JOIN THE FIGHT
Over 40,000 Americans lose their lives to gun violence every year. In communities, courts, and ballot boxes nationwide, Giffords fights to save lives from gun violence. Will you join us?
2021 ANNUAL REPORT
After gun violence reached record highs, we recommitted to ending this uniquely American epidemic. Your courageous support allowed us to pour more resources than ever into the fight to save lives.
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HONORING THE PAST, Fighting for a safer FUTURE
2021 saw both encouraging progress in the fight for gun safety and alarming threats to American democracy.
On January 5, we secured a gun safety majority in the Senate. On January 6, we watched armed protestors violently attack the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow an election. Both events, despite their stark differences, set the tone for our work in 2021.
To safeguard our elections and protect all Americans, our team worked with states to guarantee gun safety laws work as effectively as possible. We also supported the House in passing legislation like the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act and the Enhanced Backgrounds Check Act. In our fight to hold the gun lobby accountable, our organization sued the NRA for violating campaign finance laws and filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting a New York gun safety law.
As in-person events safely restarted, we hosted our Gun Violence Memorial on the National Mall in DC. Following its success, we took our memorial on the road and brought it across the country to Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami.
While we have more work ahead of us, we made incredible progress in 2021. With gun violence majorities in Congress and a gun safety president in the White House, we are more prepared than ever to save lives.
“Because of your continued support, we’ve made enormous progress in the fight to save lives. Our work isn’t done yet, but progress is only possible because of you.”
—Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
ABOUT US
Our organization is made up of three distinct entities, working in concert to end gun violence in America.
Challenging the Gun Lobby in Court
Giffords Law Center’s cutting-edge legal analysis and strategy carved a path for progress at both the state and federal level.
In 2021, we won our long-pending case against the Federal Election Commission, which we filed to compel the government to investigate the NRA for violating federal campaign finance law. A judge authorized us to sue the NRA directly, which we immediately did, in partnership with the Campaign Legal Action Center.
After the Supreme Court agreed to hear a Second Amendment case challenging a New York law, we coordinated with the New York solicitor general to draft our amicus brief in support of the law. On the day of the oral argument, we organized a demonstration outside the Court, featuring Gabby Giffords and other gun violence survivors.
Our litigation team also filed public comments in support of a proposed rule from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to regulate ghost guns in the same manner as traditional firearms, and we worked with allies to drive thousands of public comments in support. As ghost guns continue to endanger lives, we partnered with the San Francisco district attorney and a team of litigators at Keker, Van Nest & Peters to file a lawsuit against three ghost gun companies, alleging that they are violating and undermining various federal and state laws.
Our attorneys also helped organize a public workshop on gun rights and regulation with the Brennan Center for Justice, as well as an academic symposium on the Second Amendment with the UC Davis Law Review. Giffords Law Center aims to educate and inform advocates and legislators about gun safety policies, and this year we made significant progress nationally, as well as in states across the country.
OUR BOARD
The lifesaving work we do at Giffords Law Center wouldn’t be possible without the courageous, committed leadership of our board of directors.
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2021 at a glance
Throughout the year, Giffords worked with legislators and advocates to provide critical legal and policy assistance, challenged the gun lobby in courts, and organized Americans for change.
Armed protesters and insurrectionists believe their right to bear arms trumps every other right—but we’re fighting back.
Our memorials are a tribute to the many lives that have been lost and a testament to the strength of survivors.
Despite the increase of extremist gun laws, many legislators responded by passing the evidence-based, effective policies Giffords advocated for.
Our virtual anniversary dinner brought together supporters from across the country to honor Stacey Abrams and other gun safety advocates.
Giffords endorsed gun safety champions in 2021 and invested in our political work in preparation for the 2022 midterms.
In 2021, Giffords expanded its national gun owners coalition, mobilizing more supporters of commonsense gun laws.
Giffords released a report highlighting violence intervention workers and calling for more resources to support their lifesaving work.
The goal of this movement is to save lives, not just to pass laws—and effective implementation is crucial.
ENDING GUN VIOLENCE TAKES ALL OF US
TAKE ACTION
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
GETTING OFF THE SIDELINES
Saving lives from gun violence isn’t only the responsibility of politicians or private citizens—more and more, the private sector is showing the courage to fight for a safer future. New research shows that customers want companies to take clear, decisive action on the social issues that matter to everyday Americans.
Foundations
We are incredibly grateful to the following foundations, whose considerable support helped us make progress in 2021.
The below list of philanthropic foundations made generous investments to help ensure the safety of all Americans in 2021. Many of these courageous leaders partner with us year after year as we fight to save lives from gun violence.
MAKE A GIFT
Every day, the experts at Giffords Law Center work tirelessly to craft, enact, and defend the gun safety policies and programs that save lives. A safer America is within reach, but we need your courage and commitment to get there.
SPOTLIGHT
GUNS & DEMOCRACY
The use of guns to intimidate and threaten voters, elected officials, and peaceful demonstrators poses a serious threat to our democracy. We’ve gathered resources on the deadly connection between guns and extremism, and how to stop it.
Read MoreGIFFORDS LAW CENTER Financials
Below is a detailed breakdown of our 2021 financials.
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, our 501(c)3 organization, receives funding from individual donors, foundations, law firms, and corporations. In 2021, as in previous years, the majority of our revenue was spent on our efforts to save lives from gun violence through research, legislation, litigation, and community violence intervention strategies. The below financials are limited to Giffords Law Center and do not represent funding or revenue for other Giffords entities.
SPOTLIGHT
REDUCING RISK
Explore the options and strategies available for addressing specific types of gun violence and reducing the risk of a dangerous situation ending in tragedy.
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