Gun Violence Prevention

More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2022 than any other year on record, and gun violence was the leading cause of death for children. The Center for American Progress is committed to advancing evidence-based gun violence prevention policies and advocating for local, state, and federal investments in violence prevention programs and victim services. We are also committed to examining gun violence through a racial equity lens and rooting out systemic racism because while gun violence affects every community in the United States, young Black and brown people experience the highest rates of gun homicides.

We can help build safe and just communities by holding gun manufacturers and the gun industry accountable, closing gun law loopholes, and balancing immediate actions we can take to address recent increases in gun violence with long-term solutions focused on root causes. In addition to passing gun control laws to address how easy it is to buy a gun in America, the country must advance holistic community safety and justice policies that advocate for investments in solutions that prevent crime before it happens and defend criminal justice reforms wrongly blamed for increasing crime.

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Film Screening: ‘Columbine 2024: 25 Years of Trauma’ Past Event

Film Screening: ‘Columbine 2024: 25 Years of Trauma’

A documentary film that follows two survivors of the Columbine Shooting Massacre, followed by a panel discussion with the film's director and survivors.

CAP Joined by Gun Violence Victim Advocates To Comment on OVC’s Proposed Rules on Victim Compensation Grant Program Article

CAP Joined by Gun Violence Victim Advocates To Comment on OVC’s Proposed Rules on Victim Compensation Grant Program

The Center for American Progress, along with 47 organizations, submitted a comment letter advocating on behalf of victims to the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime on the agency’s proposal to replace the existing Victim Compensation Grant Program guidelines and clarify program requirements.

Nick Wilson, Chandler Hall

Community Violence Intervention: Juan Carter and Giffords Center for Violence Intervention Video

Community Violence Intervention: Juan Carter and Giffords Center for Violence Intervention

Juan Carter, outreach manager for the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, explains how community violence intervention (CVI) programs take a holistic approach to public safety by investing in the long-term health and well-being of individuals affected by violence.

Community Violence Intervention: Susan Lee and Chicago CRED Video

Community Violence Intervention: Susan Lee and Chicago CRED

Susan Lee, chief of strategy and policy at Chicago CRED, explains why gun violence is a modern-day civil rights issue and how community violence intervention (CVI) strategies must be part of any public safety strategy to address racial inequity and structural violence.

Community Violence Intervention: Denise Villamil and Southern California Crossroads Video

Community Violence Intervention: Denise Villamil and Southern California Crossroads

Denise Villamil, executive director of Southern California Crossroads, discusses how her own lived experience in a community with fewer opportunities has informed her holistic approach to community violence intervention.

From the Front Lines: Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs Give Gun Violence Survivors Opportunities To Thrive Video

From the Front Lines: Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs Give Gun Violence Survivors Opportunities To Thrive

Chris Edge, a survivor-advocate from Washington, D.C., shares his story of triumph and why he credits a hospital-based violence intervention program with helping him become a leader in his community.

Nick Wilson, Chandler Hall, Hai-Lam Phan, 4 More Matthew Gossage, Ashley Joo, Ronnie Rivera, Ala Al Sadi

What Does Community Violence Intervention Mean? Hear From People on the Front Lines of Preventing Gun Violence Video

What Does Community Violence Intervention Mean? Hear From People on the Front Lines of Preventing Gun Violence

Community violence intervention workers from across the United States explain and reflect on their work in preventing violence in their communities.

Nick Wilson, Chandler Hall, Tymoni Correa-Buntley, 6 More Audrey Smith, Matthew Gossage, Ashley Joo, Hai-Lam Phan, Ronnie Rivera, Ala Al Sadi

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, 1 Year Later Report
President Joe Biden

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, 1 Year Later

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major federal gun safety bill passed in nearly 30 years, has closed gun law loopholes and implemented new gun violence prevention policies, as well as made significant investments in school and community safety that are saving lives.

La súplica de una madre para detener el flujo de armas estadounidenses a México Video

La súplica de una madre para detener el flujo de armas estadounidenses a México

La activista de derechos humanos mexicana María Herrera Magdaleno discute el impacto devastador del flujo de armas estadounidenses hacia México, incluyendo la desaparición forzada de cuatro de sus hijos.

Nick Wilson, Andrew Sonntag, Rafael Medina, 4 More Gaby Blanco, Ala Al Sadi, Hai-Lam Phan, Julia Schroeder

8 Ways To Reduce Gun Violence in Minnesota Report
A collection of confiscated guns is stored in the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office crime lab.

8 Ways To Reduce Gun Violence in Minnesota

In Minnesota, violent crime is increasingly fueled by firearms, as the state lacks foundational gun control laws that would improve public safety and save lives.

Allison Jordan

Community-Based Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence in Schools Article
Photo shows an empty basketball court facing a one-story white school, with a chainlink fence between the camera lens and the basketball court

Community-Based Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence in Schools

In addition to efforts from state and federal lawmakers, schools and communities have a critical role to play in addressing school gun violence through prevention and intervention approaches.

Allie Pearce, Akilah Alleyne

Delaware Lawmakers Can Reduce Gun Violence by Passing a Permit-to-Purchase Law Fact Sheet
Three individuals at gun control rally

Delaware Lawmakers Can Reduce Gun Violence by Passing a Permit-to-Purchase Law

Lawmakers have an opportunity to increase public safety and save lives by passing and effectively implementing a permit-to-purchase law, which requires an individual to obtain a license before purchasing a firearm.

Nick Wilson, Eugenio Weigend Vargas, Marissa Edmund, 1 More Traci Manza Murphy

How Policymakers Can Reduce Gun Violence in Michigan Report
Students hug each other after placing flowers honoring the lives of those killed during the Michigan State shooting.

How Policymakers Can Reduce Gun Violence in Michigan

This report highlights additional opportunities for Michigan policymakers to improve public safety through the enactment of popular and proven policies that many other states have successfully adopted to save lives.

Allison Jordan

Guns Without Borders Past Event

Guns Without Borders

Addressing the flow of U.S. firearms to Mexico and Central America

Nick Wilson, Nick Wilson

What To Read Before the State of the Union Article
U.S. President Joe Biden talks to reporters after returning to the White House.

What To Read Before the State of the Union

The economy; democracy and the courts; and community safety and gun violence are expected to be at center stage as President Biden prepares to address the nation during his second State of the Union address.

Kiera Manser, Rose Khattar, Ben Olinsky, 1 More Rachael Eisenberg

The Biden Administration’s First 2 Years: Stories of Americans Who Benefit From a Government Invested in Their Future Article

The Biden Administration’s First 2 Years: Stories of Americans Who Benefit From a Government Invested in Their Future

This collection features stories from Americans across the country whose lives and communities have benefited from the legislative and executive actions passed under the Biden administration.

the Center for American Progress Action Fund

Weak Gun Laws Are Harmful to Women and Survivors of Domestic Violence Fact Sheet
Woman in close-up shielding candle flame with hand

Weak Gun Laws Are Harmful to Women and Survivors of Domestic Violence

States with weak gun violence prevention laws see significantly higher rates of female gun homicide, while states with strong guns laws have much lower rates.

Marissa Edmund

How To Make Schools Safer Without Additional Physical Security Measures Report
Photo shows several students walking in front of a colorful mural.

How To Make Schools Safer Without Additional Physical Security Measures

The newly enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act can help schools and districts create safer learning environments without resorting to implementing measures that harden schools.

Emily Katz, Roby Chatterji, Akilah Alleyne

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