Idea of the Day: We Need to Do More to Prevent Gun Violence

After last month’s senseless shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut—in which 20 children and 6 adults were shot and killed—we need to immediately address the gaps in our current law that enable mass shootings, as well as the everyday shootings that on average claim the lives of 33 Americans each day.
The Center for American Progress recommends 13 legislative proposals and executive actions to prevent gun violence in our nation. These actions are targeted in the following three key areas:
- Better background checks
- Taking military-grade weapons off the streets and out of criminals’ hands
- Better data, better coordination, and better enforcement
For more on this topic, please see:
- Preventing Gun Violence in Our Nation by Neera Tanden, Winnie Stachelberg, Arkadi Gerney, and Danielle Baussan
To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact:
Print: Katie Peters (economy, education, health care, gun-violence prevention)
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202.478.6350 or cpatterson@americanprogress.org
Print: Madeline Meth (women's issues, poverty, Legal Progress)
202.741.6277 or mmeth@americanprogress.org
Print: Tanya Arditi (Spanish language and ethnic media)
202.741.6258 or tarditi@americanprogress.org
TV: Lindsay Hamilton
202.483.2675 or lhamilton@americanprogress.org
Radio: Madeline Meth
202.741.6277 or mmeth@americanprogress.org
Web: Andrea Peterson
202.481.8119 or apeterson@americanprogress.org

