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Washington, DC—The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow (Tuesday, July 27) on a bill that would protect guns from the claims of creditors in bankruptcy proceedings (H.R. 5827). The national gun violence prevention organizations Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, GunFreeKids.org, Legal Community Against Violence, Protest Easy Guns, and Violence Policy Center are adamantly opposed to the legislation.
According to the groups, facts show that the last thing a family struggling with bankruptcy needs is access to a gun. Specifically, the presence of guns in households experiencing bankruptcy only enhances the risk of suicide or murder-suicide. According to the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)--the only federal data that details such
information--more than 12 percent of firearm-related murder-suicides and suicides were precipitated by financial problems. Firearms are by far the weapons most commonly used in murder-suicide. Studies confirm that firearms are used in approximately 90 percent of murder-suicides. The groups warned that H.R. 5827--which would protect guns up to an aggregate value of $1,500--is only the latest wrong-headed idea from the gun lobby that would protect guns at the expense of families.
Media accounts of murder-suicides also often include descriptions of the financial struggles, including bankruptcy, that precede such desperate acts:
- In June 2010, a California couple died in a murder-suicide and their three-year-old son was shot multiple times. The couple’s five-year-old son told authorities that his father tried to shoot him, and then shot his mother and brother. The family started missing house payments in early 2009 and had filed for bankruptcy in February 2010.
- In February 2010, a Florida couple died of gunshot wounds in a murder-suicide in what the St. Petersburg Times described as “the end of a long history of money troubles.” They had filed for bankruptcy in December 2004, listing $251,140 in debts. The couple’s two young daughters hid in the bathroom during the shooting.
- In June 2009, a Florida family of four, including a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old, were shot to death in a murder-suicide. The parents were deeply in debt and struggled for five years to get out, according to records filed in federal bankruptcy court. The couple had filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2004 and a trustee constructed a plan for them to repay their debts, but they failed to make the payments. The case was converted to Chapter 7 which would force the couple to liquidate their assets. A status hearing on the case was scheduled to occur two months after the murder-suicide.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities. The Brady Campaign works to pass and enforce sensible federal and state gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support common sense gun laws, and increasing public awareness of gun violence.
Founded in 2007, GunFreeKids.org is an Internet-based 501 (c) 4 issue advocacy organization, which provides tools for people to take action on pending state and national legislation and assists voters nationwide in learning about and supporting state-based candidates who favor sound gun violence prevention policies. GFK maintains a growing list of over 10,000 nationwide subscribers and acts as a strategic resource for several state based gun violence prevention organizations.
Legal Community Against Violence is a public interest law center dedicated to preventing gun violence. Founded by lawyers, LCAV is the country’s only organization devoted exclusively to providing legal assistance in support of gun violence prevention.
Protest Easy Guns is a grassroots protest movement of Americans that emerged in response to the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history at Virginia Tech. We are outraged at how easy it is to obtain a gun in the United States and believe it is time to change lax laws that allow criminals and dangerous individuals easy access to guns. Each of the movement’s “Lie-In” protests includes 32 individuals (symbolizing the number of students and teachers murdered at Virginia Tech) who lie on the ground for just a few minutes (signifying the brief amount of time it takes to buy a gun in the United States). Our goal is to encourage like-minded citizens to stage their own protests around the country so that we can influence the public discourse and ultimately the legislative process with regard to this critical national problem.
The Violence Policy Center, a national tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, works to stop this annual toll of death and injury through research, advocacy, and education. The VPC approaches gun violence as a public health issue, advocating that firearms be subject to health and safety standards like those that apply to virtually all other consumer products.
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