Disarm Hate
What does it solve?
Guns and hate are a fatal combination. In an average year, more than 10,300 hate crimes in the United States involve a firearm—more than 28 each day. In most of the US, some people convicted of hate crimes can still legally buy and have guns. Congress and state legislatures must pass laws that keep guns out of the hands of those who have been convicted of hate crimes.
The work to prevent hate-motivated violence must include stronger gun laws, like the Disarm Hate Act, which closes a dangerous loophole in federal law by prohibiting people convicted of violent or threatening hate crimes from having a gun. States should also act to stop people convicted of hate crimes from buying or having a gun. In addition, Extreme Risk laws can help prevent access to guns by people who have shown serious warning signs that they are a threat to others, including those who are motivated by bias.
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Which states prohibit people with hate crime convictions from having firearms?
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Alabama has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Alaska has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Arizona has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Arkansas has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
California has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Colorado has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Connecticut has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Delaware has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Florida has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Georgia has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Hawaii has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Idaho has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Illinois has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Indiana has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Iowa has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Kansas has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Kentucky has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Louisiana has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Maine has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Maryland has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Massachusetts has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Michigan has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Minnesota has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Mississippi has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Missouri has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Montana has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Nebraska has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Nevada has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
New Hampshire has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
New Jersey has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
New Mexico has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
New York has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
North Carolina has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
North Dakota has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Ohio has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Oklahoma has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Oregon has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Pennsylvania has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Rhode Island has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
South Carolina has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
South Dakota has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Tennessee has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Texas has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Utah has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Vermont has not adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Virginia has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Washington has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
West Virginia has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Wisconsin has adopted this policy
Hate Crime Prohibitor
Wyoming has not adopted this policy
How it works
People convicted of a hate crime shouldn’t have guns.
The vast majority of hate crimes are directed against communities of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people. These hate crimes can become deadly when firearms are involved. Easy access to firearms gives a hate-filled individual the opportunity to shatter numerous lives and whole communities, as evidenced by the October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, when a white nationalist killed 11 worshippers and injured six more; the June 2015 shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, when a white supremacist opened fire in a church, killing nine Black worshippers; and the June 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub, Orlando, FL, when a gunman shot and killed 49 people and injured 53, most of whom identified as LGBTQ and Latinx.
Current federal and state gun laws do not adequately address the problem. While all felonies prohibit gun possession under federal law, most misdemeanors, including hate crime misdemeanors, do not—even though hate crimes involving firearms were the catalyst for hate crime laws in the United States. Hate crime misdemeanors can be serious, violent acts, but under federal law, a violent or threatening hate crime misdemeanor conviction does not prohibit gun possession. While nearly half of the states have laws closing this gap, most states do not. This means that in much of the country a person convicted of a violent hate crime could legally pass a background check and buy a gun.
By the numbers
63%
Racism, most often against Black people, motivated 63 percent of reported hate crimes in 2020.
15%
Anti-religious bias, most often anti-Jewish bias, motivated 15 percent of reported hate crimes in 2020.
17%
Anti-LGBTQ+ bias motivated 17 percent of reported hate crimes in 2020.
10k+