Impact of Gun Violence on Black Americans
Impact of Gun Violence on Black Americans
What is the problem?
Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. They experience 10 times the gun homicides, 18 times the gun assault injuries, and nearly 3 times the fatal police shootings of white Americans.
Gun homicides, assaults, and police shootings are disproportionately prevalent in historically underfunded neighborhoods and cities. This lack of funding intensifies our country’s long-standing racial inequities.
Local groups, residents, and city officials are driving solutions to reduce gun violence and increase safety in their communities, but data and resources are needed to support these efforts.
What are the solutions?
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Violence Intervention Programs
Violence intervention programs provide evidence and community-informed, comprehensive support to individuals who are at greatest risk of gunshot victimization. These programs are shown to reduce gunshot wounds and deaths in the neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.
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Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Assistance Funding
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) victim assistance funds are federal funds that can be used to support services for victims and survivors of gun violence. Many of the services eligible for VOCA victim assistance funds are already being provided by gun violence intervention programs, such as street outreach and hospital-based violence intervention programs. VOCA victim assistance grants should be used to help reduce gun violence and support gun violence survivors.
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Repeal Shoot First Laws
Shoot First, also known as Stand Your Ground, laws allow people to shoot to kill in public even when they can safely walk away from the danger. These laws threaten public safety by encouraging armed vigilantism. They allow a person to kill another person in a public area even when there are clear and safe ways to retreat from a dangerous situation.
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Prevent Gun Trafficking
The United States lacks strong federal gun trafficking laws to crack down on illegal gun trafficking networks. Gun trafficking and straw purchasing laws could help keep guns off our streets.
Featured Resources

Armed Extremism in Buffalo: Online Gun Communities Provide a Path of Radicalization and Training to a Racist Shooter
The Buffalo, NY mass shooting in May 2022 at Tops Friendly Market was an act of white supremacist, hate-motivated violence.

When the Shooting Stops: The Impact of Gun Violence on Survivors in America
The trauma of gun violence doesn’t end when the shooting stops. Experiencing gun violence has a lasting impact on survivors.

Invisible Wounds: Gun Violence and Community Trauma among Black Americans
Persistent gun violence is harming too many Black communities in the U.S., contributing to individual, family, and community-level trauma.
A Fund for Healing: VOCA Grants for Violence Reduction
The Needs Of Gun Violence Victims In America America’s gun homicide rate is tragic and unique—it is 26 times higher than…
All Resources
Impact of Gun Violence on Black Americans
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Promising Approaches for Implementing Extreme Risk Laws: A Guide for Practitioners and Policymakers
This guide details the best available practices and promising approaches to effective implementation of extreme risk laws.
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Beyond Measure: Gun Violence Trauma
This study focuses on trauma from gun violence by listening to the voices and experiences of those directly impacted.
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Methodological Note for Beyond Measure: Gun Violence Trauma
Read the Report Beyond Measure: Gun Violence Trauma Report The United States is a nation of gun…
Methodological NoteSobrevivientes de violencia con armas de fuego en los Estados Unidos
Esta encuesta explora la amplitud de la violencia con armas de fuego en los Estados Unidos y su impacto en los sobrevivientes.
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Gun Violence Survivors in America
This survey explores the breadth of gun violence in America and how it impacts survivors.
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Shooting Straight: What TV Stories Tell Us About Gun Safety, How These Depictions Affect Audiences, and How We Can Do Better
This research project explores how often gun safety and prevention measures are portrayed or discussed in entertainment media.
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Cuando el tiroteo se detiene: El impacto de la violencia con armas de fuego en los sobrevivientes de los Estados Unidos
Read in English When the Shooting Stops: The Impact of Gun Violence on Survivors in America Resumen ejecutivo…
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Funding Summer Youth Programming Prevents Gun Violence
As cities develop their spending plan for American Rescue Plan funds, they should prioritize and plan funding for summer youth engagement.
Fact SheetAlternative Dispatch Programs
Creating alternative dispatch options that connect people in crisis with mental health services is key in preventing police gun violence.
Fact Sheet
Hurdles to Healing: Fixing Victim Compensation Funds
Victim compensation funds are available to survivors of gun violence, but obstacles and restrictions make the funds difficult to access
Fact Sheet
Community-Led Services for Survivors
Community-led services can assist survivors by responding to incidents of gun violence in their community and providing ongoing care.
Fact Sheet
A License to Kill: Shoot First Laws, also known as Stand Your Ground
Stand Your Ground laws distort the public perception of lawful self-defense and encourage people to shoot first and ask questions later.
Fact Sheet
A Deadly Year in Cities — And How Policymakers Can Respond
While the long term effects of COVID-19 still aren’t fully clear, it is evident that cities have experienced historic levels of violence.
Fact Sheet
Gun Violence and the Police
Every year, police in America shoot and kill more than 1,000 people.
Fact Sheet
Gun Violence in America
We have gathered the most comprehensive, publicly available data to illustrate the magnitude of everyday gun violence.
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