Press Releases

For Release: August 17, 2013 Washington, DC — The Violence Policy Center (VPC) released the following statement on Governor Chris Christie’s veto of a bill to ban 50 caliber sniper rifles in New Jersey: “By vetoing this bill, Governor Christie has prioritized gun industry profits over public safety,” said VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand. “Fifty caliber sniper rifles can puncture tanks containing hazardous substances from long distances, making them a special hazard for New Jersey’s many chemical…

For Release: Wednesday, July 31, 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: Sunday, July 14, 2013 Washington, DC — Last night, a Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Violence Policy Center (VPC) Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement: “George Zimmerman has been found not guilty in a court of law, but no jury can ever reverse the tragic shooting of a 17-year-old boy. It’s doubly tragic that Trayvon Martin would still be alive if Zimmerman had not…

For Release: Thursday, June 27, 2013 Washington, DC — As the trial opens this week over the deadly shooting of Trayvon Martin, research shows that similar fatal incidents are shockingly common. The Violence Policy Center has uncovered hundreds of examples of non-self defense incidents involving private citizens legally allowed to carry concealed handguns. These incidents resulted in 516 deaths — including 24 mass shootings and the killing of 14 law enforcement officers. The VPC details these…

For Release: Monday, June 3, 2013 Washington, DC – VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement on the passing of Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey: “Today, the Senate lost a tireless champion of gun violence prevention with the death of Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey. The Violence Policy Center worked closely with Senator Lautenberg on many important gun violence prevention measures including the landmark Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban that prohibits those…

For Release: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Washington, DC — The Violence Policy Center (VPC) hailed Senate passage today of a bill to ban 50 caliber sniper rifles in New Jersey. The VPC has long advocated for restrictions on the sale and possession of 50 caliber sniper rifles and was the first organization in the country to alert the American public to the dangers posed by these weapons with its landmark 2001 study Voting From the Rooftops: How…

For Release: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Latest state figures show motor vehicle deaths on the decline while gun deaths mount WASHINGTON, DC — Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 12 states and the District of Columbia in 2010, the most recent year for which comprehensive state-level data is available, a new analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) shows. Nationwide, improved safety standards have steadily reduced traffic fatalities over the past decade, while firearm deaths (homicides, suicides,…

Large Portions of NRA Convention Sponsored by Firearms Industry, Gun Show Includes Major Vendors of Smokeless and Black Powder, the Type of Explosives Suspected in Boston Marathon Bombing Since 1970s NRA Has Worked Successfully to Stop Federal Regulation of Black and Smokeless Powder New VPC Report Reveals Washington, DC–Beginning this Friday, May 3, 2013, the National Rifle Association (NRA) will meet in Houston, Texas, for its annual convention, the public centerpiece of which is, according…

For Release: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Washington, DC–Since the 1970s, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has worked to block federal regulation–including background checks on transfers–of black and smokeless powder. The NRA’s decades-long campaign against regulating these two common explosives today benefits the gun industry “corporate partners” that help fund the organization according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report, Time Bomb: How the NRA Blocked the Regulation of Black and Smokeless Powder to the Benefit of…

For Release: Monday, April 15, 2013 Washington, DC—“Guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes” according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use (vpc.org/studies/justifiable.pdf). The report analyzes national data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). VPC Executive Director and study co-author Josh Sugarmann states, “The idea…

For Release: Thursday, April 4, 2013 Washington, DC–In response to the passage of sweeping new gun violence prevention measures by the Connecticut legislature, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) issued the following statement by VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann, a native of Newtown, Connecticut: “By passing comprehensive legislation that will save lives, my home state of Connecticut responded with courage, conviction, and compassion to the horrific tragedy last December at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 20…

For Release: Thursday, March 28, 2013 Washington, DC–At least 508 people, including 14 law enforcement officers, have been killed since May 2007 in incidents not ruled self-defense involving private citizens legally allowed to carry concealed handguns according to the March update of the Violence Policy Center’s (VPC) Concealed Carry Killers on-line resource (http://concealedcarrykillers.org). Because no comprehensive data exists on such non-self defense killings, the victims in Concealed Carry Killers are just examples taken from news reports and the limited state…

For Release: Thursday, March 14, 2013 In response to the Senate Judiciary Committee today passing legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) issued the following statement by VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann, a native of Newtown, Connecticut: “The bill to ban assault weapons voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today would significantly improve public safety. Banning the manufacture of military-style assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines is…

For Release: Thursday, March 7, 2013 In response to the Senate Judiciary Committee today passing legislation to make gun trafficking a federal crime, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) issued the following statement by VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand: “The bill voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today addresses the illegal flow of guns into urban centers in the United States as well as the cross-border smuggling of firearms from the United States to Mexico, the…

For Release: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 Annual Study Compares Rates of Homicide Victimization for Californians Ages 10 to 24 by County, Race, Ethnicity, Weapon Used, Circumstance, and Location  Study Also Identifies Local Youth Violence Prevention Programs That are Working to Reduce California’s Youth Homicide Victimization Rate WASHINGTON, DC–San Joaquin County’s young people suffer a murder rate that leads all other California counties according to “Lost Youth: A County-by-County Analysis of 2011 California Homicide Victims Ages 10…

For Release: Thursday, February 7, 2013 Washington, DC–Following release today of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force’s set of policy principles, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement: “The Violence Policy Center (VPC) applauds the comprehensive set of principles put forward today by the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. The task force’s careful and deliberative approach to the problem of gun violence acknowledges that there is no one solution to…

For Release: Thursday, February 7, 2013 Alaska, Louisiana, Montana, Alabama, and Wyoming Have Highest Gun Death Rates  Washington, DC–States with higher gun ownership rates and weak gun laws have the highest rates of gun death according to a new analysis by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) of 2010 national data (the most recent available) from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The analysis reveals that the five…

For Release: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 Washington, DC–The Violence Policy Center (VPC) strongly endorses the “Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013,” a bi-partisan initiative introduced today by Representatives Patrick Meehan (R-Pennsylvania), Carolyn Maloney (D-New York), Scott Rigell (R-Virginia), and Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland). The bill addresses the illegal flow of guns into urban centers in the United States as well as the cross-border smuggling of firearms from the United States to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Canada by…

For Release: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 State’s Black Homicide Victimization Rate of 33.86 Per 100,000 is More Than Seven Times National Overall Homicide Rate of 4.42 per 100,000 Nationwide, 83 Percent of Black Homicide Victims are Killed by Guns Washington, DC–Missouri leads the nation in the rate of black homicide victimization for the third year in a row according to a new analysis of unpublished Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data released…

For Release: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 AK-47 and AR-15 Assault Pistols that Combine the Power of an Assault Rifle with the Concealability of a Handgun Lead the Way  WASHINGTON, DC–Not since the late 1980s and early 1990s has there been such a wide variety of assault pistols available for sale on the U.S. civilian market warns the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) study Assault Pistols: The Next Wave. The study contains more than 20 examples of assault…