End Gun Violence
How To Take Action to Stop Gun Violence
Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded. No other high-income country comes close to the U.S. in gun deaths. It is more closely compared to countries impacted by skyrocketing gang violence and drug trafficking or in conflict zones. And although many countries allow gun ownership, the U.S. is one of only three countries in the world (alongside Guatemala and Mexico) with a constitutional right to bear arms. In fact, even though the U.S. represents less than 5% of the world’s population, it accounts for 46% of the world’s civilian-owned guns. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Here’s what you can do.
Address all types of gun violence
Gun violence is on the rise. Experts attribute this to entrenched inequality, soaring gun ownership, and increased mistrust between law enforcement and communities. Mass shootings often grab our attention and help to mobilize people against gun violence. Polling shows Americans are increasingly fearful of mass shootings. However, suicide, urban gun violence, and domestic violence cause the vast majority of gun fatalities and injuries. We need gun violence prevention solutions that address the entirety of the problem.
Tell lawmakers to pass gun sense legislation
The vast majority of Americans support legislation to end gun violence. Americans and the gun violence prevention movement are united in their belief that “thoughts and prayers” are not enough. Still, Congress refuses to pass meaningful measures to protect constituents and prevent gun violence in all its forms. Sign petitions, write letters, e-mail, call, visit public officials, and hold town meetings to demand gun sense legislation.
Demand universal background checks
Background checks save lives. Every day, about one in five guns is sold without a background check. Congress must eliminate loopholes that allow guns into the hands of people who should not own them. Sign a petition from Brady United Against Gun Violence, Everytown For Gun Safety, or Sandy Hook Promise.
Pass extreme risk laws (aka red flag laws) in every state
Extreme risk laws have the power to prevent suicides, mass shootings, and interpersonal violence by temporarily removing firearms from people who pose a danger to themselves or others. Only 19 states have extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs).
Find out if your state is one of them. If not, let your lawmakers know you support ERPOs.
Sign this petition from Sandy Hook Promise to pass the EPRO Act, a federal law to provide grants to states to help them pass ERPO laws at the state level.
Support bans on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, bump stocks, and other military-grade devices
Assault weapons allow mass shooters to cause the most damage in the least amount of time. These military-grade weapons of war have no place in our communities. Sign this petition from Brady United Against Gun Violence.
Eliminate stand your ground (aka shoot first) laws
Stand your ground laws allow people who are able to walk away from danger to shoot first and ask questions later. As the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (EFSGV) reports, “research consistently shows that stand your ground laws increase homicides and, when combined with racial bias, result in the killing of Black Americans. These laws almost exclusively serve white men, providing protections and immunity to those white Americans who claim self-defense, while not affording the same protections to Black Americans.” Learn more and sign up for updates on how to take action at Everytown for Gun Safety.
Back additional gun sense legislation and policies
Many additional evidence-based policy solutions would make a life-saving difference in ending gun violence in all its forms. For example, we need mandatory waiting periods and age limits on gun purchases. Gun owners should be licensed, registered, and required to complete safety training. And police should be prohibited from receiving transfers of military-grade weaponry. It’s also time to stop the proliferation of ghost guns (unregulated, unserialized, and untraceable firearms that can be made at home or with 3D printers). Learn more at the EFSGV or from your go-to gun violence prevention organization.
Read our guide on How To Increase Your Impact When You Sign A Petition. And remember, signing an online petition is a great way to get your feet wet as an everyday activist. However, the best way to get your desired result is to combine signing a petition with other actions.
Don’t get distracted by false solutions
Gun violence prevention is more than passing and enforcing laws. We all have a role to play in ending gun violence and making communities safer. Part of that includes learning about the solutions that have the best chance of working and not putting time and resources into false solutions.
Increased school security does not prevent gun violence
Research shows increased school security has little to no effect on reducing the likelihood of a school shooting, reducing gun violence, or making communities safer. Investing in armed security and metal detectors, conducting active shooter drills, reducing access to buildings, and advocating for teachers to carry guns may make some people feel safer, but they have little real-world impact. Instead, schools need investments in threat assessment and crisis response, strengthened child access laws, and the ability to hold adults liable.
More guns do not make us safer
Some gun rights advocates like to say that the solution to mass shootings and other gun-related deaths is for everyone in America to be armed. However, the evidence overwhelmingly supports that the more guns people own, the higher the number of homicides, suicides, and unintentional death and injury.
Violent movies and video games are not to blame
Research has not found evidence that glorifying violence in media or video games that dehumanize people by shooting them encourages real-world attacks. Focusing on movies and games is an easy way for politicians beholden to the gun lobby and gun rights constituents to deflect from taking real action to end gun violence.
Instead, focus on the solutions presented in this guide. Pressure lawmakers to pass gun sense laws, fund preventative and early intervention measures, make it harder to put guns in the hands of people who seek to cause harm to themselves or others, encourage responsible gun ownership, and stop gun industry immunity.
Vote for gun sense candidates
Elect candidates and support incumbents who will implement better gun laws and actively push for gun safety. Learn more about candidates’ gun sense records using the Moms Demand Gun Action Gun Sense Candidate Lookup and receive a personalized voting plan based on who and what is on the ballot where you live.
Help prevent suicide
With more than 65 firearm suicides each day, suicide consistently accounts for the majority of annual gun deaths in the U.S. Suicide is preventable. Especially when family, friends, and communities are taught to recognize the signs of self-harm and when it’s harder for people who intend to harm themselves to access a gun.
Support strategies including safer storage, crisis counseling, and extreme risk laws. Learn more at the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (ESGV).
Ask your Senators to pass the STANDUP Act to encourage states and tribes to implement and expand evidence-based suicide prevention training in schools. Sign this petition from Sandy Hook Promise.
Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline if you or someone you know needs support now. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text “HOME” to 741-741.
Decrease urban gun violence
Urban gun violence — the second largest contributor to gun-related deaths and injuries — disproportionately impacts underserved and chronically disinvested communities of color. Black children are 10 times more likely to be shot than white children. Young Black males ages 15-34 make up 2% of the U.S. population but account for 37% of all firearm homicide victims. Urban gun violence is both a cause and consequence of racial injustice. Social and economic inequity, including disinvestment in segregated neighborhoods, police discrimination and brutality, lack of educational and economic opportunity, and the school to prison pipeline all create opportunities for gun violence to take hold.
Despite stereotypes and harmful media portrayals of inter-city and low-income neighborhoods, the vast majority of people who live in these areas are not violent. For example, 50% of crime in most cities can be traced back to about 4% of city blocks. In addition to long-term systems change to improve urban life and root out inequity and oppression, here are some ways you can help end urban gun violence:
Invest in violence interruption programs addressing the trauma of structural violence that contributes to gun crime. Learn more, take action with, and donate to groups like Advance Peace.
Address the supply side of gun violence. It’s time to shift the focus of responsibility from the communities that are most impacted by gun violence to the supply of guns by unlawful gun dealers and an irresponsible gun industry that prioritizes profit over public safety. Sign this petition from Brady United Against Gun Violence telling your legislators to take action.
Disarm all domestic abusers
Over half of all intimate partner homicides in the United States are committed with guns. Domestic abusers have shot (or shot at) nearly 1 million women, and roughly 4.5 million women have been threatened with a gun by their partner. Although there are some laws to protect survivors of domestic violence, gaps leave many people exposed to deadly violence. For example, not all restraining orders prohibit firearm purchase and possession or require abusers to give up firearms they already possess. It’s time to make it harder for abusers to access guns.
Tell congress to pass the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. Only 19 states have ERPOs. ERPOs save lives by supplementing restraining orders or helping protect people who cannot get a restraining order. Sign this petition from Sandy Hook Promise.
Demand the Senate reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA can protect people in domestic violence situations from gun violence by closing deadly federal loopholes that let abusers get their hands on guns. The House passed the VAWA Reauthorization Act, but it faces significant Republican opposition in the Senate. Take action by signing this petition.
Know the signs. Save lives.
There are nine critical warning signs that people who hurt themselves or others will often show before they carry out an act of violence. But the signs can be easy to miss or dismiss if you don’t know what to look for.
Learn how to spot the signs and safely do something about it.
Advocate for your school district to participate in Sandy Hook Promise’s Say Something program. It teaches students to recognize warning signs and get help from a trusted adult. The program also includes access to a mobile app, website, and hotline that schools can use to anonymously report tips and get support from trained crisis counselors. The program is available to schools and youth organizations nationwide for free.
Call the National Public Distress Helpline if you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress that could result in gun violence. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text 66746.
Stop gun industry immunity
The National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun lobby put gun manufacturer profits over public safety every time. They fund misinformation campaigns to counter evidence-based solutions, run toxic advertising campaigns with violent messaging, and knowingly contribute to the insurrectionist ideology that led to the January 6 Capitol Insurrection. They spend billions lobbying Congress and have funneled about $35 million in illegal campaign contributions to Senate and presidential races. They want it to be as easy as possible for anyone to buy a gun without restriction. Americans, however, overwhelmingly support gun laws to keep people safe and keep guns away from people who pose a significant risk. Yet, Congress still refuses to take action.
Find out if your legislators accept money from the NRA. Then, fill out this form from Common Cause demanding your lawmakers return all the money from the NRA and gun lobby groups and promise not to accept ANY future support from such groups.
Demand a repeal to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). The PLCAA is a gun lobby-backed law that provides unprecedented immunity to the gun industry in civil cases. It prevents almost all survivors of gun violence from holding the gun industry accountable for its dangerous business practices. Sign this petition from Brady United Against Gun Violence to pass the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act. It will repeal the PLCAA and reopen the door to survivors of gun violence to finally have their day in court against the gun industry.
Be aware of your language
Sometimes the way we talk about people impacted by gun violence and frame gun issues can reinforce harmful stereotypes. For example, we can use coded words to associate violence with people of color, equate mental illness with violence, or twist things around to distract from real solutions. Check out this guide on inclusive language for the gun violence prevention movement.
Talk about gun safety with gun owners
About 40% of Americans say they or someone in their household owns a gun. And 3 million Americans report carrying a gun daily. Responsible gun owners support gun safety and common-sense gun laws. Even if you don’t own a gun, or if you don’t support gun rights, it’s likely that you or a loved one will encounter gun owners in your day-to-day lives. Every day, eight children and teens are unintentionally shot in instances of family fire (a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun in the home that results in deaths or injury).
Whether or not you own a gun, it’s essential to talk to family, friends, and community members about responsible gun ownership and gun safety.
You have the right to ask if there are unlocked or loaded guns in any home you or a loved one enters.
Gun owners should store all guns locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition.
Learn more about how to start a conversation and what to ask at EndFamilyFire.org.
Join a local group taking action against gun violence
People committed to ending gun violence in their communities are joining together to:
Take part in direct action at the local, state, and national levels.
Join urgent calls to action to maintain momentum on gun sense legislation at critical moments.
Organize others to join the gun violence prevention movement.
Volunteer for calling and texting teams that mobilize voters and encourage constituents in key districts to speak up for lifesaving gun safety laws.
Celebrate progress, help others keep going, and stay motivated.
Find or start a local chapter:
A local grassroots group on the frontlines of ending gun violence in your community
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Originally published January 18, 2022.
Guides identify both fast actions that you can take in under five minutes and more time-intensive actions that deepen your engagement. Our fast actions tend to be time-bound, as a result, some guides in the archive may contain expired links. Not to fret, we also recommend anytime actions that never go out of date.