Alain Stephens is a staff writer for The Trace, an outlet exclusively dedicated to reporting on gun violence. He is a reporter and the host of "The Gun Machine," a new podcast from WBUR & The Trace about how America was forged by the gun industry.

Trained as a law enforcement officer, Stephens served in the military for years — with the U.S. Coast Guard, followed by the Air Force — before pivoting to journalism. As a Black, biracial man who grew up in Texas, Stephens understands the racial and cultural implications of gun culture firsthand.