 Statement of VPC on Supreme Court Ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller Overturning DC Handgun Ban Ruling Should Allow Ban on Semiautomatic Handguns to Stand June
26, 2008—Following
today’s 5-4 Supreme Court opinion authored
by 2007 Sport Shooting Ambassador Award winner Antonin Scalia
overturning Washington, DC’s handgun ban, but apparently allowing
for the retention of the law’s ban on most semiautomatic weapons,
including semiautomatic handguns, Violence Policy Center (VPC)
Legislative Director Kristen Rand states: Comparing Amici in the Heller Case Organizations
filing amici briefs in support of Washington, DC, represent
a wide range of mainstream American institutions (including national
public health organizations, mayors of major metropolitan cities,
law enforcement, religious groups, and leading academics) while
a significant number of amici opposing the ban have more
narrow, gun-related interests.
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VPC Executive Director on the Huffington Post Smith & Wesson Snubs Police with "Commemorative" Revolver July
22, 2008—When
last heard from, Smith & Wesson was gaining public attention from
their marketing of a high-powered revolver that could penetrate
the body armor most commonly worn by America's law enforcement
personnel. Now the company is working to wheedle its way back
into the news cycle with the announcement that they're producing
a "commemorative" snub-nosed "lightweight carry revolver" celebrating
the recent Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v.
Heller.
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More Than 1,100 Murder-Suicide Deaths–From the Virginia Tech Massacre to Domestic Disputes–Occurred in 2007, New Study Estimates April
9, 2008—At
least 554 Americans died in murder-suicides during the first
six months of 2007 with the vast majority (88.5 percent) involving
a firearm, according to the third edition of the VPC study American
Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States. Using
these figures, the VPC estimates that more than 1,100 Americans
died in murder-suicides in 2007. The murder-suicides included
in the study range from high-profile mass shootings like the
April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech massacre to familial shootings
claiming the lives of spouses and children.
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