Press Releases

For Release: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Según un estudio, el homicidio es la segunda causa principal de muertes para hispanos entre 15 y 24 años de edad Washington, DC — Según un nuevo estudio sobre víctimas hispanas de violencia letal por armas de fuego en los Estados Unidos, la tasa de victimización por homicidios para hispanos supera en más del doble a la tasa de homicidios para gente de raza blanca. Dicho estudio, dado a conocer…

For Release: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Study Finds Homicide is the Second Leading Cause of Death for Hispanics Ages 15 to 24 Para la versión en español haga “click” aquí Washington, DC — The homicide victimization rate for Hispanics is more than twice as high as the murder rate for whites, according to a new study on Hispanic victims of lethal firearms violence in the United States. The study, released today by the Violence Policy Center, also shows…

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 and the gun industry, from gunmaker sponsorship of many of the meeting’s activities to a celebratory brunch honoring the NRA’s million-dollar donors. The NRA annual meeting takes place April 25 through 27. To learn more…

For Release: Thursday, April 3, 2014 Smith & Wesson is a top donor to the NRA and helps block gun violence prevention laws Washington, DC — The shooter at the Fort Hood Army base who killed three and wounded 16 used a gun made by Smith & Wesson, the same company that manufactured the gun used to kill 12 people at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in July 2012. It is also the same company…

For Release: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Washington, DC — The latest research from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) reveals the dangers of a recent federal court ruling that denies California law enforcement the discretion to limit who can carry concealed handguns in public. The VPC’s online database, Concealed Carry Killers, shows that private individuals with concealed carry permits are frequently responsible for fatal shooting incidents that have nothing to do with self-defense. Nationwide, private individuals legally allowed…

For Release: Monday, February 10, 2014 Washington, DC — As the trial of concealed carry permit holder Michael Dunn in the fatal shooting of teenager Jordan Davis gets underway, research shows this tragic incident is part of a nationwide trend. The Violence Policy Center (VPC) has found that individuals legally allowed to carry concealed handguns are responsible for at least 622 deaths since May 2007 — including the victims of 27 mass shootings and the killing…

For Release: Thursday, January 23, 2014 State’s black homicide victimization rate is 34.43 per 100,000, nine out of 10 victims killed with guns Washington, DC — Nebraska leads the nation in the rate of black homicide victimization with a rate of 34.43 per 100,000, nearly two times the national black homicide victimization rate and more than seven times the overall homicide victimization rate nationwide, according to a new analysis by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The…

For Release: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Individuals Legally Allowed to Carry Concealed Handguns Responsible for Over 550 Deaths, 27 Mass Shootings Since May 2007 Washington, DC — The shooting in a Florida movie theater Monday in a dispute over texting during a movie preview is just one of hundreds of fatal incidents perpetrated by private individuals legally allowed to carry concealed weapons. At least 554 other people, including 14 law enforcement officers, have been killed since…

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 31,000 gun deaths a year, the gun industry is holding its annual trade show this week in Las Vegas to sell and market its lethal merchandise. The event, known as the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade)…

For Release: Friday, December 13, 2013 Washington, DC — Today, the Senate voted to confirm B. Todd Jones as the new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This new leadership will clear the way for ATF to take action on long overdue priorities, including renewing enforcement of the ban on assault rifles imported into the United States. Assault weapons that are imported into the United States play a substantial role in the arsenals…

For Release: Friday, December 13, 2013 Washington, DC — Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center and a native of Newtown, Connecticut, released the following statement prior to the anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012: “Nothing prepared me for the shock, horror, and grief I felt when Newtown, where I grew up and attended public schools, became the latest American community to be devastated by gun…

For Release: Friday, December 13, 2013 Washington, DC — Josh Sugarmann, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center and a native of Newtown, Connecticut, released the following statement prior to the anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012: “Nothing prepared me for the shock, horror, and grief I felt when Newtown, where I grew up and attended public schools, became the latest American community to be devastated by gun…

For Release: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 Washington, DC — Last night, the Senate reauthorized a federal ban on non-detectable firearms — non-metallic handguns that can evade airport metal detectors and X-ray equipment — which was scheduled to expire yesterday. The ban was first signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The House also passed identical legislation last week, and President Obama has signed the bill into law. Unfortunately, the Senate rejected a stronger measure…

For Release: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 Washington, DC — Last night, the Senate reauthorized a federal ban on non-detectable firearms — non-metallic handguns that can evade airport metal detectors and X-ray equipment — which was scheduled to expire yesterday. The ban was first signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The House also passed identical legislation last week, and President Obama has signed the bill into law. Unfortunately, the Senate rejected a stronger measure…

For Release: Thursday, October 31, 2013 Washington, DC — Private citizens legally allowed to carry concealed handguns have committed at least 26 mass shootings over the past six years — including the recent mass murder at the Washington Navy Yard that left 12 dead and a July shooting in Hialeah, Florida that ended the lives of six innocent victims. These and other criminal killings can be found in the Violence Policy Center’s (VPC) latest update to Concealed…

For Release: Thursday, October 31, 2013 Washington, DC — Private citizens legally allowed to carry concealed handguns have committed at least 26 mass shootings over the past six years — including the recent mass murder at the Washington Navy Yard that left 12 dead and a July shooting in Hialeah, Florida that ended the lives of six innocent victims. These and other criminal killings can be found in the Violence Policy Center’s (VPC) latest update to Concealed…

For Release: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Black women are most often killed by a gun and almost always by someone they know Washington, DC — Black women face a disproportionate share of fatal domestic violence in America, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicide Data. In 2011, 492 black females were murdered by males at a rate of 2.61 per 100,000, compared to a rate of…

For Release: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Violence Policy Center study released annually for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October Washington, DC — South Carolina ranked first in the nation in the rate of women murdered by men, with a rate of 2.54 per 100,000, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicide Data. South Carolina’s rate was more than double the national average. It has ranked in…

For Release: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 More than two dozen mass shootings since May 2007 have been perpetrated by individuals legally allowed to carry concealed handguns  Washington, DC — The attack at the Washington Navy Yard that claimed 12 innocent victims is only the latest example of a mass shooting committed by a person legally allowed to carry a concealed handgun. Since May 2007, there have been more than 24 mass shootings perpetrated by such shooters, according to…

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 from the firearms industry since 2005, including eight “corporate partners” that each gave a million dollars or more, a new report from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) reveals. In the new report, Blood Money II: How Gun Industry…