Gun Manufacturers Refuse to Take Responsibility for Fueling America’s Gun Violence Epidemic According to Committee Hearing
Hearing Follows Committee’s Alarming New Findings on Firearm Industry’s Sales and Marketing of Assault Rifles
Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, held a hearing to examine the role of the firearms industry in America’s gun violence epidemic. Ahead of the hearing, the Committee released new findings from the Committee’s investigation into five major gun manufacturers’ sales and marketing of AR-15-style assault rifles. The Committee found that gun manufacturers collected more than $1 billion from the sale of AR-15-style semiautomatic weapons in the last decade.
“Our investigation shows that five major gun manufacturers collected a total of more than $1 billion dollars from the sale of assault rifles over the last decade,” said Chairwoman Maloney in her opening statement. “Our investigation also found that gun manufacturers use dangerous marketing tactics to sell assault weapons to the public. That includes marketing to children, preying on young men’s insecurities, and even appealing to violent white supremacists. Finally, we found that even as guns kill more Americans than ever, none of these companies take even basic steps to monitor the deaths and injuries caused by their products. That is beyond irresponsible.”