Yoon/Hannah Yoon for NPR

Tanya Warden, 55, sits for a portrait at her workplace in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 26, 2024. Warden’s son, Tyron Alexander, was shot multiple times and died in October 2020.

Hannah Yoon/Hannah Yoon for NPR

Philadelphia gun violence victims find support through residents and nonprofits — As gun violence spiked in Philadelphia after the pandemic, some residents and nonprofits banded together to help victims.

Related stories

‘Say Something’ tip line in schools flags gun violence threats, study finds — A new study in Pediatrics shows that an anonymous tip line for students is catching some gun threats before they can escalate.

A gunman stole his twin from him. This is what he’s learned about grieving a sibling — About 60000 children a year in the U.S. lose a sibling. Zion Kelly joined that unlucky group in 2017 when his twin, Zaire, was killed.

Here’s the new plan to boost background checks for guns bought at shows or online — The Justice Department’s new rule requires background checks for all gun sales, not just ones sold at gun stores.

Harris is taking the lead on gun violence prevention. Will she reach young people? — Tanya Warden is a Pennsylvania mother who lost her son to gun violence in October 2020. She and others in the community have taken their grief and turned it into action.