To get a sense of the nation's addiction to firearms, consider the numbers: More than 11 million firearms are manufactured in the US each year, and another five million are imported. Americans own more guns than anyone else in the world. Yes, the rate of gun violence has held steady in recent years, but more than 33,000 people die from a gunshot each year. Blame the National Rifle Association, blame haphazard gun control measures, blame inadequacies in the mental health system—whatever the cause, a growing number of citizens, and lawmakers, feel things must change.

Voters in several states will consider November ballot initiatives to improve gun safety and expand background checks. In California, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom backs the Safety for All Act, otherwise known as Proposition 63, which would require background checks for ammunition, ban high-capacity magazines, and require anyone whose firearm is stolen to report the theft promptly. The Maine Background Check Initiative, meanwhile, will require everyone who buys a gun, regardless of whether they purchase it from a licensed gun dealer, to pass a background check.

Laws really do help, as evidenced by lower rates of gun deaths in states with stricter firearm regulations. Here’s the shocking data behind America’s problem with gun violence.