Heartbreaking 'New Yorker' cover honors victims of Las Vegas shooting

58 bullets in memory of the victims.
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The New Yorker's cover in response to the tragic Las Vegas shooting shines a heartbreakingly candid light on the problematic gun culture in America.

The David Plunkert cover, titled, “October 1, 2017: One Day in a Nation of Guns," honors the 58 victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, which injured 527 others. Plunkert displayed each of the victim's names on different-sized bullets, scattered across a red background.

Plunket tweeted an image of the cover on Friday, announcing it was his second for the magazine. He also gave his condolences to the people of Las Vegas.

“Based on the prevalence of guns in this country, there’s a bullet for every man, woman, and child,” the artist said about the cover, which will accompany the magazine's Oct. 16 issue.

According to the magazine, the names on each of the bullets were taken from the Clark County, Nevada, Office of the Coroner and Medical Examiner's official list of victims.

When words simply aren't enough, oftentimes magazines turn to cover art to get the message across, and in this case Plunkert's cover already seems to have resonated with people online.

Plunkert's first New Yorker cover — titled "Blowhard" — came in response to Trump's weak response to white nationalists marching in Charlottesville.

"President Trump’s weak pushback to hate groups—as if he was trying not to alienate them as voters—compelled me to take up my pen," Plunkert explained. "A picture does a better job showing my thoughts than words do; it can have a light touch on a subject that’s extremely scary."

Here's hoping Plunkert's Vegas cover will inspire Trump to take action against gun violence in America.

Topics Politics

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Stephen Colbert gleefully mocks Trump's record-setting low Kennedy Center Honors ratings
Stephen Colbert on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.'

How to watch Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Vegas Golden Knights online for free
Easton Cowan of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Newly discovered malware 'pranks' its victims – just in time for April Fools' Day
Hacker at laptop


Jimmy Kimmel ridicules Trump response to ICE shooting: 'How stupid do you think we are?'
Jimmy Kimmel on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!