An exhibit honoring victims of gun violence is taken down at ATF headquarters
Source: NPR
May 4, 2025 8:52 PM ET
Attorney General Merrick Garland looks at an exhibit titled the Faces of Gun Violence while on a tour led by Steve Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, at ATF headquarters on April 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The display has now been taken down.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
An exhibit showing victims of gun violence has been taken down at the headquarters of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Department of Justice has confirmed. The exhibit showed the portraits of 120 people killed in gun violence. A digital kiosk with biographies of each person was also part of the exhibit. An online version has also been taken down. The ATF enforces federal gun laws and is tasked with regulating the firearms industry. It is within the Department of Justice.
One of those portraits taken down was of Robert Godwin Sr., who was shot to death in Cleveland in 2017 while he was out collecting aluminum cans. On the wall, Godwin was pictured smiling and preparing fish he'd just caught for a family meal.
Godwin's daughter, Brenda Joiner, describes her father as an avid fisherman, who was humble and beloved. She says his place in the inaugural exhibit was special. "It was absolutely an honor and a very proud moment and I felt like this country was actually taking recognition and taking note of all the lives that are lost to gun violence," she told NPR.
In a statement to NPR on Sunday, a DOJ spokesperson suggested it will still honor victims in other ways, but not only of gun violence: "The ATF will continue to honor the memory of all victims of violent crime while at the same time preserving the rights of law-abiding Americans."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/04/nx-s1-5386668/atf-trump-administration-gun-violence-memorial
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