Skip to Main Content

Hot Topic: Gun Rights & Gun Control

This guide explores and provides a starting point for your research on Gun Rights and Gun Control

Websites

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Run by advocates for the Brady Bill, this site includes links to laws and legislation at the state and federal level, briefs on the issue, and various special reports.

Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
The Center examines the public health effects of guns in society and serves as an objective resource for policy makers, the media, advocacy groups, and the general public.

Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
The Law Center tracks and analyzes firearms legislation in all 50 states, files amicus briefs in critical Second Amendment cases across the country, and works with lawmakers and advocates to craft and promote legislation that will reduce gun violence and save lives.

National Rifle Association (NRA)
The National Rifle Association is America's longest-standing civil rights organization. Together with our more than five million members, we're proud defenders of history's patriots and diligent protectors of the Second Amendment. 

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)
The Second Amendment Foundation is dedicated to promoting a better understanding about our Constitutional heritage to privately own and possess firearms.

Second Amendment from the History Channel
This website provides an overview of the history of the Second Amendment.

Sportsmen's Alliance
The Sportsmen’s Alliance works to protect and advance the outdoor heritage of hunting, fishing, trapping and shooting in all 50 state legislatures, in the courts, in Congress and at the ballot box.

Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center (VPC) works to stop gun death and injury through research, education, advocacy, and collaboration. Its approach is to view the issues through a public health perspective.

Websites: Statistics

Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was established as a separate component within the Department of Justice. The mission of ATF is to protect communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, the illegal use and storage of explosives, acts of arson and bombings, acts of terrorism, and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products.View statistics on Firearms.

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
Provides statistics about crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government in the United States.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC’s WISQARS™ (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) is an interactive, online database that provides fatal and nonfatal injury, violent death, and cost of injury data from a variety of trusted sources. Researchers, the media, public health professionals, and the public can use WISQARS™ data to learn more about the public health and economic burden associated with unintentional and violence-related injury in the United States.

FBI: Uniform Crime Statistics
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program has been the starting place for law enforcement executives, students of criminal justice, researchers, members of the media, and the public at large seeking information on crime in the nation.

Firearm Statistical Data Sources

Established to provide accurate balanced information, resources on guns and the second amendment. Gun history, advice to the beginner, safety, statitics, manufacturers, gun laws, legislation, Gun Dealer and Gun Manufacturer Director.

Gun Violence
From the National Institute of Justice, statistics on prevalence of gun violence, gangs and gun-related homicide, and nonfatal firearms-related crime.

Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. They conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. Look at the top bar for dataset statistics.

Databases: Statistics