Gun Violence

For too long, Congress has refused to pass comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation. All the while we have seen an increase in mass shootings and billions of dollars wasted on gun violence. We need solutions that keep our kids and our communities safe.

• Individuals with guns injure more than 100,000 people per year and kill more than 30,000 a year through homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths
• Gun violence costs our economy at least $229 billion every year, including $8.6 billion in direct expenses such as emergency and medical care
• The increase of gun sales in America has coincided with a decreasing investment in mental health services
• Nearly two-thirds of Americans support a ban on the sale of assault weapons as well as high-capacity magazines or clips that can hold 10, 30, 50, or 100 bullets at a time
• 22% of gun sales, over 2.5 million guns a year, are sold on the secondary market through unlicensed dealers and are not subject to background checks

Vision and policy priorities

Ensure safe schools and communities

For too long, Republican politicians, beholden to the powerful gun lobby, have blocked common sense gun reforms that would end the shocking mass shootings and rising rates of violence currently plaguing this country. ​

• Ban the sale of assault weapons
• Prevent convicted domestic and animal abusers from accessing guns
• Remove the federal ban on researching the impact of gun violence in our communities
• Support the funding and accessibility of mental health services and substance use treatment so that vulnerable individuals can get the help they need
• Address the bullying epidemic in our schools and enhance mental health services for our youth

Require universal background checks for all

Loopholes in current law allow for too many gun sales to bypass appropriate government oversight and programs such as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System are severely underfunded – resulting in an incomplete database

• Close the gun show loophole and require background checks for every single firearm sale, no matter the circumstances
• Fully fund grants to local communities to help improve local record keeping and reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System