The Trump administration has removed a memorial honoring 120 victims of gun violence from the ATF headquarters, which included Saugus High School shooting victim Dominic Blackwell.

The “Faces of Gun Violence” memorial exhibit at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) headquarters honors those whose lives have been tragically lost to gun violence.

The “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit consisted of a wall with 120 photos of people who have been killed by gun violence in various incidents, including school shootings, mass community shootings, domestic violence, and by suicide. Law enforcement officers killed by gun violence were also included.

“The ‘Faces of Gun Violence’ exhibit is a permanent reminder of what ATF comes to work to do every day — a reminder of why agents risk their lives and why everyone at ATF dedicates their careers to this mission: to honor the fallen and protect the living,” said ATF Director Dettelbach during the memorial installment in April 2024. “This exhibit both honors and tells the stories of the victims of firearms violence. And it reminds us to keep front and center the lives, the stories, and the courage of those who have been impacted by firearms violence.”

The photographs on the wall were scheduled to stay up for one year, until another group of 200 photographs was planned to take their place at next year’s Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit. With the memorial completely removed, the DOJ has not released any plans to share new photos.

As of Sunday, the display had been removed, and an online version had also been taken down, as first reported by The Washington Post.

In response to KHTS’ request to the Department of Justice to clarify why the memorial had been removed, a DOJ spokesperson responded with a non-answer, “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.”

For those impacted by gun violence, the removal of the memorial is “more than a slap in the face.”

One of the portraits on the memorial was that of Saugus High School student Dominic Michael Blackwell. Blackwell was 13 when he was shot and killed in the 2019 Saugus High School Shooting, alongside 14-year-old Gracie Anne Muehlberger. Three other teens were also injured in the shooting, including Blackwell’s best friend, Mia Tretta, now a student at Brown University, who had helped establish the memorial display during her internship with ATF.

Taking down a MEMORIAL WALL is an intentional act to erase the stories and lives stolen by gun violence. #ATF #GVP #EndGunViolence pic.twitter.com/jkbtD1XuYp

— Mia Tretta (@mia_tretta) May 6, 2025

“After I was shot, I went and interned for the director of the @ATFWashington. Together I helped put together the faces of gun violence display, to remind the brave people at the ATF who they fight for. I’m gutted to hear they have taken it down,” Tretta wrote in a Tweet Sunday.

After I was shot, I went and interned for the director of the @ATFWashington . Together I helped put together the faces of gun violence display, to remind the brave people at the ATF who the fight for. I’m gutted to hear they have taken it down. #GunViolencePrevention #ATF #Gov pic.twitter.com/vc2lXpQW9S

— Mia Tretta (@mia_tretta) May 4, 2025

Dominic’s father, Frank Blackwell, shared his shock at the sudden removal of the memorial that featured his son.

“They took it down. Without warning. Without decency. Without a single thought for the families who gave EVERYTHING,” Blackwell wrote. “The ATF’s ‘Faces of Gun Violence’ memorial — a solemn tribute to victims of gun violence, including my son Dominic — was removed by the Trump Administration with zero notice to the families who contributed. No call. No heads up. Nothing.”

“Where will my son’s picture end up? In the trash? Is that how little his life meant? Five years later and the hits keep coming. Over and over, families like mine are forced to relive the pain — and now we’re told, again, that our grief doesn’t matter,” Blackwell wrote. “This is more than a slap in the face. It’s an insult to every grieving parent, sibling, friend, and community devastated by gun violence.”

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