
Weak Gun Laws Are Hurting Police Officers
Gun violence against police officers is a major problem in the United States, but elected officials are still adopting counterproductive measures opposed by law enforcement agencies.
Eugenio Weigend is the director for Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress. His research has focused on preventing arms trafficking and gun violence in the United States and Mexico. He has published numerous reports, fact sheets, and issue briefs advocating for measures that strengthen gun laws in the United States at the state and federal levels.
Weigend’s research on the impact of U.S. guns in Mexico and the perils of replicating U.S. gun policies abroad has been published in academic journals. He has provided testimonies before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as well as the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Firearms Trafficking in the Americas and has been invited to speak at conferences at Oxford University, Georgetown University, Washington University, Colegio de Mexico, and Universidad Autonoma Nacional de Mexico. He has appeared on international news outlets such as CNN, Televisa, and Al Jazeera and has been cited in news publications such as The New York Times and El Pais.
Prior to Joining American Progress, Weigend was a researcher at Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, where he focused his research on mitigating violence across the Mexican states. In 2013, he co-authored a book on policies to mitigate the rise of violence in Mexico.
Weigend has been a visiting scholar at Georgetown University and the University of Texas in El Paso. He holds a master’s degree in public affairs from Brown University and a doctorate from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.
Gun violence against police officers is a major problem in the United States, but elected officials are still adopting counterproductive measures opposed by law enforcement agencies.
Gun trafficking across state lines is fueling violent crime in the United States.
Gun trafficking fuels crime and undermines state and local efforts to mitigate violence; the Biden administration has taken important steps that must be complemented by congressional and state-level policies.
Children and teenagers are suffering from gun violence at disproportionate rates, all while some elected officials push for measures that would further endanger our young generations.
Violent crime is driven by gun violence, and elected officials must support gun violence prevention measures.
It is vital that policymakers take immediate action to address the scourge of guns and hate.
This fact sheet summarizes a recent Center for American Progress report on gun suicides among former and current military members in the United States.
Rates of gun suicide are particularly high among former and current military members; there are steps that can be taken to address this challenge.
Michigan has taken important steps to reduce gun violence, but state leaders should engage in additional actions to further address this public health crisis.
While Delaware has already passed important bills to prevent gun violence, the state could take a major step forward by passing a permit-to-purchase law—a measure requiring a license to purchase a handgun.