Violence Policy Center (courtesy vpc.org)

Dear VPC Supporter,

Before the New Year, I’m sending one last message to ask for your help.  In 2014, the Violence Policy Center will be moving full speed ahead as we educate the public about gun violence prevention and advocate for meaningful change. Before the year ends, please make a tax-deductible donation to the Violence Policy Center and join our efforts for a safer America. Here are just a few of the Violence Policy Center’s accomplishments in 2013 . . .

We helped Connecticut and New York State pass some of the nation’s strongest comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation following the tragedy in my hometown of Newtown, Connecticut. These new laws include effective universal background checks as well as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

We released a groundbreaking study finding that guns are rarely used to kill criminals or stop crimes — destroying the central NRA and gun industry argument that the more than 31,000 gun deaths that occur each year are somehow “balanced out” by self-defense shootings.

We helped diminish the power and influence of the NRA with new research showing how gun companies have given the organization tens of millions of dollars (including at least a million from the company that made the assault rifle used in Newtown). We are exposing the NRA as an organization working to increase gun industry profits at the expense of public safety.

We made headlines across the nation with our annual study for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which ranks states on the rate of women murdered by men. Our study prompted a widespread conversation about the links between guns and domestic homicide, and is now leading state lawmakers to consider legislation increasing penalties for domestic violence offenders.

These are just a few of the ways the Violence Policy Center has used its unique expertise to advocate for a safer America. In 2014, we will double our efforts as we advocate for new laws, expose the truth about the NRA, and educate the public about effective policies to prevent gun violence.

Be a part of our plans for 2014. Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Violence Policy Center.

And if you have already made a contribution, thank you again for your support.

Sincerely,

Josh Sugarmann
Executive Director

The Violence Policy Center is a leading resource for new information measuring the devastating effects of gun violence in our nation, from state-by-state studies on gun death and injury to groundbreaking research on America’s gun industry and gun lobby. At the same time, the VPC works in support of effective gun violence prevention policies on the local, state, and federal levels that save lives and help protect communities.

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70 COMMENTS

    • I’m tempted to send a 1 cent donation in HONOR of George Zimmerman, Just to get his name published on their website under the honored heading.

      • FTW. I was sitting here getting ready to donate .02 under one of my pseudonyms. Penny Tration, or Harry Paratestes.
        But I like the GZ part better.

        • Better:

          Dean Coril
          Wayne Williams
          Ron Dominique
          Earle Nelson
          William Bonin
          Patrick Kearney
          Paul Knowles
          Joel Rifkin
          Randy Kraft
          Robert Yates
          Robert Hansen

          The question is ‘how much do I have to donate to get these names on the list’?

    • Because their “ground-breaking study” doesn’t even exist.

      And whatever so-called “studies” they actually did ever do, if any, were full of so many out-right holes built on copious convenient omissions that only the most brain-dead, willfully ignorant, and intellectually dishonest Neo-liberal/Progressive FASCIST could ever buy into it.

      • I’m a thinkin’ that by “ground breaking” what they really mean is that the sledgehammer they used to “massage” the data is large enough to start an earthquake…

  5. What a coincidence. Today Mozilla actually told me they were making “one last plea” also.

    But they’re worthy; I’ll actually pony up the three bucks for them.

    Now if I could only get Ignatius Piazza off my poor old back….

  6. always bet on the ho. . . . Josh is a professional victim organizer.. . . . shall we publish the VPC’s 990 and show how much of their funding goes to pay him a fat salary for being so effective? Oooops, did I let the cat out of the bag and now Bloomy needs to merge with them to avoid the obvious?

  7. Made me physically ill to read. If people think you can stop crime with bogus laws and numbers then why bother teaching math or cause and effect in schools?

  8. How can anybody be so stupid as to believe that taking away guns from law abiding citizens, is going to cut down on criminal gun violence.

  9. When reality matters to these folks, it will be the first time. Fortunately for the VPC, we live in and era where about half of the citizenry and the majority of the main stream media pretend reality is something different.

    • eric holder.

      well even though he doesn’t directly break most of these new laws, he enables tons of other criminals to break them…so i don’t know if he counts.

  11. uhm kay.. Well considering we are pretty hyper sensitive to any study which swings either way, where is it?? HHmmmm no links? Even the Obama funded study was luke warm at best.
    I realize they need funds, it is the end of the year, although the Firearms Policy Coalition and SAF have been pushing this now for some time, so they are late to the party.
    Then again MDA claimed victory to get Starbucks to ask nicely that we not carry in their stores, but gosh they don’t care if we do, they serve us anyways. Then they stoop to false victories and posting signs on peoples stores without their permission. Claiming victory and such.

  12. well i can’t argue that 2013 was not a success for gun grabbers. they got so much stuff passed. we call it a success if something does not pass and things stay the same. until we have huge nation wide pro freedom bills passing, we are just treading deep deep water. i know of two new shooters who lost a lot of interest in shooting just because of ammo price/scarcity. that is a anti gun victory that they didn’t even intend.

  13. The misconception the anti-gun side always plays up is “self-defense shootings”. The vast majority of DGUs involve no shots fired at all (85% was Kleck’s estimate.) The mere presence of the gun is enough in many cases to stop the crime.

    Anti-gun people can’t imagine any other purpose for guns other than to shoot and kill people, so their minds can’t accommodate this concept. The few who might possibly know it undermines their agenda, so they distort and lie about it.

    • Good point, but they must love defensive gun uses that don’t end with shots fired. They don’t contribute any data points on a chart to counter their fact skewing.

  14. Have you ever seen people celebrating the erosion of a natural rights like this?

    Translation –
    “Whoo-Hooo!! We are now less free today that we were yesterday. Screw all those men and women who died to give us these rights! Pop open the bubbly!!!”

  15. I’m all for violence! When a criminal enters my home, or tried to murder me out in public I’m certainly going to react with violence if need be.

    • Force. Criminals and thugs use violence. Law-abiding people acting in unavoidable defense use force.

    • I find very little in the way of coloration or conclusions. Must be why Obama didn’t use it in his push.
      Also the deaths are not defined. Alaska is high due to a high number of suicides. It is sad at that number but you also have to realize the social environment in Alaska, but I digress.

  20. “gun industry ” – watch this closely. They are using the ‘big industry’, ‘corporate fat cat’, ‘evil companies’ straw man.
    It worked on tobacco.
    Take note.

    • The civilian disarmament machine has a full raging hard on for the NRA. It is almost laughable.

    • The NRA is the 800lbs gorilla in the room and has been for awhile, I don’t agree with everything they do, but I want them in my corner and on a very short leash.

  22. I just might contribute. I think he made a lot of sense like…never mind. He at least cares about…no that’s not it either. Oh well I guess he is just a idiot I’ll contribute to the NRA.

  23. The FBI report contradicts everything they say, and so did the CDC study.
    In fact, the obama administration hushed it up because if proved the opposite of what they claim.
    BTW, 66% of those 31000 were suicides..
    WHEN are the left-wing liberals gun haters going to get it through their thick skulls that CRIMINALS DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT GUN LAWS!

    • They NEVER will, paisan. I guess they think that if the good and decent folk give up their guns, it will set an example for the criminals out there, to give up theirs.

  24. “We helped diminish the power and influence of the NRA with new research showing how gun companies have given the organization tens of millions of dollars (including at least a million from the company that made the assault rifle used in Newtown). We are exposing the NRA as an organization working to increase gun industry profits at the expense of public safety.”

    Forbes ranks the NRA as the top lobbyist in DC every year, almost without fail.

    That ranking doesn’t comes from those tens of millions Mr. Sugarmann is speaking about. The NRA beats out the oil lobby (with companies like Exxon Mobile racking in profits in the 100’s of billions) with a whopping figure like tens of millions because they have million of members.

    I guess someone should explain to Mr. Sugarmann that the NRA gets that ranking, beating out the oil lobby, pharm lobby, etc because they have a strong voting membership that can mobilize, not because they have deep pockets.

    Tens of millions in lobbying is a drop in the bucket.

  25. Wow. New York and Connecticut passes gun control. IN states utterly dominated by liberals. What an accomplishment!

    Now how’d that AWB in the Senate do?

    • Better not mention that of the amendments to the senate bill the one that got the least votes was a new AWB, while the one the got the most was national reciprocity.

  26. Beyond all the propaganda, lies, and misdirection, even beyond their thinly veiled attempts to deprive us of basic human rights, what really gets me is this:

    …please make a tax-deductible donation…

    How the fsck do they qualify as a tax-deductable organization if they’re pushing a political agenda?

  28. “Violence Policy Center Email Blast Declares 2013 Victory”
    Why, because there was violence in 2013? Their name sounds like they’re trying to promote the use of violence as a policy. They’re truly delusional.

  29. They will NEVER win. Ever. They call us bitter clingers as an insult, but we bitter clingers will outlast all of them.

  31. It’s telling that the VPC doesn’t mention their “victory” in Colorado that backfired on them and cost 3 state SINators their respective seats and have endangered the Leftist governor that ran as a “Democratic moderate”….no….let’s uh…..yeah….let’s not talk about that little victory shall we VPC?

    • Victories in NYS and CA are worth the muppet parade for these folks, but the Colorado recalls are the anomaly. There is something wrong with the hobbit’s weed they are smoking….

  32. To hell with the VPC and all their ilk. Liars and frauds, every last one of ’em (and that’s the kindest thing I can find to say about them).

    May 2014 bring them the ignominious defeat they deserve, and bring us all the plentiful .22lr and range time we deserve.

  33. These folks are just crooks using their non-profit status to push the communist agenda and make money off of it as they do , they are aligned with the other crooks like them The Southern
    Poverty Law Center , everything that comes out of their mouths comes right from the Marxist Communist Playbook all of these type organizations follow the Playbook to the letter . Be prepared and ready. Keep your powder dry.

  34. So contributions to a political organization dedicated to eradication of the 2A are tax-deductible???

  36. They forgot “we got three Democrap politicians thrown out of office in Colorado because they passed part of our anti-gun agenda.”

    Plus: “Our spittle-laced anti-gun frothing at the mouth resulted in millions of previously-unarmed Americans buying guns and ammo at a record pace – and half of them were women.”

  37. Quite interesting, especially considering that Josh Sugarmann the executive director and founder of the Violence Policy Center (VPC):
    “The NRA is Right: But We Still Need to Ban Handguns,” (The Washington Monthly, June 1987)
    An interesting side-note; At this time Josh Sugarmann holds a *FEDERAL FIREARMS DEALER LICENSE*!

    (Verify this at https://www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck/ His license number: 1-54-XXX-XX-XX-00725)

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