New Report Explores Private Sector's Role in Reducing Gun Violence

Brady recommends concrete actions corporations can take to reduce gun violence

Washington, D.C., May 17, 2018 - Corporate America has stepped up to the plate and is directly addressing America's gun violence epidemic. Corporations have often helped advance important public health and social causes by adopting policies that set norms and foster the environment that Americans want, and gun violence is no different. Today, the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence released a new report, "The Private Sector's Role in Reducing the Gun Violence Epidemic in America," outlining what companies have done so far and identifying specific actions that various types of businesses can take to keep guns out of dangerous hands.

Read the report

"American companies know how to get things done. As this report shows, the private sector is taking real action to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and get weapons of war off our streets," said Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign and Center. "This report provides a blueprint for further private sector action. In the face of Congressional inaction, companies like Dick's Sporting Goods, Citigroup, Bank of America, and BlackRock are shining a light on the path to a safer America. Their actions reflect the values of millions of Americans."

Leveraging Brady's decades of experience working with the business community and successfully holding the gun industry accountable, the report offers a series of steps that corporate America can take to reduce gun violence, including asking companies that provide services to gun makers and sellers to require their clients to adhere to common-sense policies that are entirely consistent with Second Amendment rights. For gun dealers, including major retailers like Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods, those include:

• Adopting Brady's Gun Dealer Code of Conduct;
• Training their employees to recognize the signs of illegal gun trafficking and training employees on suicide prevention; and
• Waiting until a background check comes back clean before finishing a gun sale.

In the case of gun makers, Brady's report urges them to:

• Secure their supply chain, from manufacturer and distributor to the dealers;
• Monitor purchasing patterns and lost and stolen reports for indicators of gun trafficking;
• Require reports on the number of crime guns traced back to dealers; and
• Only supply products to responsible gun dealers.

"Gun violence is a multi-faceted problem, and it demands multi-faceted solutions," added Brady co-president Kris Brown. "This report offers sensible solutions to guide the way for corporate America to do its part and to use its influence. If Congress won't step forward to lead and keep us all safe from gun violence, we'll go get a new Congress. But between now and November, companies can play a critical role in strengthening their processes and approach to the market for guns in America. Gun violence is at epidemic levels. Part of the solution can and should come from the power of the private sector to enact changes that will save lives."

The report and other materials on how to reduce gun violence can be found at bradycampaign.org.