Reducing Gun Violence

PPF is committed to reducing violence in our own communities as well as in areas of conflict around the world. Here are a few reasons why we are particularly concerned about gun violence in the U.S.:

• 80 people die every day from guns in the United States, 10 of these are children.(National Center for Health Statistics)
• The US rate of firearms deaths for children under fifteen is twelve times higher than 25 other industrialized countries combined. (International Journal of Epidemiology
• 30,000 Americans die from guns every year in the US. In three years of War in Iraq, 1700 American servicemen and women have been killed. In the same period of time, 90,000 Americans have died from guns on our own streets. (NCHS)
• Since 1933, when statistics were first kept, more Americans have been killed through gun violence in "peacetime" than have been killed in all of our nation's wars since 1776. (US Dept. of Defense and The World Almanac)
• The family handgun purchased for protection, is 22 times more likely to be used against a family member or friend than to stop an intruder. (FBI)
• 40% of gun owners keep their guns loaded, unlocked, and stored near ammunition.
• No government agency is allowed to impose minimum design and safety standards on domestically manufactured firearms. Toy guns and teddy bears are more regulated than American made guns.
• Nationwide, in gun shows, unlicensed sellers can peddle arms to unknown persons with no questions asked.
• 70% of Americans, including NRA members, 2-1, favor stricter laws and regulations on the sale and ownership of handguns and assault weapons.(Nat'l Opinion Research Center, Univ. of Chicago)