Press Releases

AK-47 and AR-15 Assault Pistols that Combine the Power of an Assault Rifle with the Concealability of a Handgun Lead the Way WASHINGTON, DC–Not since the late 1980s and early 1990s has there been such a wide variety of assault pistols available for sale on the U.S. civilian market warns the new Violence Policy Center […]

Widespread Sale of Military-Style Weapons Drives Illicit Traffic to Mexico, Increases Armed Attacks on U.S. Law Enforcement Officers, and Facilitates Mass Shootings Washington, DC–As the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform focuses on alleged failures of the U.S. Justice Department’s program to stop gun trafficking to Mexico, a new study by the Violence Policy […]

Organized Corporate Solicitation Program Disproves Longstanding NRA Claim That It’s Independent of Gun Industry Washington, DC–The National Rifle Association (NRA) receives millions of dollars directly from domestic and foreign gun manufacturers and other members of the firearms industry through an organized corporate outreach program according to a new report issued today by the Violence Policy […]

Nearly Two-Thirds of Guns Obtained by Traffickers in Cases Studied Were Semiautomatic Assault Weapons, Armor-Piercing Handguns, or 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles Washington, D.C.–U.S. court records from southwestern states clearly show that illegal gun traffickers involved in smuggling firearms to Mexico seek semiautomatic assault weapons, armor-piercing handguns, and 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles from U.S. gun […]

Study of Gun-Trafficking Problem Concludes President Obama and Attorney General Holder Could Use 1968 Law to Immediately Stop Import into U.S. of AK-47s and Other Assault Weapons Smuggled to Mexico Washington, D.C.—The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released Iron River: Gun Violence and Illegal Firearms Trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico Border, a comprehensive study of how […]

Washington, DC–A recently unsealed indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida, adds a Colombian terrorist organization to the growing list of terror entities that have chosen the 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifle as a favorite weapon, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) warned today. The indictment was returned on January 3, 2006, […]

New Violence Policy Center Study Includes Previously Classified U.S. Secret Service Report Warning of Danger to President and Civil Aviation from Easily Obtained Sniper Rifles Washington, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a new study detailing the concerns of a wide spectrum of national security experts about the terrorism threat posed by […]

Law Comes Less Than Three Years After Violence Policy Center First Identified Threat Posed by These Readily Available Tools of Terror Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Bill That Bans Rifles That Can Destroy Aircraft, Down Helicopters, and Penetrate Armor Plating Washington, DC – California yesterday became the first state in the nation to ban 50 caliber sniper […]

New VPC Analysis Warns of Terror Threat Posed by 50 Caliber Rifles to Helicopters, VPC Also Warns of Threat to Armor-Plated Vehicles New York, NY – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today joined Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in calling for a federal ban on 50 caliber, anti-armor sniper rifles. Fifty caliber sniper rifles can penetrate […]

Latest Proof of Gun Industry’s Evasion of Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Scheduled to Expire on September 13, 2004 and Need for Law to be Strengthened More Than One Million Assault Weapons Marketed Since Ban’s Passage in 1994 Washington, DC – More than 40 gunmakers in 22 states are currently marketing “post-ban” assault weapons including UZIs, […]