Gun Control

America faces a gun violence epidemic. From our streets to our schools to our movie theaters, concerts, and places of worship, guns claim some 40,000 lives nationwide annually. The solution is comprehensive cultural and policy reform that prioritizes public safety. MomsRising is working to advance gun safety, community safety, women’s safety, and responsible gun ownership.

Know The Facts

• On average, guns kill 100 Americans every day [1]
• More people are killed by gun violence in the United States than in all other high-income countries combined [2]
• Universal background checks are supported by 97% of Americans [3]
• More than 80% of gun owners, including National Rifle Association (NRA) members, want stronger background checks on people buying guns [4]
• In the United States, military-style assault weapons are used in the majority of mass shootings [5]
• Women who are physically abused by current or former intimate partners are five times more likely to be murdered when one of the partners owns a gun [6]
• Guns are used to kill women in 53% of intimate partner homicides [7]
• The US has the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, and we’re also the top exporter and top importer of “small arms and light weapons” [8]
• Among US children aged seventeen and younger, firearms are the third leading cause of death and the second leading cause of injury [9]

Here’s What We’re Fighting For

• Universal background checks on firearms sales
• Bans on military-grade assault rifles and on high-capacity magazines
• A strong federal anti-gun trafficking law with stiff penalties to discourage straw purchasing
• Investment in evidence-based community anti-violence programs that have proven to reduce the risk of gun violence in highly impacted communities
• Rollback of Stand Your Ground Laws, which facilitate racial profiling, casual gun culture, and are a huge step backwards for civil rights
• Closing loopholes that allow stalkers and abusive dating partners to access firearms
• Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) that allow family members and law enforcement, with a court order, to temporarily prohibit a person from possessing a firearm.
• Investments in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for more streamlined and comprehensive record collection