Press Releases

For Release: Monday, February 6, 2006 Washington, DC–A recently unsealed indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida, adds a Colombian terrorist organization to the growing list of terror entities that have chosen the 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifle as a favorite weapon, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) warned today. The indictment was returned on January 3, 2006, and unsealed on January 26, 2006. It charges 10 foreign nationals with a variety of…

For Release:  Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Role of Guns, Other Patterns of Murder-Suicide, Identified in VPC Study American Roulette, the Largest Study of Murder-Suicide in the U.S. Ever Conducted Washington, DC–The murder of six former co-workers and subsequent suicide by a Goleta, California, ex-postal worker fits the tragic pattern–the use of a firearm–that defines almost all of the more than 1,300 estimated deaths that result each year from murder-suicide, according to the Violence Policy Center…

For Release:  Wednesday, November 9, 2005 San Francisco Joins Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, in Recognizing Link Between Handgun Availability and Increased Murder and Suicide Rates Washington, DC–The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today hailed the passage of a ban on the sale and possession of handguns in San Francisco. The measure passed overwhelmingly–58 percent to 42 percent according to the Associated Press–in a referendum held yesterday. The measure bans the manufacture and sale of all…

For Release:   Wednesday, November 9, 2005 Washington, DC–In the wake of yesterday’s school shooting in Jacksboro, Tennessee, the Violence Policy Center issued the following brief backgrounder on firearm crime and gun possession in Tennessee: Tennessee ranked first in the nation for the rate of violent crime committed with firearms (a rate of 251.2 per 100,000, compared to the national average of 120.5 per 100,000). [Source: “Crime State Rankings 2005,” Morgan Quitno Press, which are based…

For Release:  Wednesday, November 2, 2005 Washington, DC–The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a backgrounder on Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito. Key aspects of the document include: Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito voted to strike down the 1986 federal machine gun ban in the case U.S. v. Rybar, [103 F.3d 273 (3d Cir. 1996)]. Judge Alito was the lone dissenter in the decision upholding the conviction of a gun dealer who sold illegal…

For Release:   Thursday, October 20, 2005 Legislation Makes Gun Industry the Most Pampered Industry in America WASHINGTON, DC – Following today’s passage of legislation (S. 397) shielding the gun industry from certain types of civil liability, Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand released the following statement: This bill is built on a corrupt foundation of lies that will leave a legacy of pain and suffering. Proponents lie when they claim the gun industry is…

For Release:  Monday, October 11, 2005 Redskins/NRA Event Announced Same Month that NRA’s Magazine Attacks D.C. Mayor Williams and Police Chief Ramsey Washington, D.C. – The Violence Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based national non-profit organization working to reduce gun death and injury, today sent Washington Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder a letter urging him to “end all participation” by the Washington Redskins in a planned shooting event with the National Rifle Association on October 25,…

For Release: Monday, September 26, 2005 Study, Released for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, Ranks Alaska #1 in Rate of Women Murdered by Men WASHINGTON, DC—The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2003 Homicide Data. This annual report details national and state-by-state information on female homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender. The VPC releases the study each year to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.…

For Release:  September 14, 2005 Washington, DC – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed on a voice vote an amendment offered by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to prohibit gun possession by individuals convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses against minors. The Nadler amendment to H.R. 3132, the “Children’s Safety Act of 2005,” will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous, known sex offenders. Although current federal law prohibits the transfer to, or possession by,…

For Release:   September 14, 2005 Washington, DC – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed on a voice vote an amendment offered by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to prohibit gun possession by individuals convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses against minors. The Nadler amendment to H.R. 3132, the “Children’s Safety Act of 2005,” will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous, known sex offenders. Although current federal law prohibits the transfer to, or possession by,…

For Release:  Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Washington, DC–On Monday, July 25, the Violence Policy Center issued a new report, A Foreign Affair: Contracting for U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Firearms, revealing that, contrary to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s claim that firearms litigation could result in U.S. armed forces having to depend on “foreign manufacturers” for their sidearms, the “American” company Senator Frist cited as being at risk, Beretta, is, in fact, a foreign company. That…

For Release:   Monday, July 25, 2005 Facts Expose Frist’s Red Herring: Bulk of Government Contracts Already Go to Foreign Gunmakers Senator Frist, Meet the Berettas: Ugo, Franco, and Pietro WASHINGTON–Last week Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) announced his intention to bring to the floor of the U.S. Senate this week legislation to shield the gun industry from civil liability (S. 397). According to Frist, the bill is urgently needed to protect American gunmakers…

For Release:   Tuesday, July 19, 2005 New Violence Policy Center Study Includes Previously Classified U.S. Secret Service Report Warning of Danger to President and Civil Aviation from Easily Obtained Sniper Rifles Washington, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a new study detailing the concerns of a wide spectrum of national security experts about the terrorism threat posed by easily available and virtually unregulated 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles. The 42-page study Clear and…

For Release:  Monday, July 18, 2005 Washington, DC – Following today’s announcement by National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre that in reaction to Columbus, Ohio’s recent City Council vote to ban assault weapons the NRA would move its 2007 annual meeting, the Violence Policy Center released the following statement from Executive Director Josh Sugarmann: “Today’s announcement confirms that to the National Rifle Association, the Columbus, Ohio, assault weapons ban is a far…

For Release:  Wednesday, July 13, 2005 Measures Fail Despite Growing Evidence that Terrorists, Including Al Qaeda, Buy Firearms in America WASHINGTON–Despite increasing evidence that a variety of terrorist organizations are buying the most lethal categories of guns in the United States, the House Judiciary Committee today voted down two anti-terror gun amendments to the USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R 3199). The Committee first rejected an amendment by Representatives Chris Van…

For Release: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 Study’s Findings Discredit Congressional Efforts to Repeal DC’s Gun Laws Washington, D.C.–Children and youth in the District of Columbia are far less likely than their peers in the 50 states to be victims of firearm suicide, a new Violence Policy Center (VPC) study reveals (please follow this link for the full text of the study). The study finds that NO District youths 16 years of age or younger died as…

For Release:  Tuesday, June 28, 2005 Washington, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today urged lawmakers to reject H.R. 1288, reckless legislation that would repeal the District of Columbia’s stringent restrictions on the sale and possession of handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons. A hearing on the bill took place today before the House Committee on Government Reform. Similar legislation failed last Congress. VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, “This new assault on the District’s…

For Release:  Wednesday, June 17, 2015 Additional Contact:  Cathie Whittenburg States United to Prevent Gun Violence 207-318-0771 cathie@ceasefireusa.org Federal data shows guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes; 13 states reported no justifiable firearm homicides in 2012 Washington, DC — Private citizens rarely use guns to kill criminals or stop crimes, a new study from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) finds. The study, Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use, shows that…

For Release: Thursday, June 16, 2005 Web Site Asks “If The U.S. Capitol Can be Handgun Free, Why Can’t DC?”  Washington, DC–The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today launched a new web site to aid citywide efforts to stop Congressional repeal of the Washington, DC, handgun ban and other District gun laws. The web site http://www.handgunfreedc.org contains background information on efforts to repeal the District’s landmark law, information on the bans effectiveness, and a downloadable placard to be displayed…

For Release:   Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Washington, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today applauded the New York State Assembly for voting last night to ban 50 caliber sniper rifles. The measure must now go to the New York State Senate. The legislative effort was spearheaded by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV), the state’s leading gun violence prevention organization. The VPC has long advocated for a ban on the sale and possession of…