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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The Path Forward: Ideas Worth Fighting For Feature
The U.S. Capitol is seen at sunrise.

The Path Forward: Ideas Worth Fighting For

The ideas in the Path Forward series present a roadmap for policymakers who want to offer a compelling alternative to populist authoritarianism by addressing people’s problems with bold ideas.

The Highest Rates of Gun Homicides Are in Rural Counties Fact Sheet
An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle is held in front of a U.S. flag.

The Highest Rates of Gun Homicides Are in Rural Counties

Despite media attention on gun violence in large American cities, new analysis of CDC data shows that rural counties persistently have some of the highest rates of gun violence in the country.

Chandler Hall

Hope After Harm: Reimagining Victim Compensation Past Event

Hope After Harm: Reimagining Victim Compensation

Join the Center for American Progress for an event discussing CAP and Common Justice’s partnered launch of the “State Victim Compensation Statute Rubric.”

Center for American Progress Online

Executive Summary: Hope After Harm Article
Police officers are seen behind a yellow line of caution tape on a street with cars parked on either side.

Executive Summary: Hope After Harm

A state-by-state analysis of victim compensation statutes reveals tremendous potential for states to better meet the needs of survivors of violence and to ultimately break cycles of harm.

Resumen ejecutivo: Esperanza después del daño Artículo
Police officers are seen behind a yellow line of caution tape on a street with cars parked on either side.

Resumen ejecutivo: Esperanza después del daño

Un análisis estado por estado de las leyes de compensación para las víctimas revela un tremendo potencial para que los estados satisfagan mejor las necesidades de los sobrevivientes de la violencia y, en última instancia, rompan los ciclos de daño.

8 Ways the Senate Budget Bill Is More Extreme Than the House-Passed Big, ‘Beautiful’ Bill Article
The U.S. Capitol Building seen at dusk.

8 Ways the Senate Budget Bill Is More Extreme Than the House-Passed Big, ‘Beautiful’ Bill

Many have assumed that the House of Representatives’ One Big, Beautiful Bill Act would be moderated by Senate counterparts. However, the Senate’s proposed cuts to health care and food assistance—along with the potential sell-off of public lands and changes to make it easier to buy guns—are more extreme.

COVID-19’s Impact on Gun Violence in America Report
A crowd of demonstrators is seen marching across the Brooklyn Bridge while the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline in the background.

COVID-19’s Impact on Gun Violence in America

Five years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there are several theories surrounding why gun violence spiked in the United States during the pandemic’s first year.

Chandler Hall

Mexico’s Lawsuit To Hold U.S. Gun Manufacturers Accountable Will Affect Public Safety in Both Countries Article
The U.S.-Mexico border wall is seen stretching through sand dunes while the sun sets in the background.

Mexico’s Lawsuit To Hold U.S. Gun Manufacturers Accountable Will Affect Public Safety in Both Countries

The Supreme Court’s decision in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos will either hold U.S. gun manufacturers accountable for fueling gun violence in Mexico or empower an unchecked firearm industry to break the law without consequence.

Nick Wilson

Gun Violence Trends in US Cities During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic In the News

Gun Violence Trends in US Cities During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

In a research letter published in JAMA Network Open, Chandler Hall and Nick Wilson of the Center for American Progress, along with Alex R. Piquero, examine whether there was variation in gun violence trends in U.S. cities during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

JAMA Network Open

Chandler Hall, Nick Wilson, Alex R. Piquero

6 Ways Cities and Counties Can Reduce Gun Violence Report
A row of houses is seen from above in Northern Baltimore, Maryland.

6 Ways Cities and Counties Can Reduce Gun Violence

Cities and counties across the country are taking meaningful steps toward reducing gun violence by implementing a set of accountability and prevention strategies capable of healing communities while breaking cycles of violence.

Allison Jordan

10th National Gun Violence Prevention Summit (Online) Past Event

10th National Gun Violence Prevention Summit (Online)

Join CAP for a summit featuring speeches and discussions by leading advocates of the gun violence prevention movement.

Center for American Progress | In-Person & Online

10th National Gun Violence Prevention Summit Past Event

10th National Gun Violence Prevention Summit

Join CAP for a summit featuring speeches and discussions by leading advocates of the gun violence prevention movement.

Center for American Progress

CAP Joined by National Security and Gun Violence Prevention Advocates To Urge Congress To Protect Firearm Export Rule Article

CAP Joined by National Security and Gun Violence Prevention Advocates To Urge Congress To Protect Firearm Export Rule

The Center for American Progress, along with 34 organizations, authored a letter to Congress about protecting the Commerce Department’s firearm export rule, which will establish a new regulatory framework to protect U.S. national security interests.

Allison McManus, Nick Wilson, Laura Kilbury, 1 More Allison Jordan

In U.S. v. Rahimi, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Domestic Violence Survivor Safety but Upholds Problematic Bruen Framework Article
Photo shows a Supreme Court building partly lit inside, against a dark blue sky

In U.S. v. Rahimi, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Domestic Violence Survivor Safety but Upholds Problematic Bruen Framework

On June 21, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that a sensible and effective gun violence prevention law protecting domestic violence survivors remains constitutional; however, the fact that survivor safety was compromised because of the politicization of the judiciary—and could be again in the future—should not be forgotten.

Sabrina Talukder, Nick Wilson

The Impacts of U.S. Gun Violence in Black, Latino, and Indigenous Communities Town Hall Past Event

The Impacts of U.S. Gun Violence in Black, Latino, and Indigenous Communities Town Hall

Join the Center for American Progress for a town hall that provides a binational perspective on the gun violence prevention movement, highlighting the efforts of U.S.-based and Mexico-based leaders.

Center for American Progress

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Is Spearheading a Judicial Power Grab Report
A demonstrator holds a sign in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Is Spearheading a Judicial Power Grab

The rogue 5th Circuit Court has helped undermine the separation of powers, established precedent, and principled legal reasoning to accomplish right-wing policy goals; the Supreme Court continuing to follow suit would strip power away from elected representatives and American voters.

Jeevna Sheth, Devon Ombres

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.

Center For American Progress | 1333 H St. NW Suite 100E Washington DC 20005

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.

Chandler Hall, Nick Wilson, Hai-Lam Phan, 3 More Ala Al Sadi, Toni Pandolfo, Matthew Gossage

Debunking the ‘Guns Make Us Safer’ Myth Report
Protesters attend a rally for Ralph Yarl in Kansas City, Missouri.

Debunking the ‘Guns Make Us Safer’ Myth

Despite arguments from the gun lobby and its allies, guns used for self-defense are not common, beneficial for society, or efficient in deterring mass shootings or criminal victimization.

Allison Jordan, Chandler Hall, Devin Hughes

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.

Nick Wilson, Chandler Hall, Hai-Lam Phan, 4 More Ala Al Sadi, Toni Pandolfo, Madalyn Reagan, Matthew Gossage

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.

Nick Wilson, Chandler Hall, Matthew Gossage, 4 More Hai-Lam Phan, Madalyn Reagan, Toni Pandolfo, Ala Al Sadi

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