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 5 million gun sales to people who could not legally own guns.

People with guns kill people, and more efficiently than people without guns. The US gun death rate is 13 times 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. And, domestic abusers with access to a gun are 5 times more likely to kill their female victims.

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 are trafficked from 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. One in three of these shooters is age five or younger.

If more guns everywhere made us safer, America would be the safest country on earth. Instead, we have a gun homicide rate 26 times 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 can access guns in homes other than their own.

Guns in the home increase the risk that anyone in the house, including children, will die by firearm suicide, homicide, or unintentional injuries.

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

Red Flag laws, which authorize courts to issue orders to temporarily remove firearms from someone who is determined to be a danger to themselves or others, protect due process. Final orders can only be issued after the person is given notice and an opportunity to be heard.

Shoot First laws, which allow a person to use deadly force even when they can safely walk away, disproportionately impact Black Americans. In Shoot First states, homicides in which white shooters kill Black victims are deemed justifiable 4 times more often than when the situation is reversed.

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

There is no evidence to show student participation in active shooter drills prevents school shootings or limits the number of deaths during an active shooter incident. Some data show these drills may also cause trauma and anxiety. The best way to protect schools from school shootings are gun safety laws and proven school-based interventions.

Gun makers directly target children with their ads and social media posts—at a time when guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens.

Many gun makers sell AR-15s and other assault weapons that are nearly identical to the firearms used by soldiers in battle to the general public. These firearms have been used in the country’s deadliest mass shootings.

On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the US, increasing the chances it could be used in a violent crime or an unintentional shooting by a child or teen.