Gun Industry Accountability
Gun Industry Accountability
What is the problem?
More than 100,000 people are shot and killed or wounded in the United States each year, but the gun industry plays by a special set of rules that allows it to avoid responsibility and endanger public safety.
Firearms are not regulated like other consumer products. The laws regulating how guns may be sold are outdated, and members of the gun industry who skirt the law enjoy special legal protection. Guns are not required to have safety features that are shown to reduce unintentional shootings and theft. Information is hidden from the public on which gun dealers supply firearms recovered in crime. Gun dealers are rarely inspected or held accountable even though violations are common. Gun manufacturers and sellers that skirt the law have a unique, broad immunity from legal accountability.
What are the solutions?
-
Repeal Gun Industry Immunity
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) blocks legal responsibility for gun manufacturers that have failed to innovate and make guns safer, and for manufacturers, distributors, and dealers with irresponsible, reckless and negligent sales practices that contribute to the flood of illegal firearms in our communities.
-
Gun Dealer Reform
Laws on how gun stores conduct their business have not been strengthened since the 1960s. Congress should pass comprehensive gun dealer reform.
-
Smart Guns and Gun Safety Features
A personalized—or “smart”—gun is a firearm that employs authorized-use technology, like the thumb scan or passcode available on many smartphones, to turn stolen guns and guns accessed by children into harmless pieces of steel. If widely implemented, it would be a game-changer for keeping guns out of the hands of children and criminals.
-
Repeal Restrictions on Gun Trace Data
First enacted by Congress in 2003 as a rider to an appropriations bill, the Tiahrt Rider has restricted public access to data about gun crime and firearm trafficking.
Featured Resources
The Smoking Gun
An online resource committed to exposing the gun industry’s role in our gun violence epidemic today.
The Gun Industry’s Power Broker: A Closer Look at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the Front Group for America’s Gun Makers and Sellers
The NSSF isn’t as well known as the NRA, but it is just as extreme and exacerbates our gun violence epidemic.
Armed and Dangerous: How the Gun Lobby Enshrines Guns as Tools of the Extreme Right
For decades, the gun lobby has enabled extremists to access guns through its opposition of common sense gun laws.
Untraceable: The Rising Specter of Ghost Guns
Ghost guns are do-it-yourself, homemade guns made from easy-to-get, unregulated building blocks.
All Resources
Gun Industry Accountability
All Resources
Who is Manufacturing the Guns Used in Crimes?
The same manufacturers who are engaging in risky business practices to profit the most from gun sales are also behind the most gun crimes.
ReportNew Data, Same Conclusion: Smart Gun Laws Save Lives
Everytown's Gun Law Rankings show a clear correlation between states with strong gun laws and lower rates of gun violence.
Everytown Research & PolicyGhost Guns Recoveries and Shootings
Everytown Research & Policy has collected examples of reported murders and shootings using ghost guns since 2013.
Data TrackerInside the Gun Shop: Firearms Dealers and Their Impact
This report spells out the basic facts about licensed dealers and the relationship between these dealers and gun crimes.
ReportBeyond Measure: Gun Violence Trauma
This study focuses on trauma from gun violence by listening to the voices and experiences of those directly impacted.
ReportGun Violence Survivors in America
This survey explores the breadth of gun violence in America and how it impacts survivors.
ReportSobrevivientes 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.
ReportWhen 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.
ReportCuando el tiroteo se detiene: El impacto de la violencia con armas de fuego en los sobrevivientes de los Estados Unidos
El trauma de la violencia con armas de fuego no termina cuando se detiene el tiroteo.
ReportPreventable Tragedies: Unintentional Shootings by Children
Unintentional shootings by children are a persistent, yet preventable, tragedy that disproportionately involves preschool and teenage boys.
ReportThe Firearms Industry and the Paycheck Protection Program
Despite a record year in sales and demand, the firearms industry received extensive support from the paycheck protection program in 2020.
ReportFive Things to Know About Crime Guns, Gun Trafficking, and Background Checks
The current patchwork of state laws makes it easy for individuals to traffic firearms from states with weaker gun laws.
ReportGun Violence in America
We have gathered the most comprehensive, publicly available data to illustrate the magnitude of everyday gun violence.
ReportNRA in Crisis: 2020
Our exclusive report investigates the allegations of extortion, corruption, and a failed coup attempt in the NRA in 2020.
ReportStolen Guns Pose a Tremendous Risk to Public Safety
Thousands of guns are stolen every year and often wind up at crime scenes. Stolen guns pose a tremendous risk to public safety.
Fact SheetThe SHARE Act Is Dangerous and Unnecessary
Bottom Line: Silencers pose a significant danger in the wrong hands, making it harder for bystanders or law enforcement to identify and react quickly to…
Fact SheetBusiness As Usual
History of a Loophole Americans suffer from an extraordinary rate of gun violence, 20 times higher than nations with comparable levels of economic development.
Report