Debunking Gun Myths at the Dinner Table

Laws like background checks stop gun sales to criminals every day. Since 1994, these laws have blocked more than 4 million gun sales to people who could not legally own guns.

People with guns kill people, and more efficiently than people without guns. The U.S. gun homicide rate is 26x higher than that of other high-income countries.

Federal law does not prohibit current or recent former dating partners subject to a domestic violence restraining order from purchasing or possessing guns.

Chicago proves why we must push for strong federal gun laws. Many of the crime guns recovered in Chicago and in other cities in states with strong gun violence prevention laws can be traced back to states with weaker gun laws.

Every year, hundreds of children age 17 and under gain access to a gun and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else—sometimes fatally.

If more guns everywhere made us safer, America would be the safest country on earth. Instead, we have a gun homicide rate 26x that of other high-income countries.

Arming teachers ignores research that shows the presence of a gun increases the risks posed to children and teachers.  School safety experts and law enforcement oppose arming teachers.

4.6 million U.S. children live in a household with at least one loaded, unsecured gun. Children and teens access guns in homes other than their own.

Federal law only requires licensed dealers to perform background checks. That means that millions of guns are bought and sold by unlicensed sellers each year without one—often online or at gun shows.

Red Flag orders are issued only by judges on the basis of evidence that meets certain standards of proof, and judges can only issue a final order following a hearing of which the person is given notice and during which they have an opportunity to be heard. Red Flag laws also allow an individual to petition to terminate an existing order.

Shoot First laws, also known as Stand Your Ground laws, have a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Across the country, research shows that when white shooters kill Black victims, the resulting homicides are considered justifiable far more frequently than when the shooter is Black and the victim is white.

Black people in the U.S. are disproportionately impacted by various forms of gun violence. They experience 12 times the gun homicides, 18 times the gun assault injuries, and nearly 3 times the fatal police shootings of white Americans.

There is no evidence to show student participation in active shooter drills saves lives and data shows they do cause trauma and anxiety. The best way to protect schools from school shootings are proven threat assessment programs and gun safety laws.