Fact #1
Close to 33,000 Americans were victims of gun-related deaths in 2011 and an average of 268 citizens are shot every day.
Source:
Karp, Aaron. "Estimating Civilian Owned Firearms." Small Arms Survey. Accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-9.pdf.
FACt #2
In 2011, 10.3 in every 100,000 people in the U.S. were victims of gun-related deaths.
Source:
Murphy, B.S., Sherry L., Jiaquan Xu, M.D., and Kenneth D. Kochanek, M.A.. "Deaths: Final Data for 2010 ." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf.
Fact #3
Buyers that purchase firearms through private sales in the U.S. don't have to pass a background check before obtaining possession of the weapon. This includes sales to criminals, felons, and people with a history of severe mental illness.
Source:
Mencimer, Stephanie. "Want to Buy a Gun Without a Background Check? Armslist Can Help." Mother Jones. Accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/want-buy-gun-without-background-check-armlist-can-help.