For years the NRA and gun manufacturers have lied to us, and now most Americans mistakenly believe that having a gun makes them safer. The gun lobby’s lies are costing people their lives.

Now we’re setting the record straight.

Check out all our videos to learn how we know guns don’t keep us safe.

Women and Guns

There is no credible evidence that shows women are safer when they have a gun. Most women who are murdered are killed by an intimate partner, and when a woman owns a gun it increases the likelihood of this happening.

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Women Using Guns for Self
Defense 1, 2
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If an Abuser has Access to a Gun3
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Women’s Homicide Risk1

Guns and Self Defense

Perhaps the most widespread of the gun lobby’s lies is that guns are useful for protection. Most gun owners say self-defense is their main reason for owning a gun. However, the idea that a good guy with a gun will stop a bad guy with a gun just doesn’t hold up to close examination.

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Using a Gun vs. Calling 9115, 6
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A Good Guy With a Gun7
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Self Defense and the Law

Guns in the Home

Most people who keep guns in their homes believe guns will make them and their families safer. Unfortunately, research shows that the risks of owning guns far outweigh the benefits.

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Homicide Risk with a Gun8
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Unintentional Shootings6
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The Reality of Gun Deaths

If you’d like to learn more about keeping people safe from guns, check out our posts on extreme risk protection orders and domestic violence.

1“Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use.”  Violence Policy Center, 2020.
2Puzzanchera, C., Chamberlin, G., and Kang, W. “Easy Access to the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports: 1980-2020.” Online, 2021, Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezashr/
3Campbell, Jacquelyn C., et al. “Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From a Multisite Case Control Study.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 93, no. 7, July 2003, pp. 1089–97.
4“When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2020 Data.” Violence Policy Center, Sept. 2022.
5Hemenway, David, and Sara J. Solnick. The Epidemiology of Self-Defense Gun Use: Evidence from the National Crime Victimization Surveys 2007-2011 – PubMed. Oct. 2015, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.03.029.
6Hemenway, David. “Risks and Benefits of a Gun in the Home.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, vol. 5, no. 6, Nov. 2011, pp. 502–11. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827610396294.
7Blair, Pete J., and Katherine W. Schweit. “A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014, https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-study-2000-2013-1.pdf/view.
8Kellermann, Arthur L., et al. “Gun Ownership as a Risk Factor for Homicide in the Home.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 329, no. 15, Oct. 1993, pp. 1084–91. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199310073291506.