Gun Violence and NGAC’s Economic Strategy to Change It

The Problem

There is an epidemic of gun violence in the US. To put it in perspective, England reports 75 gun murders per year. England’s culture is similar to ours—they hunt, collect guns, value marksmanship; they have gangs, drugs and poverty. Our population is 5 times England’s, 300 million vs. 60 million.
 
If we had England’s gun laws, which are based on public safety, we could expect 5 times their gun homicides or 375 gun homicides per year. We have 12,000, over 300 times more.
 
Why?
 
Because American gun laws are based on maximizing sales for the gun industry, not public safety.
As a result, our gun laws are not sane.
 

How are they accomplishing this?

7 of Our Non-Sane Gun Laws and Non-Sane Gun Policies:

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7 of Our Non-Sane Gun Laws and Non-Sane Gun Policies:

 

1. Suspected terrorists who are on the “No-Fly List” can legally purchase guns, including: Guns that can bring down a plane landing or taking off.
2. The gun industry is the only industry exempt from Federal regulation. (It used to be tobacco and guns, now it is just guns.) Guns are not registered. Gun owners are not licensed.
3. Guns do not have to be insured for the damage they do: Over the past 20 years, $100 Billion of your tax dollars have been been spent to pay for the costs of gun homicides. If you do not own a gun, why should your tax dollars pay for the cost of gun violence?
4. Criminals and people with mental illness, who cannot legally buy a gun from a gun dealer: Can go to any gun show and legally buy as many guns as they want. Can buy them through private sales. Can buy them over the internet
5. Many states have passed laws allowing guns in restaurants, bars, schools, sporting arenas, workplace parking lots, airports and churches. The list keeps growing.
6. Guns can now be carried in National Parks and on Amtrak trains.
7. The NRA is trying to pass laws that: Allow people with Alzheimers to legally purchase guns. Allow soldiers diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome to legally purchase guns. Abolish gun free school zones.

7 of the NRA’s Main Tactics to Achieve Their Goals:

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7 of the NRA’s Main Tactics to Achieve Their Goals:

1. Money to Dominate Legislators at the State and Federal Level. NRA’s annual budget = $250 million Brady’s annual budget = $7 million NRA has 600 employees Brady has 23 employees
2. Money Spent to Influence Federal Elections (Total 2004,2006, 2008 )* NRA + Pro Gun Groups = $53 million Brady + Gun Control Groups = $3 million *(Source of data: Open Secrets.org)
3. Create Fear, Maximize Sales to Criminals Fact: The Criminal market = 25% of the gun industry’s annual sales.* The NRA fights to protect this market share, They must defeat any law that would make it harder for criminals to get guns e.g. laws to stop gun trafficking, close the gun show loophole, etc. THEN SAY “You need a gun with you at all times to protect you from armed criminals.” *(Source: Expert witness report filed as part of the 1999 NAACP lawsuit vs. the Gun Industry.)
4. Powerful State by State strategy. Intense focus on State legislators to get insane gun laws passed e.g., Guns in bars, Concealed and open carry of guns
5. Disinformation “More guns equal less crime” “Guns save lives, more guns save more lives.”
6. Suppress Data that shows the catastrophic assault to public health and safety caused by the unregulated gun industry. Just like the tobacco industry suppressed data for decades that showed smoking caused cancer.
7. Simplistic Sound Bite Logic Law abiding citizens are always going to be law abiding. Fact: Every criminal was once law abiding citizen. ANY new gun law(s) “REVEALS” that the government secretly wants to take our guns away: Why? Just as the seatbelt laws led to our cars being taken away?

NGAC’S Solution: An Economic Strategy

To return sanity to our gun policies, NGAC will create an economic lever strategy. NGAC is harnessing the consumer buying power of 9 million victims (the loved ones of those who lost their lives to guns), their supporters, 5 million gun assault survivors, their supporters and many of the 100 million Americans whom polls consistently show support sane gun laws. We will prevail because our side outnumbers the NRA’s extremist side by minimally 100 to 1.
 

Join Us

The economic lever gives us a winning strategy. The NRA understands we are a real threat, one they have never faced before. They will savagely fight us—spread disinformation, invent facts, start rumors, challenge us in every way—no matter the ethics.
 

How You Can Help

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