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The Endgame

Any Settlement of Firearms Litigation Must Address Three Specific Areas of Gun Industry Conduct and Include a Strict Enforcement Mechanism

III. Gun Industry Marketing Practices

A. Stop Marketing Targeted at Vulnerable Populations

Example: Marketing to Children

Firearm manufacturers should immediately cease marketing campaigns aimed at children. Several manufacturers regularly advertise firearms, including handguns, in publications designed for juveniles such as the Future Farmers of America's New Horizons and Insights, the National Rifle Association's magazine for junior members under age 20. Such advertising is common despite the fact that it is illegal for juveniles under the age of 18 to possess handguns, and no one under the age of 21 may purchase a handgun from a gun dealer.

Example: Fear-based Marketing

The firearms industry should also immediately cease marketing campaigns designed to induce fear. Examples of such fear-based marketing strategies include the recent effort by the gun industry to use fear of social disruption caused by the Y2K computer bug to drive up gun sales. The gun industry should also cease marketing practices based on unverifiable claims that handguns have utility for self-defense.



Advertisement, Harrington & Richardson, InSights, April 1997



Advertisement, Bushmaster, S.H.O.T. Business, August 1999





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The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.






All contents � 1999 Violence Policy Center