Examining the Practices and Profits of Gun Manufacturers

Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney's Opening Statement [PDF]

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a hybrid hearing to examine the role of the firearms industry in America’s gun violence epidemic. 

“With more than 300 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, and gun violence now the leading cause of death of children in America, it is clear that we are in a public health epidemic,” said Chairwoman Maloney.  “Our hearing will examine the role of gun manufacturers in flooding our communities with weapons of war and fueling America’s gun violence crisis.  It is long past time for the gun industry to be held accountable for the carnage they enable and profit from.”

On May 26, 2022, following the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, the Committee sent letters to Daniel Defense, LLC, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., and other manufacturers seeking information on their sale and marketing of AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles and similar firearms, including revenue and profit information, internal data on deaths or injuries caused by firearms they manufacture, and marketing and promotional materials. 

On June 8, 2022, the Committee held a historic hearing with survivors and impacted family members from the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.

On July 7, 2022, following the Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, Chairwoman Maloney sent letters to the CEOs of gun manufacturers Daniel Defense, LLC, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., and Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., requesting their appearance at a Committee hearing on the urgent issue of gun violence. 

This hearing will examine the responsibility that the firearm industry bears in contributing to the gun violence epidemic in the United States and the steps Congress can take to hold manufacturers accountable.