Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How Do I Get Involved With Team ENOUGH?
A. There are two main ways you can get involved with Team ENOUGH. 1. By yourself or 2. With your friends: if there are four or more people in your area that want to get involved together you can find more information on how to get started below. If you’ve already signed up and are ready to get started, check out some of our actions!
Q. Does Gun Violence Impact Some People More than Others?
A. Certain communities are definitely more at risk of gun violence.
Black men are 13 times more likely than white men to be shot and killed with a gun. African American children also have the highest rate of gun deaths compared to their peers. The gun homicide rate for African American kids is 4 times higher than that of Hispanic children, and 10 times the rate of white children.
Anti-LGBTQ homicides are also on the rise. 2016 saw a record number of hate motivated killings against the LGBTQ community which included the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. 2017 went on to be the second deadliest year for the LGBTQ community on record so far with over two-thirds of those victims being from communities of color.
Domestic violence gun deaths also continue to plague our nation. Over 500 people were killed in domestic violence incidents with guns in 2017 alone. A woman is shot and killed by a current or former partner every 16 hours. In fact, women in the United States are 11 times more likely to be murdered with a gun compared to a woman in a similar country.
It’s also noteworthy that 60% of gun deaths in America are suicides. Sadly, about 85 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal.
Q. How Often Do Mass Shootings Happen?
A. The truth is that while high profile mass shootings receive a lot of media coverage, they only make up a small portion of the gun violence that happens in the U.S. Hundreds of shootings happen every week that never make it into the news. Every life lost should be a reminder to the media and our communities that this is a crisis that must be solved now.
Q. What Does the Constitution Say About Guns?
A. The Second Amendment reads that “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Courts have the job of interpreting the Constitution, including the Second Amendment. In an influential case, the Supreme Court decided that the Second Amendment means that responsible, law-abiding citizens can keep a handgun at home. It has not said whether that right extends to assault weapons, or whether people have the right under the Second Amendment to carry guns in public.
Q. What is the Process of Obtaining a Gun in the United States?
A. Unlike in many countries, buying a gun legally in the U.S. isn’t difficult. Anyone who is in the business of selling guns must have a gun dealer license. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms issues those licenses and regulates gun dealers. There are tens of thousands of licensed gun dealers in America. In fact, there are more licensed gun dealers in America than Starbucks and McDonald’s stores combined. Outside of federally licensed gun dealers, guns can still be purchased through private sales both online and at gun shows.
Q. How Do We Decide Who Can and Cannot Have a Gun in the United States?
A. In 1968 Congress passed the “Gun Control Act.” That law made it illegal for certain individuals -- the people we decided are too dangerous to own guns -- to buy or keep them under federal law. These people fall into categories like people convicted of felonies, domestic abusers, and fugitives from the law. When the Brady bill was passed in 1993, it made it so that every person buying a gun from a registered gun dealer needs to go through a background check, to make sure that they don’t fall into one of these categories. So far, since the Brady law was passed, over 3 million dangerous sales have been stopped.
Q. Why Isn’t Congress Acting to Prevent Gun Violence From Happening?
A. Congressional members are elected to represent their constituents- the American people, but unfortunately, many members of Congress are more concerned with voting to secure the interests of companies and individuals that give them money. Groups like the NRA and other members of the gun lobby are focused on making sure that federal and state laws benefit gun manufacturers. These people care more about their bottom line than making sure our country is safe. In the past, reforming gun laws has been a politically difficult issue for many elected officials, but new polls show that it shouldn’t be a difficult issue any more. The majority of Americans agree - we need stronger gun laws.