97Percent's New Research-Based Policy Roadmap Reveals New Path to Dramatically Reduce Gun Violence
Four policies, that new research indicates would be supported by a majority of gun owners, could reduce overall gun-related homicides by 28%.
LOS ANGELES, CA (November 16, 2022) – Today, 97Percent, a bipartisan gun safety organization, released their Policy Roadmap, a set of four research-backed gun safety policies: closing the violent misdemeanor loophole, creating a state-level permit system, implementing a revamped universal background check system, and creating a red flag law with due process protections. New academic research found this package could reduce gun-related homicides by up to 28% and gun suicide rates by more than 6%. Read the full Roadmap online here.
The Roadmap was informed by rigorous academic research led by Tufts University School of Medicine’s Dr. Michael Siegel. The research, part one of which was released last month, identified common ground between gun owners and non-gun owners around keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals. “Finding the Common Ground in Gun Safety: Part 2,” released today, built off that common ground by identifying specific policies that would prevent people at high risk for violence from accessing guns while protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.
Siegel’s findings, which analyzed specific gun owner perspectives through surveys and focus groups, drove each component of the Policy Roadmap. The Roadmap first proposes the implementation of violent misdemeanor laws to close a loophole which currently allows violent criminals to access guns. Next, it recommends a mechanism by which states and local authorities can verify if an individual has committed a violent crime (whether misdemeanor or felony) before accessing a gun through updated permitting and background check laws, while simplifying the process for law abiding gun owners. Finally, it suggests a way to temporarily remove access to guns from those at a risk of violence through red flag laws coupled with proper due process protections.
“This fall, 97Percent has worked to forge a new path forward on gun safety that brings the perspective and expertise of gun owners into the conversation,” said 97Percent co-founder Adam Miller. “Through extensive research, we identified the common desire of gun owners and non-gun owners alike to keep firearms out of the hands of violent people. We then researched how specific policies could be drafted to garner the support of both groups by building off those shared principles. We believe adoption of our Policy Roadmap would not only find the support of the vast majority of Americans, but would also save thousands of lives each year.”
“Our rigorous, groundbreaking study found not just common ground but enough common ground to build an effective set of policies that keep guns out of the hands of violent people while respecting the right to own a gun,” Dr. Siegel said. “Just four policies, rather than a slew of new laws, have the potential to dramatically reduce gun deaths when implemented together.”
97Percent Policy Roadmap
The Policy Roadmap is a research-backed package guided by a simple core principle – gun safety policies should ensure that people who are at high risk for violence cannot access guns while simultaneously respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. The package includes:
Closing the Violent Misdemeanor Loophole. New federal and state policies would set violent misdemeanor crimes as the threshold for excluding people from purchasing or possessing a gun. The current felony threshold does not capture many violent crimes, including assault, battery, and stalking; lowering this threshold is the single most-effective measure to reduce crime and may reduce overall gun-related homicide rates by as much as 19%. Only four states currently have violent misdemeanor laws.
Implementing State-Level Gun Permit Laws. States would create a gun permitting system with two permits - a general one and one for concealed carry - both of which could be issued at the same time. Permits would be checked using a new background check system, as outlined below, and be valid for a period of years. Only 12 states currently require a permit to purchase a firearm.
Simplifying Universal Background Checks. New, simplified background checks as part of the gun permitting process would utilize both federal and state databases to ensure a potential permit holder has not been convicted of a violent misdemeanor or felony. Currently, only 11 states search state and local records as part of the background check process, even though many violent crimes are only tracked in state databases.
Implementing Red Flag Laws with Strong Due Process Protections. State-level laws would allow family members or law enforcement officials to petition a court to remove firearms from a person who is a threat while including strong provisions protecting gun owners’ due process. Only 19 states have red flag laws and only 12 allow family members to petition for a protective order.
97Percent will present the Policy Roadmap and discuss the groundbreaking new research that informed it at their annual conference on November 17, 2022.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Stephanie Genuardi Cunnane
stephanie@97percent.us
215-896-8193
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About 97Percent
97Percent is a bipartisan group of gun owners and non-gun owners united in our mission to reduce gun deaths in America, while respecting the Second Amendment. We believe the way to do that is by changing the conversation around gun safety to include gun owners, conducting innovative research, and leveraging technology to make our communities safer.
Our name was inspired by a 2018 Quinnipiac University poll, which found that 97% of Americans support universal background checks: a critical gun safety policy that has yet to be made into federal law. While individual polls vary, support levels hover around 90% – a figure that represents unprecedented agreement on a topic generally viewed as intractable. We are committed to making progress on solutions that both non-gun owners and gun owners want to make our country safer.