Press Release
BACKGROUND CHECKS NOW
States that require background checks to purchase any gun, even at a gun show or in a private sale, have lower gun death rates. To save lives, we must pass universal background checks at the federal level—now.
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SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
The data is clear: states with stronger gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
GIFFORDS LAW CENTER
For 30 years, Giffords Law Center has been fighting to draft, enact, and defend the laws, policies, and programs proven to save lives from gun violence.
44,000 AMERICANS DIE FROM GUN VIOLENCE EVERY YEAR
Our country is living through a gun violence crisis of epidemic proportions, with tens of thousands killed every year and many more wounded. Over the course of their lifetimes, every American will know someone who loses their life to gun violence. The human and economic costs of this uniquely American crisis are staggering, as is the weight of trauma and fear inflicted on communities across the country. Ending this epidemic begins with understanding how we got here.
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Firearm access triples suicide risk. Waiting periods and extreme risk protection orders offer people in crisis a second chance.
Violence intervention strategies have reduced shootings up to 70% in the underserved communities where homicides concentrate.
More than 1,100 civilians are fatally shot by law enforcement each year. Unarmed Black civilians are three times more likely to be shot.
Three million American children are directly exposed to gun violence each year. Trauma and lockdown drills shouldn’t be a normal part of growing up.
Weak gun laws turn abusive situations deadly—when abusive partners have access to firearms, their victims are five times as likely to be killed.
The US averages one mass shooting per day. Assault weapons and large-capacity magazines make these tragedies even deadlier.
BE A PART OF THE MOVEMENT TO SAVE LIVES
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STAND WITH US
We’re building a movement of Americans committed to gun safety. Democrats and Republicans, gun owners and non–gun owners alike—we stand united to reject the gun lobby and pass lifesaving gun safety laws.
