Understanding the Business Behind America’s Gun Violence Epidemic

May 31, 2024

During Gun Violence Awareness Month, Guns Down America sheds light on the business behind American gun culture and the impact of consumer power.

Washington, D.C. — Today, on the first day of National Gun Violence Awareness Month, Guns Down America Executive Director Hudson Munoz released the following statement:

"During National Gun Violence Awareness Month—and frankly, every other month of the year—Americans are all too aware of the realities of gun violence: How it affects their communities, schools, and workplaces. What we need to call awareness to is the consumer culture around guns. Gun manufacturers, and the gun lobby, have long peddled the fallacy to American consumers that buying a gun will keep you and your family safe—despite the abundance of evidence overwhelmingly suggesting that owning a gun can put loved ones at greater risk of injury. The reality is that every gun used in a shooting was manufactured and sold to a consumer. Ending America's gun violence epidemic starts with the source of the problem: guns. We need to be just as aware of the business of guns as the impact of their use.”