Gun Violence

The National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence (NLEPPGV)

On October 25, 2010, at the 117th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference, a new law enforcement partnership was announced to address the problems of gun crimes and violence. The National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence is a collaboration among the following ten national law enforcements groups committed to working together to address gun violence.

The NLEPPGV believes that law enforcement can play a unique and essential role in educating policy makers and citizens on the realities of gun violence in the communities they serve, and in developing common-sense, data-driven solutions to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths from homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings.

The following Statement of Principles reflects the shared commitment of the NLEPPGV to address the pervasive nature of gun and its horrific impact on communities across America.

  1. The level of gun violence in the United States, specifically firearm-related injuries and deaths including homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings, is unacceptable and demands immediate attention.
  2. As law enforcement organizations, we believe the level and lethality of gun violence directed at police officers requires an organized and aggressive response from policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels.
  3. Elected officials must commit to closing gaps in the current regulatory system, including those that enable felons, minors, persons with mental illness, and other prohibited persons to access firearms, and those that allow the trafficking of illegal guns.
  4. Law enforcement plays a central and critical role in preventing gun violence and solving crime. Effective strategies for the strict enforcement of laws concerning the illegal possession, trafficking, and criminal use of firearms are vital, and need to be supported by data, research, technology, training, and best practices.
  5. Because the public’s health and safety depends on the efforts of law enforcement, agencies must have resources sufficient to prioritize the protection of officers and communities against illegal guns and firearm violence.
  6. The crisis of gun violence in our country necessitates a sustained, coordinated, and collaborative effort involving citizens, elected officials, law enforcement, and the entire criminal justice system.

In 2011, Police Foundation president Hubert Williams assumed the chair of the NLEPPGV, as it works to develop a policy agenda and outreach strategy. Chief James Johnson, Baltimore County (MD), will assume the chair of the NLEPPGV in September 2012, representing the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

A major policy focus of the NLEPPGV is to advocate for background checks for all firearms purchases, including transactions by private sellers at gun shows and over the Internet.

Private party transactions account for as many as 40% of all gun sales. Without background checks on unlicensed sales, police cannot prevent thousands of felons, fugitives, domestic violence offenders, terrorists, and the dangerously mentally ill from easily getting firearms.

On July 26, 2012, the NLEPPGV announced its call for background checks for all firearms purchasers and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines at a news conference in Washington, DC. The group has been working with state law enforcement associations and leaders this summer in key states, pressing for expanded background checks for firearms purchasers and other public safety measures. But the Aurora theater shooting has intensified their calls for timely action. See more

Nine of the ten partners joined letters to the U.S. House and Senate in opposition of H.R. 822 and S. 2188, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act.

For more information about the NLEPPGV, please contact tolowoye@policefoundation.org