Skip to content

Lack of Gun Industry Accountability

Issues

Lack of Gun Industry Accountability

What is the problem?

More than 100,000 people are shot and killed or wounded in the United States each year, but the gun industry plays by a special set of rules that allows it to avoid responsibility and endanger public safety.

Firearms are not regulated like other consumer products. The laws regulating how guns may be sold are outdated, and members of the gun industry who skirt the law enjoy special legal protection. Guns are not required to have safety features that are shown to reduce unintentional shootings and theft. Information is hidden from the public on which gun dealers supply firearms recovered in crime. Gun dealers are rarely inspected or held accountable even though violations are common. Gun manufacturers and sellers that skirt the law have a unique, broad immunity from legal accountability.

Why is it an issue?

Laws regulating the gun industry have not been strengthened since the 1960s.

The gun industry plays a central role in preventing guns from ending up in the wrong hands and ensuring that all forms of gun violence are prevented. Safety features can ensure firearms can’t be accessed by thieves or children, common sense sales practices can stem the flow of illegal guns into cities, information on who supplies crime guns can lead to targeted reform efforts, and accountability in the courts can shut down or reform bad actors.

Laws regulating the gun industry have not been strengthened since the 1960s and the gun lobby has been able to write special protections for itself while weakening the agencies responsible for regulating it. A gun industry that plays by its own rules has been able to fuel a gun violence crisis with no regard for the harm it causes.

By the numbers