New Study Shows Racial Animosity Is Driving Gun Purchases; Congress Must Act
July 16, 2020WASHINGTON — Guns Down America, a bolder, broader movement calling for dramatically fewer guns in America released the following statement after a new study has found that racial animosity is behind the surge in gun buying.
“This new study is an urgent reminder why Congress must shore up our national background check system and invest in community-based violence intervention programs as part of the next COVID relief effort,” said Igor Volsky, co-founder and Executive Director of Guns Down America. “The current pandemic pushed America into a mental health crisis and collided head-on with a national conversation about racist laws that disproportionately kill Black men. If the answer continues to be panic-purchasing firearms, we will continue to see rising rates of gun violence in our cities. Congress must act.”
This new study comes following data showing that four separate weeks in June of 2020 are now in the top 10 highest weeks of background checks conducted by the FBI since the bureau began keeping data in 1998.
Guns Down America is a bolder, broader movement calling for dramatically fewer guns in America, and for making them dramatically harder to get.
July 16, 2020
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