Source and Reference Page
It is very important to the ARA™ that we are transparent about where we get our data and the statistics we share. We at the ARA™ only source from well-vetted organizations that are as apolitical as possible. We also use the most prestigious, informative, peer-reviewed studies regarding gun and firearm data.
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A well-read human is a human prepared to demonstrate flexible and comparative thinking when it comes to any issue at hand.
Sources:
Every effort has been made to have the most current and up-to-date sources regarding the issues we support.
We welcome comments or the sharing of articles to help this list of high-quality information to grow!
Please reach out to us at MyVoiceMatters@arausa.org, subject: "Source Info", should you have anything well-sourced and productive to share!
We are a data driven organization! We want the most current, well-vetted info possible. If you have something o share we openly welcome and encourage you to do so!
ARA WEB CONTENT
ARA™ Data Sourcing for the top 6 firearm issues the majority of Americans Agree Require Change:
1.
Gun violence is the #1 cause of death in US children.
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2200169
- https://efsgv.org/wp-content/uploads/2019CDCdata.pdf
- https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/od/directors_corner/prev_updates/gun-violence-July2022
Gun deaths among US children and teens rose 50% in two years! This happened between 2019 and 2021.
2.
Only 17 states in the USA require firearms to be locked up.
- https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/law/lost-and-stolen-reporting/
Gun thefts from vehicles are the largest source of stolen guns.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/us/illegal-guns-parked-cars.html
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The number of ghost guns recovered from crime scenes by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), has risen by more than 1,000% since 2017.
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65170507
Only 17 states in the USA require a gun owner to report if their gun is lost or stolen.
- https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/law/lost-and-stolen-reporting/
Over 80% of mass shooters at K-12 schools stole guns from family members, according to research funded by the National Institute of Justice (a program of the U.S. Justice Department) that examined mass shootings that took place from 1966 to 2019.
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3.
Currently, only 21 states and Washington DC require background checks to own a firearm.
- https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/background-checks/universal-background-checks/
The majority of Americans polled say it is too easy to legally obtain a gun.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/sr_23-09-13_guns_7/
Roughly 9/10 US adults favor preventing people with mental illness from purchasing guns.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/06/28/americans-views-of-specific-gun-policy-proposals/
Background checks reduce the rate of violence with firearms.
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4.
Gun violence is a public health crisis.
The United States' rate of mass shootings has more than DOUBLED in the past 10 years.
- https://www.cnn.com/us/mass-shootings-fast-facts/index.html
61% of Americans (including 67% of Republicans and 55% of Democrats) say violent crime is a very big problem for the country.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/06/28/gun-violence-widely-viewed-as-a-major-and-growing-national-problem/
Suicide by firearm is the number one means of suicide. The rate of death by this method continues to rise.
The US gun violence rate is about 340 times higher than the rate in the UK.
5.
Approximately 1 out of 20 Americans owns an Assault Weapon
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/american-ar-15-gun-owners/
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Gun massacre deaths dropped during the Assault Weapons ban. They increased after it expired.
The United States rate of mass shootings has more than DOUBLED in the past 10 years.
- https://www.cnn.com/us/mass-shootings-fast-facts/index.html
The Sandy Hook and the Parkland shooters bought their guns legally shortly after turning 18.
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6.
More than 370,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-database/
The US has had 57 times as many school shootings as all other major industrialized nations combined.
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Roughly 4.6 million children live in a home with loaded and unlocked firearms.
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2789269
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Only 26 states currently have secure storage or child access laws.
- https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/law/secure-storage-or-child-access-prevention-required/
Data related to the NRA™.
Why Leave the NRA™ Data and Sourcing:
“The NRA likes to say the 1994 federal Assault Weapons Ban didn’t work, but it did work. The data is clear: there were fewer mass shootings while the Assault Weapons Ban was in effect and significantly more after it expired,” Feinstein said.
-https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/studies-gun-massacre-deaths-dropped-during-assault-weapons-ban-increased-after-expiration
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“U.S. Senate passed a measure that would lower the barriers for military veterans deemed psychologically incompetent to keep and use firearms. In the end, he said, real change will only come if the American people demand it.”
-https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/10/u-s-hurtles-toward-new-record-for-mass-shootings-says-atf-director/
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) was founded in New York state in 1871 as a governing body for the sport of shooting with rifles and pistols. By the early 21st century, it claimed a membership of nearly five million target shooters, hunters, gun collectors, gunsmiths, police, and other gun enthusiasts.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Rifle-Association-of-America
“Founded in 1871 as a recreational group designed to "promote and encourage rifle shooting", the National Rifle Association has grown into one of the most powerful political organizations in the US.
-- It lobbies heavily against all forms of gun control and argues aggressively that more guns make the country safer.
It relies on, and staunchly defends, a disputed interpretation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which it argues gives US citizens the rights to bear arms.
It directly funds US politicians and lawmakers who support its aims.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394
“In 2023, the National Rifle Association (NRA) had about 2.31 million U.S. dollars in lobbying expenditures. This is a decrease from the previous year, when the NRA spent about 2.63 million U.S. dollars on lobbying expenses.”
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As recently as February 2024, the National Rifle Association and two top executives have been found liable in a civil corruption trial and ordered to repay $6.35m.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68388234
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How the NRA went from Gun Club to Gun Lobby
https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-history-of-the-nra
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Why the US gun lobby is still winning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIBZxyyfLhk
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The NRA™ is the most powerful gun lobbying group in the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1thhhtvPVc
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Tens of thousands of gun-owners have recently left the NRA.