Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Handguns Summary

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Handguns account for over one-third of the 250+ million privately owned firearms in the U.S. More than one million new handguns are manufactured in the U.S. (and not exported) and imported annually. About three of every four new handguns are semi-automatics; most of the remainder are revolvers. One of every four households has one or more handguns. 

Defense: The most comprehensive study of defensive gun use (Kleck-Gertz, 1993) found that handguns were used for defense nearly two million times per year, amounting to two-thirds of defensive gun uses. Kleck separately studied National Crime Victim Surveys and concluded that people who use guns to defend themselves are less likely to be attacked or injured than people who use other means, or no means, of protection. Kleck has found that guns are used to defend against crime 3-4 times more often than to commit it. Forty states have Right-to-Carry laws allowing people to carry concealed handguns for protection away from home, and such states have lower violent crime rates, on average, compared to the rest of the country. 

Target Shooting: Millions of handgunners enjoy recreational shooting, and hundreds of thousands participate in thousands of local, state, regional and national handgun matches, such as NRA Bullseye and Action Shooting, International Shooting Union, International Practical Shooting Confederation, and International Defensive Pistol Association events, at 10,000 NRA-affiliated shooting clubs, and commercial and military ranges. Two-thirds of NRA’s 55,000 Certified Instructors are certified in handgun disciplines. 

Hunting: Most states allow hunting with handguns. Acknowledging the growth of handgun shooting sports in a 1998 report to Congress, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms noted, “The handgun has developed as a sporting firearm used in both target shooting and hunting.” Among contributing factors, BATF cited renewed interest in the single-action revolver, the development of new cartridges for field use, and the popularity of silhouette pistol shooting. 

Handgun Bans: Gun bans have historically been aimed at minorities. The French Black Code (1751) and, after the Civil War, the southern states’ Black Codes forbade Blacks to own arms. Tennessee’s “Army and Navy” law (1879), prohibited handguns other than expensive army or navy pistols, thus denying handguns to poor Blacks, as do modern bans on relatively inexpensive handguns called “Saturday Night Specials.” New York’s Sullivan Law (1911) prevented Italian and Irish immigrants from legally obtaining handguns, by prohibiting possession of a handgun without a license issued by the police, at their discretion. Washington, D.C., banned handguns in the mid-1970s, within 15 years its murder rate tripled, and since the ban D.C. has usually had the highest murder rate of any major U.S. city. The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), overturned the ban as a violation of the Second Amendment. Chicago banned handguns in 1982 and in a decade murders with handguns more than doubled. It is now considering whether to modify its law to comply with the Heller ruling. Chicago suburbs Morton Grove, Oak Park  and Wilmette has rescinded their handgun bans pursuant to Heller.

Anti-Gun Groups: Brady Campaign chairwoman, Sarah Brady, has said, “the only reason for guns in civilian hands is for sporting purposes.” The group’s first chairman, Nelson Shields, said crime victims should “put up no defense - give them (the criminals) what they want.” The group’s Dennis Henigan has said that self-defense is “not a federally guaranteed constitutional right.” The group has called for “A ban on the manufacture, sale, and importation of all handguns and handgun ammunition” and “to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition...totally illegal.” It opposes the National Instant Check System, which requires a computerized records check of persons seeking to buy handguns from licensed dealers.

IN THIS ARTICLE
Handguns
TRENDING NOW
Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Colorado: Mandatory Storage Bill Passes General Assembly and Semi-Auto Ban Temporarily Removed from Calendar

In a temporary reprieve for Colorado gun owners, the semi-auto ban HB24-1292 has been removed from the calendar. But we cannot let our guard down as gun control advocates can bring it up for a vote at ...

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

News  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court Looks at Government “Blacklists”

Much of the attention this past week in the United States Supreme Court was the oral arguments in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, No. 22-842, a First Amendment case on whether government officials ...

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

News  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

25 years and one PLCAA Later, Chicago is Still Harassing Gunmakers

On March 19, the city of Chicago filed suit against handgun manufacturer Glock. Seeking to shift responsibility for the city’s woeful governance, Chicago’s lawsuit blames the popular firearm manufacturer for the third-party criminal misuse of ...

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Today, Governor Inslee signed five anti-gun bills into law that were recently passed by the Washington State Legislature. The bills include:

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Colorado: Semi-Auto Ban Passes Committee and Sensitive Places Bill Hearing Rescheduled for Today!

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on House Bill 24-1292, the semi-auto ban, that lasted over 12 hours where hundreds of patriotic Coloradans overloaded the committee with opposition testimony. The hearing concluded with an ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

News  

Second Amendment  

Monday, March 25, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Hear Antonyuk v. James

In response to the NRA’s victory in Bruen, which secured every American’s right to carry arms, NY passed the “Concealed Carry Improvement Act,” severely restricting carry throughout the state. The 2nd Circuit upheld many of ...

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Passes Full Inclusion Sunday Hunting

On Wednesday, the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee voted 7-4 to pass Senate Bill 67 to the Senate floor for a vote. 

California: DOJ Proposes Emergency Rule that Reauthorizes NRA Instructors

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

California: DOJ Proposes Emergency Rule that Reauthorizes NRA Instructors

On Monday, March 25th, the California Department of Justice published an emergency rulemaking package proposing to amend the Carry Concealed Weapons DOJ Certified Instructors regulations. Under the proposed rulemaking, NRA Certified Instructors would once again ...

Grassroots Spotlight: Michigan Grassroots

Take Action  

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Grassroots Spotlight: Michigan Grassroots

It's been a busy start to the year in the Wolverine State, as the Michigan NRA-ILA Grassroots Team has been out alerting and educating members and supporters on the critical changes in gun laws and working to stop ...

Kentucky: Credit Card Data Privacy Bill Passed Into Law

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Kentucky: Credit Card Data Privacy Bill Passed Into Law

Today, Governor Andy Beshear let HB 357, the Merchant Category Code ban legislation pass into law without his signature. Your NRA would like to thank Representatives Derek Lewis (R, H-90), Michael Meredith (R, H-19), and Senator ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.