Publications

VPC publications date back to 1988. Most publications are available in PDF or HTML format and can be downloaded below. Some early VPC publications are available only in hard copy. For these, please contact the VPC ^[1] for ordering information.

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2018 Homicide Data ^[2]

September 2020 ─ This annual study uses unpublished 2018 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look state by state at the rate of females killed by males. Released each year prior to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the study ranks the 10 states with the highest rates of females killed by males. The study also highlights the disproportionate impact of this type of homicide on black women, and discusses laws that help protect women from abusers.
Press Release
Social Media Graphics
When Men Murder Women: California | Press Release ^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

States with Lower Gun Ownership and Strong Gun Laws Have Lowest Suicide Rates ^[7]

September 2020 ─ Released during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, this report presents overall suicide as well as gun suicides rates state by state, revealing the decisive role played by firearms in suicide attempts. The analysis identified the five states with the highest and lowest overall suicide rates in 2018 and included for each state its gun suicide rate, total number of suicides and gun suicides, percentage of suicides that involved a gun, and household gun ownership.

Mass Shootings in the United States Involving Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines ^[8]

September 2020 ─ This publication offers examples of mass shootings since 1980 in which large capacity ammunition magazines are known to have been used. The list includes available information on the casualties, firearms, and large capacity ammunition magazines in each of the mass shootings.

American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States ^[9]

July 2020 ─ Published every two years, this study is the largest and most comprehensive national analysis available on murder-suicide in the United States. The study analyzes news reports of murder-suicides for the first six months of 2019 and explains common murder-suicide trends and characteristics. This is the seventh edition of the study published by the VPC.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[10]^[11]

Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2017 Homicide Data ^[12]

June 2020 ─ This annual study examines black homicide victimization at the state level utilizing unpublished 2017 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The study ranks the states by their rates of black homicide victimization and offers additional information for the 10 states with the highest black homicide victimization rates.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[13]^[14]

The Long-Term Decline of Gun Ownership in America: 1973 to 2018 ^[15]

June 2020 ─ Using data from the General Social Survey (GSS) of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, this report details the long-term decrease in household and personal gun ownership in the United States from 1973 to 2018 (the most recent year for which GSS data is available).

Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use ^[16]

May 2020 ─ Using unpublished 2017 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as information from the National Crime Victimization Survey, this annual study reveals how rarely guns are used by private citizens to kill criminals or stop crimes.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[17]^[18]

States with Weak Gun Laws and Higher Gun Ownership Lead Nation in Gun Deaths, New Data for 2018 Confirms ^[19]

February 2020 ─ Using 2018 mortality data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this annual publication reveals that states with the highest overall gun death rates in the nation are those with weaker gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership. The study also shows that states with the lowest overall gun death rates have some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation and lower rates of gun ownership.
Social Media Graphics ^[20]

Hispanic/Latino Suicide in California ^[21]

September 2019 ─ This report, available in both English and Spanish, presents information on Latino suicide in California and focuses on the role played by firearms. It also presents suicide data for other races/ethnicities in California — white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native. In addition to data for all ages, the study also focuses on the 10-to-24 year old age group.
Press Release | Español
Social Media Graphics ^[22]^[23]^[24]

One in Five Law Enforcement Officers Slain in the Line of Duty Felled by an Assault Weapon ^[25]

September 2019 ─ This analysis found that one in five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty in 2016 and 2017 were killed with an assault weapon.

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2017 Homicide Data ^[26]

September 2019 ─ This annual study uses unpublished 2017 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look state by state at the rate of females killed by males. Released each year prior to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the study ranks the 10 states with the highest rates of females killed by males. The study also highlights the disproportionate impact of this type of homicide on black women, and discusses laws that help protect women from abusers.
Press Release
Social Media Graphics ^[27]^[28]

States with Higher Gun Ownership and Weak Gun Laws Lead Nation in Suicide While States with Lower Gun Ownership and Strong Gun Laws Have Lowest Suicide Rates ^[29]

September 2019 ─ Released during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, this report presents overall suicide as well as gun suicides rates state by state, revealing the decisive role played by firearms in suicide attempts. The analysis identified the three states with the highest and lowest overall suicide rates in 2017 and included for each state its gun suicide rate, total number of suicides and gun suicides, percentage of suicides that involved a gun, and household gun ownership.
Social Media Graphics ^[30]

SKS Assault Rifles: A Menace to Public Safety ^[31]

July 2019 ─ This backgrounder provides information on the SKS assault rifle. It details how SKS assault rifles are notoriously easy to convert to full-auto fire, lists high-profile attacks the weapon has been used in, and contains a list of incidents where law enforcement officers were killed with SKS assault rifles, including incidents where rounds fired from the weapon penetrated an officer’s bullet-resistant vest.

Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use ^[32]

July 2019 ─ Using unpublished 2016 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as information from the National Crime Victimization Survey, this annual study reveals how rarely guns are used by private citizens to kill criminals or stop crimes.
Press Release
Social Media Graphics
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[33]^[34]^[35]

Silencers: A Threat to Public Safety ^[36]

July 2019 ─ This study details the push by the firearms industry and gun lobby to make it far easier for private citizens to buy and possess firearm silencers and the threat this effort poses to law enforcement and public safety (including numerous examples of lethal attacks and criminal activity involving silencers).
Press Release ^[37]

Data Collection in California in Support of Violence Prevention: Strengths, Limitations, and Opportunities ^[38]

June 2019 ─ This report, available in both English and Spanish, presents in-depth interviews with California experts on ways that data collection in the state can be improved, especially in terms of better identifying race and ethnicity and integrating different data sets to improve their utility to offer a more complete picture of the full impact of gun death and injury on residents and aid violence-prevention efforts.
Press Release | Español
Social Media Graphics ^[39]^[40]^[41]

Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2016 Homicide Data ^[42]

May 2019 ─ This annual study examines black homicide victimization at the state level utilizing unpublished 2016 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The study ranks the states by their rates of black homicide victimization and offers additional information for the 10 states with the highest black homicide victimization rates.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[43]^[44]

Gun Violence in the Great Lakes States ^[45]

April 2019 ─ This study offers an overview of lethal gun violence in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Drawing from relevant VPC publications published in 2018 as well as additional information, for each state the study provides information on overall gun deaths, homicides, suicides, black homicide victimization, females killed by males in the context of lethal domestic violence, and examples of non-self defense killings involving concealed handgun permit holders.
Press Release ^[46]

Lethal Hispanic/Latino Firearm Victimization in California ^[47]

February 2019 ─ This study details the disproportionate impact of lethal gun violence (suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths) on Hispanics/Latinos in California using data from 2016 as well as historical information. It presents interviews with California experts on ways that data collection in the state can be improved. The study also includes lethal gun violence information for other races/ethnicities in California and contains numerous historic tables detailing firearm mortality among them.
Press Release ^[48] | Español ^[49]
Click here for English and Spanish language versions of the study, its key findings and recommendations, and related materials ^[50]
Social media graphics ^[51] (English)
Social media graphics ^[52] (Spanish)

States with Weak Gun Laws and Higher Gun Ownership Lead Nation in Gun Deaths, New Data for 2017 Confirms ^[53]

January 2019 ─ Using 2017 mortality data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this annual publication reveals that states with the highest overall gun death rates in the nation are those with weaker gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership. The study also shows that states with the lowest overall gun death rates have some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation and lower rates of gun ownership.

VPC Backgrounder: The Glock Pistol—A Favorite of Mass Shooters ^[54]

November 2018 ─ This backgrounder focuses on pistol manufacturer Glock, Inc. as an example of the gun industry’s continued and aggressive marketing of increasingly lethal firearms. The publication details the company’s history, the numerous mass shootings Glock pistols have been used in since 1991, and the gun industry’s switch from six-shot revolvers to high-capacity pistols in the 1980s.
Press Release ^[55]

Time Bomb: How the NRA Blocked the Regulation of Black and Smokeless Powder to the Benefit of Its Gun Industry “Corporate Partners” Today ^[56]

October 2018 ─ This study discusses how the National Rifle Association has worked to block federal regulation of black and smokeless powder, which has been used to construct pipe bombs targeting political figures, the media, and others. The study details how since the 1970s the NRA combated the regulation of these easily available explosives to the benefit of domestic and foreign terrorists. It also details how the NRA’s “corporate partners” benefit financially from the sale of black or smokeless powder.
Press Release ^[57]

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2016 Homicide Data ^[58]

September 2018 ─ This annual study uses unpublished 2016 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look state by state at the rate of females killed by males. Released each year prior to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the study ranks the 10 states with the highest rates of females killed by males. The study also highlights the disproportionate impact of this type of homicide on black women, and discusses laws that help protect women from abusers.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports
Click here for a companion study that focuses on the Great Lakes states ^[59]^[60]^[61]

Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use ^[62]

September 2018 ─ Using unpublished 2015 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as information from the National Crime Victimization Survey, this annual study reveals how rarely guns are used by private citizens to kill criminals or stop crimes.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[63]^[64]

American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States ^[65]

June 2018 ─ Published every two years, this study is the largest and most comprehensive national analysis available on murder-suicide in the United States. The study analyzes news reports of murder-suicides for the first six months of 2017 and explains common murder-suicide trends and characteristics. This is the sixth edition of the study published by the VPC.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[66]^[67]

The Militarized Marketing of Bushmaster Assault Rifles ^[68]

April 2018 ─ This study focuses on the militarized imagery and language gun conglomerate Remington Outdoor Company (formerly Freedom Group) uses in the marketing of its Bushmaster brand assault rifles, which have been used in numerous high-profile attacks, including the DC-area sniper shootings and the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting.

Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2015 Homicide Data ^[69]

April 2018 ─ This annual study examines black homicide victimization at the state level utilizing unpublished 2015 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The study ranks the states by their rates of black homicide victimization and offers additional information for the 10 states with the highest black homicide victimization rates.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports
Click here for a companion study that focuses on the Great Lakes states ^[70]^[71]^[72]

Hispanic Victims of Lethal Firearms Violence in the United States | Español ^[73]^[74]

February 2018 ─ This study reveals the disproportionate impact that lethal firearms violence has on Hispanics in the United States. It presents available information on Hispanic homicide victimization and suicide, the role of firearms in homicides and suicide, and overall gun death figures. The study also provides recommendations to governmental agencies to ensure complete and accurate data collection on Hispanic victims of lethal violence to aid in violence prevention.
Press Release | Español
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[75]^[76]^[77]

Understanding the Smith & Wesson M&P15 Semiautomatic Assault Rifle ^[78]

February 2018 ─ This report discusses the history and profit motive behind gunmaker Smith & Wesson’s 2006 introduction into the civilian market of its M&P15 AR-15 style semiautomatic assault rifle as well as the company’s financial support of the National Rifle Association. It also offers an overview of the history, military-bred design features, and heightened lethality of assault rifles like the M&P15.

U.S. Gun Death Rate Jumps 17 Percent Since 2008 Supreme Court District of Columbia v. Heller Decision Affirming Right to Own a Handgun for Self-Defense ^[79]

January 2018 ─ Using 2016 mortality data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this publication reveals that gun deaths in the U.S. have jumped 17 percent since the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there is a right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense. Additionally, the analysis shows that states with the highest overall gun death rates in the nation are those with weaker gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership. The study also shows that states with the lowest overall gun death rates have some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation and lower rates of gun ownership.

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2015 Homicide Data ^[80]

September 2017 ─ This annual study uses unpublished 2015 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look state by state at the rate of females killed by males. Released each year prior to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the study ranks the 10 states with the highest rates of females killed by males. The study also highlights the disproportionate impact of this type of homicide on black women, and discusses laws that help protect women from abusers.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[81]^[82]

The Relationship Between Community Violence and Trauma: How Violence Affects Learning, Health, and Behavior | Español ^[83]^[84]

July 2017 ─ This study provides a foundation of key concepts and research on trauma in the context of gun violence. It explains how communities with prevalent violence are at increased risk for a broad range of negative health and behavior outcomes and seeks to build awareness that the harm inflicted by firearms violence extends beyond physical injuries. The study details three domains–learning and development, mental health and behavior, and chronic illness–where research has consistently linked exposure to violence with negative later life outcomes.
Press Release | Español ^[85]^[86]

The Reality of Self-Defense Gun Use and Concealed Carry ^[87]

June 2017 ─ Following the 2017 attack at a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, pro-gun advocates and some Members of Congress used the shooting as an opportunity to argue for the weakening of federal laws governing the carrying of concealed handguns. This backgrounder reveals that guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes and presents VPC research showing that concealed handgun permit holders (of which the shooter was one) have been involved in at least 1,000 non-self defense deaths since 2007.
Press Release ^[88]

Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use | Español ^[89]^[90]

May 2017 ─ Using unpublished 2014 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as information from the National Crime Victimization Survey, this annual study reveals how rarely guns are used by private citizens to kill criminals or stop crimes.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[91]^[92]

Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2014 Homicide Data ^[93]

March 2017 ─ This annual study examines black homicide victimization at the state level utilizing unpublished 2014 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The study ranks the states by their rates of black homicide victimization and offers additional information for the 10 states with the highest black homicide victimization rates.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[94]^[95]

States with Weak Gun Laws and Higher Gun Ownership Lead Nation in Gun Deaths, New Data for 2015 Confirm ^[96]

January 2017 ─ Using 2015 mortality data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this annual publication reveals that states with the highest overall gun death rates in the nation are those with weaker gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership. The study also shows that states with the lowest overall gun death rates have some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation and lower rates of gun ownership.

An Analysis of the Decline in Gun Dealers: 1994 to 2016 ^[97]

December 2016 ─ This study offers an overview of the decline in Type 1 Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) holders from 245,628 in 1994 to 56,577 in 2016. The report details gun lobby efforts to try and reverse the decline and offers recommendations to further improve the regulation of gun dealers. The study also acknowledges the progress made in reducing the number of illegitimate gun dealers since the 1992 publication of the VPC’s landmark study More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations.
Press Release ^[98]

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2014 Homicide Data ^[99]

September 2016 ─ This annual study uses unpublished 2014 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look state by state at the rate of females killed by males. Released each year prior to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the study ranks the 10 states with the highest rates of females killed by males. The study also highlights the disproportionate impact of this type of homicide on black women, and discusses laws that help protect women from abusers.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[100]^[101]

Understanding the Saiga AK-74 Assault Rifle Used in the Dallas Police Shooting ^[102]

July 2016 ─ This backgrounder provides information on the Saiga AK-74 assault rifle, the weapon used in the 2016 mass shooting at a rally in Dallas that killed five law enforcement officers. The report also contains information on the design characteristics that define assault weapons and what differentiates them from standard hunting and sporting firearms.

Hispanic Victims of Lethal Firearms Violence in the United States | Español ^[103]^[104]

June 2016 ─ This study reveals the disproportionate impact that lethal firearms violence has on Hispanics in the United States. It presents available information on Hispanic homicide victimization and suicide, the role of firearms in homicides and suicide, and overall gun death figures. The study also provides recommendations to governmental agencies to ensure complete and accurate data collection on Hispanic victims of lethal violence to aid in violence prevention.
Press Release | Español
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[105]^[106]^[107]

Understanding the Sig Sauer MCX Assault Rifle Used in the Orlando Mass Shooting ^[108]

June 2016 ─ This backgrounder provides information on the Sig Sauer MCX assault rifle, the weapon used in the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay dance club in Orlando, that killed 49 people. The report also contains information on the design characteristics that define assault weapons and what differentiates them from standard hunting and sporting firearms.

Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use ^[109]

April 2016 ─ Using unpublished 2013 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as information from the National Crime Victimization Survey, this annual study reveals how rarely guns are used by private citizens to kill criminals or stop crimes.
Press Release
Fact Sheet
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[110]^[111]^[112]

Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2013 Homicide Data ^[113]

March 2016 ─ This annual study examines black homicide victimization at the state level utilizing unpublished 2013 Supplementary Homicide Report data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The study ranks the states by their rates of black homicide victimization and offers additional information for the 10 states with the highest black homicide victimization rates.
Press Release
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[114]^[115]

“Start Them Young” — How the Firearms Industry and Gun Lobby Are Targeting Your Children ^[116]

February 2016 ─ This major study reveals how the gun industry, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF, the trade association for the firearms industry), and the National Rifle Association are working to recruit children as young as grade-school age into the gun culture for financial and political gain.
Press Release ^[117]

Gun Deaths Outpace Motor Vehicle Deaths in 21 States and the District of Columbia in 2014 ^[118]

January 2016 ─ This study examines how in 2014, 21 states and the District of Columbia recorded more gun deaths than motor vehicle deaths. The report explains that while health and safety regulation has reduced traffic fatalities, guns are uniquely exempt from such regulatory standards under federal law.. This is the fifth edition of the VPC report comparing gun deaths to motor vehicle deaths by state.
Press Release ^[119]

States with Weak Gun Laws and Higher Gun Ownership Lead Nation in Gun Deaths, New Data for 2014 Confirms ^[120]

January 2016 ─ Using 2014 mortality data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this annual publication reveals that states with the highest overall gun death rates in the nation are those with weaker gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership. The study also shows that states with the lowest overall gun death rates have some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation and lower rates of gun ownership.

Lost Youth: A County-by-County Analysis of 2013 California Homicide Victims Ages 10 to 24 | Español ^[121]^[122]

November 2015 ─ This study offers detailed information on California homicide victims ages 10 to 24 and ranks each county in California by its homicide victimization rate for this age group. The offers information on sex, race, ethnicity, weapon type, victim to offender relationship, circumstances, location, as well additional data.
Press Release | Español
Click here for more information including links to previous reports ^[123]^[124]^[125]

American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States ^[126]

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2013 Homicide Data ^[127]

Gun Running Nation: How Foreign-Made Assault Weapons are Trafficked from the United States to Mexico and What to Do About It ^[128] (a joint report released with the Washington Office on Latin America)