Disarm Hate
Disarm Hate
What does this solve?
Guns and hate are a fatal combination. In an average year, more than 25,000 hate crimes in the US involve a firearm—69 a day. In parts of the US, some people convicted of hate crimes can still legally buy and have guns. Congress and state legislatures should 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.
Which states prohibit people with hate crime convictions from having firearms?
25 states have adopted this policy
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 reported hate crimes are directed against communities of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ+ people.1Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime Data Explorer: Hate Crime in the United States,” accessed January 13, 2022, https://bit.ly/3Gsb3v1. 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 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;2Jason Horowitz, Nick Corasaniti, and Ashley Southall, “Nine Killed in Shooting at Black Church in Charleston,” New York Times, June 17, 2015, https://nyti.ms/2uGcqDb. the October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, PA, when a white nationalist killed 11 worshippers and wounded six more;3Campbell Robertson, Christopher Mele, and Sabrina Tavernise, “11 Killed in Synagogue Massacre; Suspect Charged With 29 Counts,” New York Times, October 27, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/us/active-shooter-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting.html. the May 2022 shooting at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, NY, when another white supremacist killed 10 Black people and wounded three more;4Mary B. Pasciak, “Tops Markets Shooter Chose AR-15 to Stoke Controversy,” Buffalo News, July 14, 2022, https://bit.ly/3PNO9DC; Craig Whitlock, David Willman, and Alex Horton, “Massacre Suspect Said He Modified Bushmaster Rifle to Hold More Ammunition,“ Washington Post, May 15, 2022, https://wapo.st/3SkEe8N. and the November 2022 shooting at Club Q, a LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, CO, when a gunman shot at least 22 people, five fatally, many of whom identified as LGBTQ+.5Colorado Springs Police Department, “Update to Shooting at Club Q – Victim Update,” November 28, 2022, https://bit.ly/3WfKP7u; Debbie Kelley, “5 Victims in Club Q Mass Shooting Identified, as Mourning Continues Around Colorado Springs,” The Gazette, January 24, 2023, https://bit.ly/3MP058B.
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 some states and Washington, DC, have laws closing this gap, many states have not taken action. This means that in parts of the country a person convicted of a violent hate crime could legally pass a background check and buy a gun.
By the numbers
25k+
In an average year, more than 25,000 hate crimes in the US involve a firearm—69 a day.
60%
60 percent of violent hate crime victimizations from 2015 to 2019 were believed to be motivated by bias against race, ethnicity, or national origin.
20%
20 percent of violent hate crime victimizations from 2015 to 2019 were believed to be motivated by bias against sexual orientation.
Featured Resources

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.

Misogyny, Extremism, and Gun Violence
The impact of violent misogyny, combined with the unique harm of violence involving guns, makes addressing it an urgent issue.

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.

How Guns Fuel Violence Against Transgender People in America
Black trans women are bearing the brunt of a crisis of gun violence, often at the hands of perpetrators who are prohibited from owning guns.
All Resources
Disarm Hate
All Resources
Champions at Work: Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Action
ERPO champions share their insights on how to effectively implement extreme risk laws.
Case StudyThe Relationship Between Firearms, Mass Shootings and Suicide Risk among LGBTQ+ Young People
One in five LGBTQ+ young people report they or someone they know has been personally impacted by a mass shooting.
Report
Freedom from Fear of Hate-Fueled Violence: Preventing Transgender Homicides
The statistics make it clear: violence against transgender people is a gun violence issue.
ReportThe Changing Demographics of Gun Homicide Victims and How Community Violence Intervention Programs Can Help
As we approach summer, it is crucial that community violence intervention programs are accessible and tailored to those most affected.
Everytown Research & PolicyRecordando y honrando a Pulse: El sesgo anti-LGBTQ+ y las armas están acabando con la vida de innumerables personas LGBTQ+
Pulse es un recordatorio del trabajo que queda por hacer para poner fin a los actos de violencia con armas de fuego.
Fact Sheet
Armed Extremism Primer: Oath Keepers
The Oath Keepers organize around conspiracy theories and propaganda about the reasonable regulation of firearms.
Fact Sheet
The Impact of Gun Violence on Latinx Communities
Latinx people in the United States are dying from gun violence every day and at rates disproportionate to their white peers.
Fact SheetEl impacto de la violencia con armas de fuego en las comunidades latines
Las personas latines en los EE UU mueren a causa de la violencia armada en tasas desproporcionadas con respecto a los blancos.
Fact SheetArmed Extremism Primer: The Boogaloo
The boogaloo movement has risen to national prominence as a new and dangerous subset of the extreme right in the United States.
Fact Sheet
More Than Brawlers: The Proud Boys and Armed Extremism
Many far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, use fearmongering and conspiracy theories in an attempt to stop any reform of gun laws.
Fact Sheet
The Dangers of Shooting First: “Stand Your Ground” Laws Are a License to Kill
For centuries, self-defense laws have given people the right to protect themselves. Shoot First laws, also known as Stand Your Ground laws, go beyond these…
Report
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.
Fact Sheet
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.
Fact SheetAssault 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.
Fact Sheet