May 3, 2017
Press Release
“Federally mandated concealed carry reciprocity is a dangerous proposal that conflicts with the values of most Americans. Allowing armed concealed carry permit holders from states with weak permitting laws to carry across the country has long been a priority for NRA leadership. Senator Warner -- the NRA’s home state senator -- sent a powerful message to them today."
April 13, 2017
Press Release
“After Virginia Tech, I dedicated my life to fighting for stronger gun laws. It has been a difficult road. In ten years, we have encountered challenges and heartbreak, but we have also seen positive change. We have seen gun violence prevention go from an issue no politician wants to talk about to an issue candidates build their campaigns around. The gun violence prevention movement has become more politically organized and impactful than ever, with more activists, donors, and volunteers joining the fight each day."
April 13, 2017
Press Release
“As the tenth anniversary of the massacre at Virginia Tech University nears, we recall then-President George W. Bush’s comforting words following the tragedy. President Bush -- no enemy of the gun lobby -- knew when to put politics aside and use the power of the presidency to speak to a wounded nation. When President Trump is faced with the next Virginia Tech, Aurora, Charleston, Newtown, or Orlando, will he be able to find the right words? Will he even care?”
April 11, 2017
Press Release
Domestic violence shooting at North Park Elementary School shows the danger of armed abusers — both for intended victims and the general public. San Bernardino, CA (April 11, 2017) — A shooting described as a murder-suicide unfolded Monday morning inside a San Bernardino elementary school. In what is thought to be a domestic dispute, a 53-year-old male …
Continue reading "CSGV Statement on North Park Elementary School Shooting"
April 7, 2017
In the News
“By removing guns from domestic abusers, this law would have helped protect the lives of New Mexican women,” Coalition General Counsel Kelly Roskam said in a statement. “Governor Martinez’s shameful veto of this life-saving bill implicitly denies the irrefutable link between guns and domestic violence.”
April 7, 2017
Press Release
“Today, Governor Martinez failed the women of New Mexico by vetoing a bill that passed with bipartisan support. A woman's risk of being murdered by an abusive partner increases fivefold if there is a gun in the home, and abusers often use guns to intimidate their victims. By removing guns from domestic abusers, this law would have helped protect the lives of New Mexican women. Governor Martinez’s shameful veto of this life-saving bill implicitly denies the irrefutable link between guns and domestic violence.”
April 6, 2017
Press Release
“Trump and his NRA puppet-masters now have a reliable vote in Neil Gorsuch. This stolen seat was one that the gun lobby invested in, and NRA leaders now expect a return on that investment. Between their unprecedented obstruction of Merrick Garland and their willingness to fundamentally change the rules, Mitch McConnell and his unscrupulous colleagues have shown they will stop at nothing to give the NRA what they want.”
April 6, 2017
In the News
“The gun lobby is deceptively cherry picking this statistic to imply that overall gun deaths are down. In fact, the opposite is true,” Patrick told Fox News, saying that only “unintentional gun deaths” decreased. “It is obvious that the gun lobby is using this statistic because it’s the only one they can use to support their bottom line—the bigger picture reveals a steadily growing gun violence epidemic and the gun lobby is desperate to distract citizens from the truth.”
March 16, 2017
Press Release
“HR 1181 is a poorly written, irresponsible, half-baked piece of legislation that is essentially a blank check for the NRA. The language in this bill is so broad and confusing that its own sponsor cannot explain how it would work. It would put veterans who are at risk of suicide in danger, yet Republicans are scrambling to ram the bill through without consideration of these heroes’ lives."
March 16, 2017
In the News
Yet another way to reduce gun violence: Pass laws prohibiting individuals at a high risk of violence from purchasing and possessing firearms -- such as individuals convicted of violent misdemeanors, domestic abusers, and individuals convicted of two or more DUIs, said Adelyn Allchin, a public health analyst for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
March 15, 2017
Press Release
“Tonight, lawmakers in New Mexico took an important step to protect victims of domestic violence. We know that the chance of being murdered by an abusive partner increases fivefold if there is a gun in the home, and guns are often used to intimidate women into staying in abusive relationships.
March 8, 2017
Press Release
“If members of Congress are serious about combating the high number of veteran suicides, they did not show it today. Rather than working towards a bipartisan solution, Republicans are attempting to railroad intentionally vague legislation through Congress without an adequate hearing. Their ultimate goal seems to be the blanket restoration of gun rights regardless of whether or not these veterans are at a heightened risk of dangerousness. By rushing HR 1181, lawmakers show they are more interested in carrying water for the gun lobby than protecting the lives of American heroes.”
March 7, 2017
Press Release
For the third month in a row, newly released numbers from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS) show a decrease in background checks relative to the previous year. Only 1,203,438 checks on handgun, long gun, multiple, other, and private sales were performed in February 2017 compared to 1,383,373 in February 2016.
February 25, 2017
In the News
In his recent op-ed, “The mentally ill have gun rights, too National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Director Chris Cox defends the reversal of an Obama-era rule that prohibited those who have been diagnosed with certain mental illnesses and assigned a representative payee by the Social Security Administration from owning a firearm.
February 25, 2017
In the News
Research shows that mental illness alone is not a significant risk factor for interpersonal violence, and an appointed representative payee tells us nothing about additional risk of violence. Rather than focusing on mental illness, we should advocate policies that use evidence-based risk factors for dangerousness, such as a history of violence or substance abuse.
February 24, 2017
Press Release
“In the past, Wayne LaPierre has rallied NRA members by speaking of a tyrannical government coming to take away their guns. For a long time, that message worked. But now, with the NRA’s mouthpiece-in-chief installed as president, the NRA's number one target is the 'violent left' -- protesters who disagree with Trump's dangerous agenda. LaPierre characterized these Americans as 'anarchists, Marxists, and socialists' who hate 'everything America stands for.' In typical LaPierre fashion, he peppered his speech with violent imagery and equated American opposition to Trump with terrorism and treason. As Trump works to ‘deconstruct the administrative state,’ LaPierre is mobilizing his militia to support the Trump state. Political dissenters are now the target, but fear and divisiveness are still LaPierre's central message."
February 9, 2017
Press Release
"The 49 lives lost were mostly LGBTQ and hispanic individuals, two constituencies that feel left behind by this administration. They deserve better than to be exploited as talking points to support the President’s haphazard political agenda.”
February 8, 2017
Press Release
“The confirmation of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General makes America less safe. For years, Senator Sessions has voted in lockstep with the gun lobby’s extreme agenda and now he intends on bringing that agenda to the Justice Department.
February 3, 2017
In the News
Under existing Florida law, felons lose their right to own a firearm. However, a history of violence, not the severity of a previous crime, is the best indicator that someone might be violent in the future, said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
January 31, 2017
Press Release
“While there is no paper trail of where Judge Gorsuch stands on guns, his selection by the NRA-backed Trump/Bannon White House certainly gives us a hint. If Gorsuch shares the NRA’s toxic ideology, he is already at odds with the overwhelming majority of Americans.”