Frequently Asked Questions

The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund is a 501(c)4 organization that advances a holistic policy platform that promotes safer firearm access, youth mental health, and violence prevention education. The organization works at the state and federal level to pass nonpartisan legislation through inclusive partnerships, diverse grassroots education, and community mobilization. 

The Sandy Hook Promise Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that focuses on prevention by teaching the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. 

The money we raise for the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund supports our outreach to encourage Congress to pass bipartisan pieces of legislation that can make our schools, homes, and communities safer. Our outreach efforts include connecting people with their elected officials, in-person and virtually. The more often people collectively contact their representatives and voice the changes they want to see happen, the more swiftly progress can be made. When sensible firearm access legislation is coupled with public education on the warning signs of potential gun violence and when and how to speak up to get help, we can effectively reverse the gun violence epidemic plaguing our nation.

Sandy Hook Promise cares very much about the security of your information. We use commercially available physical, administrative, and technological safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected through all of our digital channels, including our websites.  This includes the use of secure socket layers (SSL), which will encrypt your payment information to avoid the decoding of that information while in transit to Sandy Hook Promise’s donation processor.  

As a nonpartisan organization, Sandy Hook Promise does not endorse any candidates nor candidate positions, policies, or platforms. We encourage you to learn more about your ballot and make a plan to vote by visiting our resources page here.  For more information on the issues that we advocate for, please visit National Issues.

There is no federal law that mandates background checks for all gun purchases. Currently, federal law mandates that only federally licensed firearm dealers are required to conduct background checks. Some states have implemented their own version of Expanded Background Checks that require a check for private sales, online sales, and sales at gun shows. The Expanded Background Check bill that's waiting for a vote in the Senate (S.42) would make that the standard for the nation.  

Federal law only mandates the following for Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers (among other things):  

• Perform background checks on prospective firearm purchasers.
• Maintain records of all gun sales.
• Make those records available to law enforcement for inspection.
• Report certain multiple sales. 
• Report the theft or loss of a firearm from the licensee’s inventory. 

Federal law imposes none of these requirements on unlicensed (i.e., private/online) sellers, however.  Twenty-one states and Washington, D.C. have extended the background check requirement beyond federal law to at least some private sales. Learn more.  

Sandy Hook Promise is a nonpartisan organization that supports sensible program and policy solutions that address the human side of gun violence by preventing individuals from ever getting to the point of picking up a firearm to hurt themselves or others. Our words, actions, and impact nationwide are intended to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. 

Sandy Hook Promise supports the 2nd Amendment. We recognize an individual's right to bear arms and support millions of law-abiding citizens in the United States who own firearms. We also believe that with rights come responsibilities that we all bear to ensure the safety of individuals, communities, and our nation. We support current laws that have been put in place to keep guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from owning them. These laws need to be enforced and loopholes need to be closed. 

Gun safety policies and responsible gun ownership alone will not end the gun violence epidemic. Sandy Hook Promise believes in a comprehensive approach and common-sense solutions to reduce the causes of gun violence. In addition to gun safety policies and responsible gun ownership, equal attention should be paid to issues of mental health and wellness, social inclusion, knowing the signs of a person in crisis, and community connectedness. Again, there is no single fix; some changes require new laws, many are changes we need to make in our communities and in ourselves.  

If you have other questions, please visit our Sandy Hook Promise Foundation FAQ page. From there you may also contact our staff about anything else related to our cause or your supporter profile.