Press Releases

For Release:  Wednesday, September 15, 2010 WASHINGTON, DC–Nevada, with a rate of 2.96 per 100,000, ranked first in the nation in the rate of women killed by men according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2008 Homicide Data. The annual VPC report details national and state-by-state information on female homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender. The study uses the most recent data available…

For Release:  Monday, August 30, 2010 Washington, DC–Two Florida concealed handgun permit holders who got into a confrontation and shot and killed each other on a neighborhood street are among the additions and updates to Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of killings by concealed handgun permit holders. Since May 2007, concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least 189 individuals–including nine law enforcement officers–in 26 states. Of…

For Release: Friday, August 6, 2010 Manufactured by CT-Based Sturm, Ruger, Pistol Designed for Concealed Carry Exemplifies How Gun Industry Innovates for Lethality  WASHINGTON–The Sturm, Ruger SR9 pistol used by Omar Thornton earlier this week in the mass murder of eight of his co-workers at a Manchester, CT, beer distributor is a prime example of the high-capacity, compact pistols specifically designed for concealed carry currently being aggressively marketed by U.S. handgun manufacturers. During a chilling 911…

For Release: Monday, July 26, 2010 Bill Would Only Increase Risk to Families and Children in Economic Strife Washington, DC–The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow (Tuesday, July 27) on a bill that would protect guns from the claims of creditors in bankruptcy proceedings (H.R. 5827). The national gun violence prevention organizations Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, GunFreeKids.org, Legal Community Against Violence, Protest Easy Guns, and Violence…

For Release:  Friday, July 23, 2010 Washington, DC–The conviction of a Tennessee concealed handgun permit holder who murdered another man during an argument over how close their SUVs were parked to one another, a “love triangle of sorts” that ended in murder-suicide, and a 15-year-old killed with an “unloaded” handgun by his friend are among the updates and additions to Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of killings…

For Release:  Wednesday, July 21, 2010 Washington, D.C.–The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released the second edition of Drive-By America, a national analysis of drive-by shootings. The study, the most comprehensive analysis of its type, tallied news stories from the 50 states and the District of Columbia from July through December 2008 to identify data and trends associated with drive-by shootings, including the number of incidents by state, the number of victims killed and injured, as…

For Release: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Washington, DC–A Florida mass shooting that resulted in the murder of four women, an innocent 17-year-old gunned down by a 61-year-old man in a case of mistaken identity, and a bass player from a cover band accused of murdering the female host of the party where his band was playing are among the June additions to Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of…

For Release:  Monday, June 28, 2010 Washington, DC–Following today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago that the Second Amendment is applicable to the states, Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand issued the following statement: “People will die because of this decision. It is a victory only for the gun lobby and America’s fading firearms industry. The inevitable tide of frivolous pro-gun litigation destined to follow will force cities, counties, and states to expend scarce…

For Release:  Friday, June 11, 2010 At Least 65 Innocent People Have Been Killed in Recent Mass Shootings Involving Concealed Handgun Permit Holders  Washington, DC–Gerardo Regalado, the 38-year-old man who shot seven women, killing four, earlier this week at a Hialeah, Florida, restaurant is at least the 16th person licensed to carry a concealed handgun reported to have committed a mass shooting (three victims or more) since May 2007 according to Violence Policy Center (VPC)…

For Release: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, Alabama, and Nevada Have Highest Gun Death Rates Washington, DC–States with higher gun ownership rates and weak gun laws have the highest rates of overall gun death according to a new analysis by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) of just-released 2007 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…

For Release:  Thursday, May 27, 2010 Washington, DC—Arrests for murder and a murder-suicide are among the new incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders detailed in the May update of Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of such killings. Since May 2007, concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least 166 individuals, including nine law enforcement officers. Among the new incidents included in the May update are: Tennessee–On April…

For Release:  Wednesday, May 12, 2010 Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck Featured Speakers at NRA Convention  Washington, D.C.–This weekend, Tea Party advocates Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck will be featured speakers at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention being held in Charlotte, NC. Palin will be speaking Friday at the “NRA’s Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum” while Beck will address the crowd Saturday night at the “NRA’s Celebration of American Values Freedom Experience.” According…

For Release:  Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Washington, DC–Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 152 private citizens (including 15 shooters who killed themselves after an attack) since May 2007 according to the latest update of Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of such killings. The web site, located at http://concealedcarrykillers.org, is updated monthly to include new fatal shootings since May…

For Release: Thursday, April 15, 2010 New Study Details Links Between NRA Election Volunteer Coordinators and Tea Party Movement  Washington, D.C.–Fifteen years ago former National Rifle Association (NRA) member Timothy McVeigh–motivated by his fear and hatred of the federal government–bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Today, the NRA and other members of the gun lobby are again embracing and validating anti-government rhetoric according to the new 21-page Violence Policy Center (VPC) study Lessons…

For Release:  Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Washington, DC–Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 142 private citizens (including 15 shooters who killed themselves after an attack) since May 2007 according to the latest update of Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of such killings. The web site, located at http://concealedcarrykillers.org, is updated monthly to include new fatal shootings since May…

For Release:  Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Washington, DC–More than one out of four assault weapons incidents involve police, according to “Target: Law Enforcement—Assault Weapons in the News” (https://vpc.org/studies/targetle.pdf) a new study released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The study, based on reports in the news of assault weapons incidents over a two-year span, is a snapshot of the effect of America’s laissez-faire policy toward these deadly military-style weapons. The study found that the…

For Release: Friday, February 19, 2010 Washington, DC–Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 130 private citizens (including 14 shooters who killed themselves after an attack) since May 2007 according to the latest update of Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of such killings. The web site, located at http://concealedcarrykillers.org, is updated monthly to include new fatal shootings since May 2007…

For Release: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 State’s Black Homicide Victimization Rate of 36.36 Per 100,000 is Nearly Seven Times National Overall Homicide Rate of 5.30 per 100,000 Washington, DC–Pennsylvania leads the nation in the rate of black homicide victimization according to a new analysis of unpublished Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The annual study, “Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis…

For Release:  Tuesday, January 20, 2010 At Least 51 Innocent People Have Been Killed in Recent Mass Shootings Involving Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Washington, DC–Christopher Bryan Speight, the 39-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed eight men and women yesterday in Appomattox, Virginia, is at least the 12th person licensed to carry a concealed handgun reported to have committed a mass shooting since May 2007 according to Violence Policy Center (VPC) research. The Associated Press…

For Release: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Washington, DC–Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 108 private citizens (including 13 shooters who killed themselves after an attack) since May 2007 according to the latest update of Concealed Carry Killers, a Violence Policy Center (VPC) on-line resource that tallies news reports of such killings. The web site, located at http://concealedcarrykillers.org, is updated monthly to include new fatal shootings since May 2007…