Press Releases

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, […]

New VPC Report Dissects FCI Distortions, Dismantles Pro-Gun Group’s Defense of Civilian Sale of Deadly 50 Caliber Anti-Armor Rifles, Links FCI to Sniper Rifle Industry Washington, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released Really Big Guns, Even Bigger Lies, a report rebutting a series of distortions and misstatements made by the Fifty Caliber […]

Bullet Hoses Documents History of Assault Weapons, Shows That Widely Available Civilian Assault Weapons Incorporate Specific Military Design Features for “Laying Down a High Volume of Fire Over a Wide Killing Zone” WASHINGTON, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a new study, Bullet Hoses: Semiautomatic Assault Weapons What Are They? What’s So […]

Bush Administration Ignores Danger in “War on Terrorism” VPC Releases “Just Like Bird Hunting” The Threat to Civil Aviation from 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles WASHINGTON, DC – The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released “Just Like Bird Hunting” The Threat to Civil Aviation from 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles, which details the threat of military-bred 50 […]

New VPC Report Sitting Ducks Detailing 50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Terrorist Threat to Refinery and Hazardous-Chemical Facilities Released at Briefing Potential Devastating and Deadly Effects WASHINGTON – Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, federal officials have warned the chemical and refinery industry that hazardous-materials plants could be turned into weapons of mass destruction. […]

Rebuts Attempt to Shift Blame to CIA Interviews with Former CIA Officials, Corroborating Documents, Give Lie to Industry Red Herring Washington, DC The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a study rebutting gun industry claims that twenty-five 50 caliber sniper rifles obtained by Osama bin Laden in the 1980s were part of U.S. government aid […]

“Super Guns” Can Down Helicopters, Defeat Armored Limousines, Destroy Aircraft at Terminals, Ignite Fuel Tanks, All From 1,800 yards Violence Policy Center Report Documents Sale, Details Terror Potential WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. gun industry sold at least twenty-five 50 caliber sniper rifles to Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s terror network, a study released by […]

Powerful Weapons Can Shoot Down Airplanes, Penetrate Armor From Over a Mile Away New VPC Report Exposes Aggressive Marketing Efforts, Burgeoning Subculture of Sniper Enthusiasts The gun industry’s sale of military sniper rifles to civilian customers poses a serious threat to national security – making the ideal weapon for assassination and destruction available to terrorists, […]

New VPC Report Documents Shift in Party Line on Deadly Military-Style Guns Report Debunks “Myths” NRA Circulating as New Fight Looms on Assault Ban Trying to head off growing pressure to close loopholes in the 1994 assault weapons ban, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun industry have changed their tune on these deadly […]