Gun Policy — Rights Respected, Lives Protected

47,000 Americans die from gun violence every year — roughly 130 people every single day. 58% are suicides, 40% are homicides, 2% are other causes. The US gun homicide rate is 5.6 per 100,000 — 8× higher than Canada, 43× higher than Switzerland, and 140× higher than the United Kingdom.

22% of all gun acquisitions bypass background checks entirely through private sales, gun shows, and online transfers with no federal requirement. 4.6 million children live in homes with loaded, unlocked firearms. Child firearm deaths are now the leading cause of death for American children and adolescents.

The US is not an outlier because of culture or mental health. The US does not have higher rates of mental illness than peer countries. It has dramatically higher rates of gun availability without vetting. Gun violence is a public health crisis — and it has clear policy solutions.

Switzerland is the key data point: high gun ownership (27.6 guns per 100 people) with 43× lower homicide than the US. The difference is not fewer guns — it is vetted gun owners. Licensing is the common thread across every peer democracy, regardless of ownership rate.

For gun owners, the plan does not ban handguns, does not create a federal firearms registry, does not confiscate existing weapons, and does not prohibit concealed carry. It requires a license to purchase — the same vetting and training required for car ownership — a waiting period, safe storage, and the ability to temporarily remove firearms from people in crisis. Gun ownership remains legal and constitutionally protected under Heller, Bruen, and Rahimi.

For suicide prevention, waiting periods reduce homicide by 17%. Red flag laws prevent 1 suicide per 17 orders issued. Connecticut's 1995 licensing law reduced suicide by 33%. Universal mental healthcare through Issue 1 addresses demand-side suicide prevention. Together, these interventions save thousands of lives annually.

For children and families, safe storage requirements with the self-defense exception reduce child firearm fatalities by 13% and unintentional deaths by 59% under the strongest standards. 4.6 million children currently live in homes with loaded, unlocked firearms — this plan directly addresses that crisis. Federal funding distributes free gun locks and safes through law enforcement and community organizations.

For urban communities and violence prevention, Community Violence Intervention programs funded through a firearms excise tax show 30–60% gun violence reductions in targeted neighborhoods. Hospital-based violence intervention, street outreach, and group violence intervention — proven models, scaled nationally. Gun violence costs the United States an estimated $557 billion per year. Prevention is dramatically cheaper than the status quo.