Press Releases

For Release: Wednesday, September 17, 2019 Annual VPC Study Released for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October Washington, DC — Nine out of 10 black women murdered by men are killed by someone they know, most often with a gun, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) study When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2017 Homicide Data. Each year the VPC releases this report in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.…

For Release: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 Study ranks the states by the rate of females killed by males in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October Washington, DC — Nearly 2,000 women were murdered by men in 2017 and the most common weapon used was a gun, according to the most recent edition of the Violence Policy Center (VPC) study When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2017 Homicide Data. Each year the VPC…

For Release: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 New VPC Analysis Released During National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September Washington, DC — States with higher rates of gun ownership and weak gun violence prevention laws have the highest overall suicide rates in the nation, while states with lower gun ownership rates and strong gun laws have the lowest suicide rates, according to a Violence Policy Center (VPC) analysis of 2017 data (the most recent year available)…

For Release: Wednesday, August 7, 2019 VPC Study is Primer on Community Violence and Its Impacts Washington, DC — Following the recent series of mass shootings and extreme gun violence in Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton, Brooklyn, and Chicago, increased attention is being focused on the community trauma that results from such attacks and its long-term negative impacts. These effects are detailed in the Violence Policy Center (VPC) study The Relationship Between Community Violence and Trauma:…

For Release: Sunday, August 4, 2019 Washington, DC — Following mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement: “This is insanity. Men, women, and children are being gunned down in our public spaces in mass attacks and as a nation we fail to act. The common, bloody thread that runs through these shootings is a semiautomatic firearm, frequently an assault weapon, equipped with…

For Release: Saturday, August 3, 2019 Washington, DC — Following the assault weapon attack that occurred today at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement: “Less than a week after the assault rifle attack in Gilroy, California, today a military-bred weapon was used once again for the exact purpose for which it was designed: to kill and injure as many people as quickly and efficiently as possible. This latest attack is the result of…

For Release: Monday, July 29, 2019 Following the mass shooting Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, reportedly with an assault-type rifle that left three dead and 12 wounded, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement: “Yet another public event designed to bring people together has been destroyed by gunfire, claiming innocent lives and changing families and a community forever. The shooter, reportedly dressed in military garb and carrying…

For Release: Thursday, July 25, 2019 Washington, DC — Innocent victims continue to die at the hands of private citizens with permits to carry concealed handguns, according to ongoing research from the Violence Policy Center (VPC). Concealed handgun permit holders are responsible for at least 1,325 deaths not involving self defense since 2007, VPC research shows. Details on these fatal incidents can be found on Concealed Carry Killers (concealedcarrykillers.org), an online resource that provides examples…

For Release: Wednesday, July 16, 2019 Washington, DC — Guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes according to Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use, a new analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The study analyzes 2016 data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and includes survey data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The…

For Release: Monday, July 8, 2019 Report Released Prior to Special Session of Virginia General Assembly Called in Wake of Virginia Beach Mass Shooting Washington, D.C. – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released an updated edition of its study Silencers: A Threat to Public Safety as the Virginia General Assembly is scheduled to begin a special session tomorrow on gun violence prevention legislation. The special session was called in the wake of the May…

Para divulgarse: miércoles, 19 de junio de 2019 To view this press release in English click here. Washington, DC – Para abordar el impacto desproporcionado que la violencia con armas de fuego tiene sobre comunidades de color–especialmente dentro de la comunidad latina–hay que mejorar la recopilación de datos, según indica un nuevo informe del Centro de Políticas sobre Violencia (Violence Policy Center,VPC) titulado Recolección de datos en California para apoyar acciones que buscan prevenir la…

For Release: Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Para la versión en español haga “click” aquí. Washington, DC – In order to address the disproportionate impact of gun violence on communities of color—especially within the Latino community—data collection needs to improve, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report Data Collection in California in Support of Violence Prevention: Strengths, Limitations, and Opportunities. Funded by the Hope and Heal Fund—a collaborative fund to stop gun violence in…

For Release: Saturday, June 1, 2019 Following the mass shooting Friday at a civic building in Virginia Beach, Virginia involving a 45 caliber semiautomatic handgun, reportedly equipped with a firearm silencer and extended ammunition magazines, that left 12 victims dead and four wounded before the shooter died in a gun battle with law enforcement, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement: “Today our nation grieves yet another gun massacre: 12 innocent…

For Release: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 94 Percent of Black Homicide Victims in Missouri were Killed with Guns Washington, DC — For the third year in a row, Missouri has the highest black homicide victimization rate in the nation with a rate of 46.21 per 100,000—more than twice the national black homicide victimization rate and nine times the overall homicide rate nationwide—according to a new analysis by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The annual study,…

For Release: Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Administration’s Proposed Rule Could Result in Proliferation of 3D-Printed Firearms WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today a diverse group of more than a hundred organizations sent a letter to Congress in opposition to a Trump Administration proposal that would significantly weaken regulation and oversight of firearms exports. The Administration has proposed a rule to transfer controls of exports of semi-automatic firearms and ammunition from the United States Munitions List under the…

When the National Rifle Association gathers for its annual meeting April 26 – 28 in Indianapolis, IN, the biggest draw for attendees will be the trade show of new guns that is the centerpiece of the event. The NRA brags of the show’s size, promising “15 acres of guns and gear.” But while the NRA celebrates its gun industry “corporate partners” for their financial support of the organization, many of these companies are inextricably linked…

For Release: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Washington, DC – A new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report released today offers an overview of lethal gun violence in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The study, Gun Violence in the Great Lakes States, draws from VPC studies released in 2018 as well as additional research focusing on the region, and offers for each state information on: overall gun death (suicides, homicides,…

For Release: Friday, April 12, 2019 Washington, DC — Innocent victims continue to die at the hands of private citizens with permits to carry concealed handguns, according to ongoing research from the Violence Policy Center (VPC). Concealed handgun permit holders are responsible for 1,313 deaths not involving self defense since 2007, VPC research shows. Details on these fatal incidents can be found on Concealed Carry Killers (concealedcarrykillers.org), an online resource that provides examples of non-self…

Para divulgarse: jueves, 21 de febrero de 2019 Un nuevo estudio exhaustivo incluye recomendaciones para mejorar la recolección de datos y así ayudar a esfuerzos que buscan prevenir la violencia To view this press release in English click here. Washington, DC — En California, entre 1999 y 2016, cerca de 17,000 hispanos/latinos han sido asesinados con armas de fuego, de acuerdo con Victimización letal de hispanos/latinos con armas de fuego en California, un nuevo estudio…

For Release: Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comprehensive New Study Includes Recommendations to Improve Data Collection to Aid Violence Prevention Efforts Para la versión en español haga “click” aquí. Washington, DC — Nearly 17,000 Hispanics/Latinos were killed with guns in California from 1999 through 2016, according to Lethal Hispanic/Latino Firearm Victimization in California, a new 91-page study from the Violence Policy Center (VPC). [For English and Spanish language versions of the study, its key findings and…