Fact Sheets
![illustration of a ghost gun](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/07/gg-web-assets_ET-feature-1-640x640.png)
ATF & the Rising Threat of Ghost Guns
Ghost guns are emerging as a weapon of choice for criminals, gun traffickers, extremists, and others banned from legally buying firearms.
![Communities of color and poverty are being particularly hard hit by the pandemic and are very under-served in terms of information on keeping safe.](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/Street-Outreach-Meta-070820A-640x640.png)
How COVID-19 Has Increased the Need for Street Outreach Work
Street outreach teams have long been at the front lines of gun violence prevention work and are now battling two pandemics at once.
![Police on a city street](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/Gun_Violence_and_the_Police-officers-in-riot-gear-640x640.jpg)
Gun Violence and the Police
Every year, police in America shoot and kill more than 1,000 people.
![A memorial outside of Pulse nightclub](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/Pulse-640x640.jpg)
Remembering and Honoring Pulse: Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias and Guns are Taking the Lives of Countless LGBTQ+ People
Pulse is a reminder of the work that remains to end the acts of gun violence that wound and kill LGBTQ+ Americans today.
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Update Background Check Laws
Updating federal and state laws to require background checks on all gun sales is a common-sense way to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
![Armed protestors stand in a group on the steps of a building](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/COVID-Armed-Protestors-640x640.png)
Armed COVID-19 Protests Exploit Open Carry Loophole
Lawmakers should close the open carry loophole and regulate open carry, particularly at demonstrations held on capitol grounds.
![Man looks out a window](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/Extreme_Risk_Protection_Covid-sad-man-window-640x640.jpg)
Extreme Risk Protection Orders during COVID-19
Extreme Risk Protection Orders should be classified as essential court proceedings during the pandemic.
![collage of graphs and an image of a computer](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/04/Search-Data-Update-Image-072920B-640x640.png)
What Search Data Shows About Americans and Guns During the COVID-19 Crisis
Search data for guns shows a 40 percent increase amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which is more than the surges after Sandy Hook and Parkland.
![A person stands in the dark looking out a window](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/07/Extreme-Risk-Laws-Report-Silhouette-Blinds-640x640.jpg)
Extreme Risk Laws Save Lives
Extreme Risk laws, or “red flag” laws, empower family or police to intervene and temporarily prevent someone in crisis from accessing guns.
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How COVID-19 Has Made a Federal Background Check Loophole Even Deadlier
More background checks were run in March 2020 than at any other time since the creation of the background check system.
![A gun tucked into the waistband of a man's pants](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/02/Permitless_Carry-gun-in-wasitband-640x640.jpg)
Permitless Carry: Carrying a Concealed Gun in Public with No Permit and No Training
Permitless carry legislation is part of the NRA’s broader agenda to weaken and repeal important gun safety measures.
![An American flag at half mast](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/GettyImages-537825010-640x640.jpg)
Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans
Our country’s veterans are at a heightened risk of suicide, and firearms are the prevailing method of suicide among veterans.
![Illustration of the proper method of gun storage. The illustration shows a gun being unloaded, locked, and being stored separate from the ammunition](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/secure-storage-640x640.png)
Unload, Lock, and Separate: Secure Gun Storage Practices to Reduce Violence
Secure gun storage practices should include unloading the ammunition, locking the gun, and storing it and ammunition in separate locations.
![Six out of every 10 gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides, resulting in an average of 65 deaths a day.](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/08/Suicide-Fact-Sheet-Featured-WEB-011222A-640x640.png)
Firearm Suicide in the United States
Firearm suicide is preventable, and addressing it is an essential element of any strategy to reduce gun violence in America.
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The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Teens
Children's exposure to gun violence has far reaching effects: An estimated three million children witness a shooting each year.
Disarm Hate: the Deadly Intersection of Guns and Hate-Motivated Violence
Easy access to firearms gives a hate-filled individual the means to shatter numerous lives and whole communities.
![](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/04/Intervention-640x640.png)
The Impact of Local Violence Intervention Programs
Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines
Many of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States have been carried out with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
![A person opens the door of a car](https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/03/GettyImages-1129129278-640x640.jpg)
Stolen 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.
“Concealed Carry Reciprocity” Would Force States to Rely On Concealed Carry Permits Issued By States with Ineffective Systems
Some states have such poorly administered permitting systems that many prohibited individuals end up receiving permits to carry.
Five Ways to Enhance the Gun Violence Prevention Strategy in Your City
Cities that have sustained success preventing gun violence have deployed multi-disciplinary, community-involved approaches to response and prevention. Below are five steps that you can take…
State-by-State Danger of Overriding Concealed Carry Laws
While all 50 states allow the concealed carry of firearms, standards for carrying vary dramatically across the country.
The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act Overrides State Laws & Puts Communities at Risk
Concealed carry reciprocity would force each state to recognize the concealed carry standards from all other states.
“Concealed Carry Reciprocity” Forces States to Let Domestic Abusers Carry Concealed Handguns
While “concealed carry reciprocity” would effectively repeal existing state protections against abusive dating partners, legislation from Sen. Klobuchar and Reps. Donovan and Dingell would protect…