Press Releases

In the same month as a would-be assassin armed with a DPMS AR-15 assault rifle targeted former President Trump, two separate gun magazines ran stories highlighting the guns used in two completed Presidential assassinations.

In this update, we look at a legal victory for Illinois’ 2023 assault weapons ban, VPC comments to the Commerce Department on gun exports, and an example of gun industry disregard for the victims of gun violence.

It’s all about marketing at the NRA Annual Meeting. The NRA and gun industry use the show in their ongoing marketing efforts targeting women, children, and communities of color, while working to resell the primary market of white males with increasingly militarized firearms, such as assault weapons.

Thousands of Americans possess a federal license to manufacture firearms, yet relatively few actually produce any guns according to America’s Hidden Gun Manufacturers, a new study from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) and part of its ongoing Campaign for Gun Industry Accountability.

Washington, DC — Following the recent mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine committed with a Ruger SFAR assault rifle that left 18 victims dead and 13 wounded at two locations, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a 13-page backgrounder on the assault weapon manufacturer, including details on the model of gun used in the shooting. […]

Violence Policy Center: Demand Answers About the Weapons Used and How They Were Procured Washington, DC – In the wake of any public mass shooting, it is vital that the media, policymakers, and general public demand answers about the firearms the perpetrator used and how they were procured. Five specific questions to ask include: 1–What […]

After Going Underground for a Year, WEE1 Tactical Returns with a Kinder, Gentler Marketing Campaign for its “JR-15” Child Assault Rifle Washington, DC — Roughly one year after provoking outrage and condemnation nationwide after it was revealed by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) that gun manufacturer WEE1 Tactical was launching sales of the “JR-15” – […]

Washington, DC – Following today’s passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of legislation to ban assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines, Violence Policy Center (VPC) Government Affairs Director Kristen Rand issued the following statement: “Assault weapons are the clearest example of how today’s gun industry innovates for lethality rather than for safety. A ban […]

Washington, DC — Following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the Violence Policy Center today published an online resource page with VPC research relevant to the attack. VPC Backgrounder on Daniel DefenseThis backgrounder contains information on Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the assault rifle used in the mass shooting at Robb […]

Washington, DC —The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a new slide show of firearms industry ads and catalog images exposing the common themes that gunmakers use in their marketing of militarized weapons such as the Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle used in the mass shooting this past weekend at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New […]