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Cherry-Picking Statistics: How the Violence Policy Center Manipulates Data to Advance their Cause

Friday, January 26, 2018

Cherry-Picking Statistics: How the Violence Policy Center Manipulates Data to Advance their Cause

Last week, the Violence Policy Center shared their analysis of 2016 fatal injury statistics, which are released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and available for public analysis. VPC’s headline: “U.S. Gun Death Rate Jumps 17 Percent Since 2008 Supreme Court District of Columbia v. Heller Decision Affirming Right to Own a Handgun for Self-Defense.

That appears to suggest causation as if the Heller decision somehow has driven people to commit crime. The chart in the press release is even more disingenuous than the headline. Take another look.  A casual look at the chart gives the impression that the firearm death rate has skyrocketed – the marker went from near the bottom of the chart in 2014 almost all the way to the top! The axis runs from 10.0 to 12.5; this technique is commonly used to make numbers seem more dramatic. Take a look at the same data point – the overall firearm death rate in the U.S. – on a chart with a more honest axis.

Notice that the sharp increase presented by the Violence Policy Center is flatter when the axis hasn’t been manipulated to suit an agenda. Readers will also notice that this chart is not arbitrarily set to only post-Heller years but goes back to 1990; the longer trend line reveals some truths that the VPC would like to ignore. Total firearms-related death rates were higher through nearly all of the 1990s than they were in 2016.

One should also notice that the total firearms-related homicide rate continued a marginal and pre-existing downward trend after Heller, moving from 4.28 per 100,000 population in 2006 to 3.45 per 100k in 2014. A trend that directly contradicts the misleading headline touted by the Violence Policy Center.

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NRA Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights

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Second Amendment  

Friday, February 7, 2025

NRA Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights

Today, the White House announced a new Executive Order to protect and expand the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. This is the first action taken by President Donald J. Trump to carry through ...

The Hearing Protection Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

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Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Hearing Protection Act Introduced in the 119th Congress

U.S. Representative Ben Cline (R-VA-06) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently reintroduced the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 404/S. 364) in the 119th Congress. This commonsense legislation will give gun owners and hunters the opportunity to ...

New Mexico: Anti-Gun Extremists Introduce Sweeping Gun Ban

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

New Mexico: Anti-Gun Extremists Introduce Sweeping Gun Ban

As they have tried in the past, anti-gun radicals in the New Mexico Senate have introduced Senate Bill 279, the "GOSAFE Act," a near all-encompassing ban on semi-automatic and NFA firearms.

“Political Grief,” Gun Control, and Guilt by Association

News  

Monday, February 3, 2025

“Political Grief,” Gun Control, and Guilt by Association

Across the country, voters disappointed with President Trump’s election are coping with their feelings in various ways.

Colorado: Senate Postpones Vote on Semi-Auto Ban

Friday, January 31, 2025

Colorado: Senate Postpones Vote on Semi-Auto Ban

Today, January 31st, the State Senate postponed the floor vote for Senate Bill 25-003, the near all-encompassing semi-automatic ban. The vote has been rescheduled for next Friday, February 7th.

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Strikes Down Federal Laws Prohibiting FFLs From Selling Handguns to 18-to-20-Year-Olds

Friday, January 31, 2025

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Strikes Down Federal Laws Prohibiting FFLs From Selling Handguns to 18-to-20-Year-Olds

Yesterday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1)—which together forbid Federal Firearms Licensees from selling handguns to 18-to-20-year-olds—violate the Second Amendment.

Urge Congress to Protect Your Right to Carry – Contact Your Member of Congress Today!

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Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Urge Congress to Protect Your Right to Carry – Contact Your Member of Congress Today!

Dear NRA Member: U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) has reintroduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38). Representative Hudson, the longstanding champion of this legislation, along with more than 120 of his colleagues have ...

Hawaii: Gun Ban Bills Scheduled for Public Hearings this Thursday!

Monday, February 3, 2025

Hawaii: Gun Ban Bills Scheduled for Public Hearings this Thursday!

On Thursday, February 6th, the House Committee on Judiciary and Public Affairs will hold a public hearing on several bills that will further restrict your Second Amendment rights. 

Colorado: Senate Delays Vote on Semi-Auto Ban A Second Time

Friday, February 7, 2025

Colorado: Senate Delays Vote on Semi-Auto Ban A Second Time

For the second week in a row, the State Senate has postponed the floor vote for Senate Bill 25-003, the near all-encompassing semi-automatic ban

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

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Monday, February 3, 2025

CMP Resumes 1911 Pistol Sales, Offers Streamline Process and Incentives

One day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, he held a Make America Great Again rally in Washington, D.C., where he spoke to more than 20,000 energized supporters ...

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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.