Weak Gun Laws in Georgia, Florida, and Texas Spur Violence in US Territories, According to New Giffords Law Center Report

March 7, 2022

Washington DC — Today, Giffords Law Center published new research on gun violence within the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (USVI) demonstrating that both territories experience staggering levels of firearm-related violence, with Puerto Rico and USVI’s firearm homicide rates at four and eight times the national average, respectively.

The report, which is available in both English and Spanish, finds that gun violence in the territories is fueled primarily by firearms trafficked in from states with weak gun laws. In Puerto Rico and the USVI, a majority of firearms recovered by law enforcement came from Georgia, Florida, and Texas.

“Gun violence is a uniquely American problem, and its impact extends to United States territories,” said Alex Nguyen, Giffords Research Manager and report author. “Our report found that Puerto Rico and USVI experience astonishingly high rates of firearm violence, largely due to guns sourced and trafficked from three southern states. This is another example of the dire need for comprehensive gun safety laws at the national level—and we hope this research spurs policymakers to act.”

On Tuesday, March 8th at 1pm Eastern, Giffords Law Center will host a webinar featuring Alex Nguyen, former Congresswoman and Senior Giffords Advisor Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, and Alianza Executive Director Marcos Vilar calling on lawmakers to take immediate action to address this under-discussed aspect of our country’s gun violence crisis.

Gun violence data in the territories is irregularly reported, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only publishes data on gun deaths in the 50 states. To prepare this report, the Giffords Law Center research team analyzed local, territorial, and federal data and conducted interviews with key stakeholders, including community members and government officials. Our analysis included the following insights:

In 2016, the firearm homicide rate in USVI was nearly three times that of the highest state, Louisiana. In 2018, Puerto Rico’s firearm homicide rate was four times higher than the national average.
While USVI and Puerto Rico both require licensing for firearm possession, these policies are severely undermined by high rates of gun trafficking from states with weak gun laws.
In USVI, 89% of firearms recovered by law enforcement in 2020 were originally purchased outside the territory, compared to an average of 66% across US states. In Puerto Rico, that number was 87%.
The states that source the most firearms trafficked into both Puerto Rico and USVI are Florida, Georgia, and Texas—all of which have weak gun laws. Ohio was also found to be a major source of illegal guns in Puerto Rico, accounting for approximately two percent of all recovered guns from 2015–2019.

We recommend the following actions to prevent gun violence in these territories:

Create systems to monitor gun violence in all US territories
Increase funding for community violence intervention programs
Encourage states to better regulate their gun markets
Finalize the ATF rule on ghost guns

The American gun violence epidemic is reaching crisis levels, even in places that are too often left out of the conversation. We hope this research empowers policymakers across the United States to take immediate action and save lives.