Congress last year passed the first federal gun legislation in decades, including billions of dollars to address mental illness and encourage states to enact laws allowing authorities to confiscate weapons from dangerous individuals. The newly Republican-controlled House of Representatives is unlikely to advance new gun regulations.
Gun control groups such as Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety say they will continue to press for bipartisan support in Congress while also pursuing other avenues, including industry reform and state-level legislation. Mark Oliva, a spokesperson for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearm industry, said the industry has made many efforts to ensure guns “stay out of the hands of someone who shouldn’t have them,” including improvements to the national background-check system.Giffords said it will work towards stronger gun regulation in Michigan and Minnesota this year after Democrats won majorities in both state legislatures.
The majority of guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally, according to the nonprofit Violence Project, which maintains a database of attacks. Advocacy groups say states with tougher regulations have less gun violence, including suicides and homicides. California, for instance, ranked 43rd in the rate of gun deaths in 2020, according to federal data.