Freedom Under Fire

American identity is deeply grounded in the belief that everyone, no matter who they are, is entitled to certain rights and liberties. But what happens when one of those freedoms – a nearly unfettered right to own guns – upends the calculus that safeguards others?

In recent years, U.S. courts have embraced an increasingly absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment, adding to the proliferation of firearms – now almost 400 million in civilian hands, according to one widely cited count – and the thousands of shootings they enable. To many Americans, that violence feels like a growing threat to some of the freedoms that give meaning to everyday life. The right to worship in peace. To go to school. To “the pursuit of happiness” that the nation’s founders so prized. To many of their fellow Americans, equally weary of menace, the right to guns is an essential means of protecting precious liberties. And the tension between those beliefs is rising.

How can the freedoms Americans cherish be protected when the threat of mass shootings, neighborhood violence and self-harm casts such a long shadow? With friction mounting, many are struggling for answers.

Listen to AP reporters discuss how they got the stories:

Worship

In a profane world, they try to offer sanctuary. But attacks on churches, synagogues and mosques have forced faith leaders to weigh difficult choices between openness and locking down. To some, the right to be armed is a necessary means of protecting the right to worship in peace. To others, the proliferation of guns and shootings threatens the atmosphere of reflection and community they exist to foster.

Childhood

To learn and grow, children must be kept safe. But horrific school shootings – from Columbine to Newtown to Uvalde – and neighborhood violence have forced parents to confront new fears, while trying to reassure their kids. That can be even harder for parents who have, themselves, endured shootings.

Life & Liberty

Each year, thousands of U.S. service members and veterans, many haunted by the trauma of war, kill themselves. Some families left behind believe they’d still be alive if not for easy access to weapons. How does the country respect the right to guns while keeping a veteran safe in their darkest hours?

Safety at Home

Their husbands were abusive and threatening, and when they tried to leave, the men came after them with guns. Courts could have provided protection. Instead, their reluctance to remove guns, and questionable enforcement, allowed them to be victimized. Now it’s up to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the right to guns is so absolute that it supersedes the right to safety.

A Different Perspective

What does loss look like? How do you capture fear or pain or resolve? A series of double-exposure film prints made in a darkroom seeks that answer in scenes impossible to witness with the naked eye. The images have an eeriness that reflects the torment of people on both sides of the gun debate. Some are haunted by the violent byproduct of a freedom; others fear not having that freedom at all.

Worship

Childhood

Life & Liberty

Safety at Home

Happiness

A Different Perspective