End Gun Violence

AIUSA URGES LAWMAKERS TO PASS UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS, EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDERS, DISARM HATE AND BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS AND LARGE CAPACITY MAGAZINES

In August AIUSA called on Congress to return early for an emergency session to address the human rights crisis of gun violence. We reiterate that call: Congress must pass the Background Check Expansion Act, Extreme Risk Protection Orders Act, the Assault Weapons Ban Act, the Keep American Safe Act and the Disarm Hate Act.

Campaign Description

Gun Violence is a human rights crisis.

Across the United States, gunshots are fired every day. Lives are lost or forever changed in a matter of moments. Over 108 people die a day from gun violence. In 2017, more than 39,000 people were killed by a firearm in the US.

Simply put, insufficient laws and unfettered access to guns are jeopardizing our right to live and to feel safe. These rights cannot be considered secure as long as our leaders fail to do anything about gun violence. 

Amnesty International USA’s End Gun Violence campaign is focused on solutions that would fulfill human rights obligations and prevent violations, amplify the voices of impacted communities who have been doing this work for decades, and reframe an often polarizing issue using the global framework of universally recognized human rights. 

Federal Objectives

AIUSA is working to get Congress to pass gun violence prevention legislation including:

• • Making universal background checks the law of the land with the Background Check Expansion Act
  • Passing the Assault Weapons Ban Act and the Keep American Safe Act which will reinstitute the ban on assault weapons and take weapons of war off our streets and out of our communities
  • Passing Ethan’s Law to ensure the safe storage of firearms and protect children from harm
  • Passing legislation such as the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019 to support State, Tribal and local efforts to temporarily remove access to firearms for people at heightened risk of harming themselves or others, in accordance with due process and human rights obligations
  • Passing the Disarm Hate Act to prevent individuals convicted of hate crimes from possessing or receiving a firearm
  • Supporting legislation to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, including the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act and Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act
  • Robustly funding Gun Violence Prevention Research  
  • Provide funding, support and technical assistance for state and federal entities to submit records in an accurate and timely manner to NICS.

State Objectives  

In addition to working on federal legislation, AIUSA members are engaged in efforts to pass gun violence prevention bills at the state level, focusing on legislation that helps protect the rights of communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence.

In addition, AIUSA members are engaged in efforts to pass gun violence prevention bills at the state level, focusing on legislation that helps protect the rights of communities disproportionally impacted by gun violence, including communities of color, children and youth, and individuals at risk  of domestic violence

GLOBAL OBJECTIVES

AIUSA is working to address gun violence in the US and compliance with human rights obligations at the global level through regional and international human rights bodies:

• • Testifying at the Inter American Commission on Human Rights Hearing on the Regulation of Gun Sales and Social Violence in the United States in Bogota, Colombia on February 23, 2018.
    • Statement
    • Video
  • Noting U.S. failure to comply with human rights obligations implicated by gun violence in Amnesty International’s Annual Report: The State of the World’s Human Rights 2017/2018.
  • Providing research on the intersection of gun violence and human rights, particularly assault weapons, large capacity magazines and other dangerous devices to New Zealand after Christ Church incident.
  • We will add links to Shadow Report and follow up Inter American Commission on Human Rights hearing once that happens

Resources