Case Information: Gun Owners of Vermont, Inc. v. Birmingham, et al. (Vt. Super. Ct. amicus brief filed Dec. 17, 2018).
At Issue: In 2018 Vermont passed a package of broadly supported and much-needed gun safety measures, including a law requiring background checks on private gun sales. The plaintiffs in this lawsuit challenge three of the recent gun safety laws: (1) 13 V.S.A. § 4019, which requires persons transferring a firearm to appear together be...
The Law Center
Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence: Because Smart Gun Laws Save lives / smartgunlaws.org
Investing in Local Intervention Strategies in Maryland
BackgroundGun violence is by far the largest driver of homicides in America, the overwhelming majority of which take the form of day-to-day shootings in underserved communities.1 Black and Latino young men living in urban neighborhoods are disproportionately impacted by this tragic violence—almost 75% of America’s 14,415 gun homicide victims in 2016 were either Black or Latino, and nearly 85% male.2
In order to adequately address this public health crisis, we need ...
Open Carrying in New Jersey
New Jersey law does not explicitly prohibit the open carrying of a handgun in public if the possessor has a valid permit to carry a handgun.1
New Jersey allows the open carrying of long guns (i.e. rifles and shotguns) if the possessor has a valid Firearms Purchaser Identification Card.2 New Jersey prohibits any person from knowingly possessing a loaded long gun, with certain exceptions.3
See our Open Carrying policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.
California’s Smart Gun Laws: a Blueprint for the Nation
INTRODUCTIONSince the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence was founded in 1993,1 the California Legislature has passed over 60 strong gun safety laws with the support of the Law Center and its coalition partners statewide. Each year, Law Center attorneys assist legislators with the development and drafting of bills to reduce gun violence, provide testimony before the Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees, and otherwise help with the passage of smart gun laws in the s...
Maryland Shall Issue v. Hogan: Supporting Laws Banning Bump Stocks and Trigger Activators
Update — On November 16, 2018, the district court issued a favorable decision rejecting plaintiffs’ constitutional challenges to Maryland’s trigger activator ban, and upholding the law in full. The court’s opinion cited evidence and arguments from Giffords Law Center’s amicus brief.
Case Information: Maryland Shall Issue Inc. v. Hogan (D. Md. amicus brief filed July 27, 2018).
At Issue: On ...
Veteran Suicide on the Rise
Our country is in the middle of a gun suicide crisis, one that is particularly acute among our veterans. The veteran suicide rate is more than twice as high as the non-veteran adult suicide rate. Today more than 6,000 American veterans die by suicide each year, and nearly 7...
Statement: Gabrielle Giffords Responds to Mass Shooting in Thousand Oaks, CA
Washington DC—This morning, former Representative Gabrielle Giffords issued the following statement, reacting to the news of another deadly mass shooting America. Twelve people were killed, including a sheriff’s deputy responding to the call for help, late Wednesday in a shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill, a country and western dance hall in Thousand Oaks, CA. Many others are injured. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the shooting in Thousand Oaks, CA marks the 307t...
Duncan v. Becerra: Partnering With California Lieutenant Governor Newsom to Defend Prop. 63
Update — On July 17, 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit narrowly affirmed the preliminary injunction blocking implementation of California’s LCM possession ban. However, the appeals court did not decide the merits of the constitutional challenge, and found only that the district court’s preliminary decision was not an abuse of discretion. California’s law remains on hold pending a decision by the district court on whet...
Gould v. O’Leary: Advocating Strong Standards for Concealed Carry Permits in Massachusetts
Update — On November 2, 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a favorable decision upholding Massachusetts’ concealed carry law, siding with the position Giffords Law Center argued for in our amicus brief.
Case Information: Gould v. O’Leary, No. 17-2202 (1st Cir. brief filed June 13, 2018).
At Issue: This case involves a Second Amendment challenge to Massachusetts...