Manufacturer of Assault Rifle Used in Newtown Shooting Gave a Million Dollars to the NRA
For Release: Monday, September 16, 2013 Gun Industry “Corporate Partners” Donated Between $19.3 million and $60.2 million to the NRA since 2005, New VPC Report Reveals Washington, DC — The National Rifle Association has received up to $60.2 million in donations…
At Las Vegas Trade Show, Gun Industry Puts a Happy Face on Weapons of War
For Release: Monday, January 13, 2014 Additional Contact: Jennifer Fiore Campaign to Unload (202) 486-8273 New VPC Report Shows How Leading Firearms Company Markets Its Military-Style Weapons Washington, DC — As the nation continues to suffer mass shootings and more than…
NRA to Honor Gun Industry Donors, Hawk Military-Style Weapons at Annual Meeting in Indianapolis
For Release: Thursday, April 24, 2014 Investors should unload firearm company stocks and stop funding the gun violence epidemic Washington, DC — The NRA’s annual meeting this weekend in Indianapolis will display the growing financial and institutional links between the organization…
Criminal Use of the 50 Caliber Sniper Rifle
“The simple fact is that .50-calibers have not been used in crimes,” NRA spokesman Andrew Arulandam, Associated Press, August 18, 2004 Arkansas State Troopers fatally shot a 69-year-old man after an 18-hour standoff as the man moved toward a .50…
NRA Annual Meetings
Each spring, the NRA convenes its annual meeting, an elaborate, multi-day affair in which the institutional links between the NRA and the firearms industry are on full display. In addition to the election of officers, the annual meeting is an…
Self-Defense Gun Use
The use of guns in self-defense by private citizens is extremely rare. VPC research has found a gun is far more likely to be used in a homicide or suicide than in a justifiable homicide. More guns are stolen each…
“Smart” Guns
The concept behind the “smart” or “personalized” gun is to design and market a firearm which prevents anyone but an “authorized user” from firing it. The Violence Policy Center currently has no position on personalized guns, but feels strongly that…
Gun Trafficking to Mexico
Military-style weapons are smuggled in huge numbers from the United States civilian market to criminal organizations in Mexico and other Latin American countries. These weapons enable transnational organizations to wage brutal wars for the control of lucrative criminal trade through…
Militarization
Faced with the steady decline in household gun ownership, the gun industry is selling its products to a shrinking customer base. In response, the firearms industry has made military-style assault weapons the focus of their marketing and sales efforts, while…
Assault Weapons
Assault weapons manufactured for the civilian market, equipped with detachable high-capacity ammunition magazines, are virtually identical to their military counterparts designed for the battlefield. The difference is that military assault weapons are selective-fire. That is, they are capable of fully automatic…