Washington, D.C. — In response to a recent rise in hate crimes in the United States, a new Center for American Progress report highlights the key figures on gun violence and hate crimes and why Congress should pass the Disarm Hate Act.
Crimes motivated by hate differ from other crimes in their unique tendency to continue or escalate to future physical violence: Research indicates individuals who commit hate crimes often begin with relatively minor crimes and acts of hate before moving to more serious and violent conduct. CAP analysis estimates that the actual number of hate crimes committed in 2021 could be as high as 375,395, with an average of 1,027 hate crime victimizations per day. This is drastically different from the daily average of 30 hate crimes reported by the FBI’s supplemental uniform homicide report in 2021.
CAP also released a fact sheet that details the state of hate crime-related gun violence in recent years:
- From 2020 to 2021, reported hate crimes increased by an estimated 11.6 percent, marking the fourth year in a row this number has trended up.
- Even when hate-motivated offenders do not fire guns, they consistently use them to threaten, intimidate, and humiliate their victims: Research suggests that more than 10,300 hate crimes involving the use or threatened use of a firearm take place in the United States every year, averaging more than 28 gun-related hate crimes per day.
- In at least 28 states, individuals convicted of a violent-misdemeanor hate crime are still able to buy guns legally.
This new analysis comes as Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Rep. Veronica Escobar (R-TX), and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) are poised to reintroduce the Disarm Hate Act, legislation that would help prevent acts of hate-motivated gun violence by prohibiting individuals convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms.
“Violent extremists and hate-motivated offenders pose serious threats to the safety of historically marginalized communities and rob these communities of safe gathering spaces. Easy access to firearms makes it more likely that a hate crime will have a fatal outcome,” said Allison Jordan, research associate for Gun Violence Prevention at CAP and author of the report. “Policymakers have a responsibility to prevent dangerous people from using firearms to harm others. The Disarm Hate Act offers a reasonable solution to this crisis and must be passed to protect all U.S. residents from hate-motivated gun violence.”
Read the report: “The Disarm Hate Act Would Help Prevent Hate-Motivated Gun Violence” by Allison Jordan
Read the fact sheet: “Disarm Hate: A Summary of Key Challenges and Solutions” by Allison Jordan
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].