“Let It Go:” Finding Possibilities for New Movement Strategies after Failure

How are gun violence and mental health problems connected (or not connected)? How effective are current laws designed to prevent firearm-related violence and suicide in the United States? What other feasible measures could be taken to meaningfully reduce the number of firearm injuries and deaths, without stigmatizing people with mental illnesses or unduly curtailing the rights of law-abiding gun owners? This chapter addresses such questions broadly from a public health perspective, examining key federal and state regulatory approaches to preventing intentional firearm-related injury—particularly as these approaches intersect with mental health policy. We describe the nature and scope of the problem and the unique challenge that it poses in the American context, where mass shootings continue to shape popular views of mental illness and public safety goals collide with individual gun rights concerns. We summarize empirical evidence for the effectiveness and shortcomings of mental-health-based gun restrictions at the point of sale. We describe a new generation of risk-based, non-criminalizing, time-limited, preemptive gun-removal laws as an important piece in the policy puzzle of gun violence and suicide prevention in the United States. Expert consensus recommendations on selected policies to reduce gun violence and suicide are discussed.

Evidence-based, well-implemented, and enforced gun policies can reduce gun violence, and this vision can be realized with the help of physicians. As the details of policy proposals unfold and the p...

Gun violence within Latine communities in New Mexico is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down. The disparities in gun violence experiences mirror the structural and social position factors which negatively and disproportionately impact Latine people. In response to firearm-related deaths nearly doubling over the last decade, New Mexican legislators have been pressured to implement gun violence prevention policies. However well intended, these strategies often fail to address the structural inequities that underlie the rise in gun violence within Latine communities. There is an urgent need for research to better understand the unique experiences of Latine persons and their experiences in both gun violence and prevention. From a social ecological perspective, examining the structural barriers and facilitators which impede Latine involvement in gun violence prevention is critical to interrupting the cycles which render this group more susceptible. A deeper understanding of the factors associated with both gun violence and prevention is crucial for developing informed and culturally sensitive policies and interventions. This conceptual paper explores theory and research to better understand how gun violence impacts Latine communities and creates a conceptual framework to improve healthcare workers’ ability to encourage empowerment and efficacy regarding Latine engagement in gun violence prevention efforts. The objective of this paper is to analyze research from disciplines in the social and health sciences focusing on the experiences of Latine persons and groups experiencing gun violence and engaging in gun violence prevention.

No Easy Answers: Emergency Physicians Engage in Gun Control Debate

Statement of PurposeEvidence-based gun violence prevention (GVP) policy reduces firearms-related injury and death by applying research to craft and implement effective policy. This effort to make communities safer must consider...

Gun violence is a public health crisis, but nurses report receiving little education related to gun violence prevention (GVP). This study aimed to describe undergraduate nursing faculty teaching behaviors and perceptions related to GVP and explore factors associated with teaching it. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Less than one-third of faculty taught GVP. Knowledge, confidence, and beliefs were significantly associated with teaching GVP. Most were favorable to include GVP in curricula and agreed assessing for gun access, counseling about safe gun storage, and counseling about lethal means restriction should be taught. Key barriers included content saturation, political atmosphere, lack of educational materials, and lack of topic expertise. Faculty agree that GVP should be taught, but most do not teach it in undergraduate nursing programs. Faculty development programs focused on GVP and support from national nursing organizations may decrease barriers in incorporating GVP into curricula.

ABSTRACTEfforts to reduce gun violence have moved away from models that rely solely on law enforcement approaches, toward public health-focused models of intervention. This paper discusses urban gun violence from a public health and social work perspective, examining a method to interrupt, reduce and prevent gun violence at the community level. A qualitative research design was utilized to evaluate perceptions held by thirty-seven community members regarding the impact of a gun and related violence prevention program, Albany SNUG. Five key findings emerged from the data analysis: 1) Violence was viewed as significant, widespread and a source of despair and hopelessness; 2) Residents perceived a lack of resources and opportunities within the community; 3) There was general consensus regarding the program’s importance to the community; 4) There were several obstacles and challenges to program implementation as identified by participants; and 5) Community involvement and shared responsibility were viewed as central to the reduction of gun and related violence. Recommendations for practice and policy changes and the potential role for social work in future collective efficacy and social change initiatives are also discussed.

Gun violence is a critical public health issue in the United States and is a leading cause of death among youth and young adults. Firearm-related injury and death disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minoritized youth. Critical to addressing gun violence as a public health issue is researching the etiology of gun violence, as well as developing and testing violence prevention strategies. In response to the growing need for gun violence prevention efforts, the Illinois Department of Human Services established the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention in 2021. With that funding included the development of Training and Technical Assistance Services (TTAS) centers to assist organizations in developing, implementing, and evaluating gun violence prevention initiatives. This paper examines the strategies of one TTAS center in Illinois, which collaborated with 20 social service agencies and community-based organizations to provide tailored training and technical assistance and support. This TTAS center conducted needs assessments, offered training and technical assistance, and engaged in collaborations with other TTAS centers providing similar support. In this article, we highlight strategies (e.g., delivering an array of trainings, developing and utilizing needs assessments, consultation sessions) as well as barriers (e.g., difficulties engaging organizations and ensuring attendance at trainings). This article concludes with recommendations for future TTAS initiatives, emphasizing the need for better infrastructure, clearer communication, and more robust support from state agencies. This study underscores the importance of TTAS centers in supporting gun violence prevention initiatives, particularly in the context of increased demands on social services following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress Passes First Significant Gun Safety Bill in Decades

Gun violence is an outsized problem in the United States. Between a culture that allows for relatively unconstrained firearm ownership and a constitutional provision that ensures that ownership will continue to be relatively unchecked, it has proven virtually impossible for politicians to address the problem of gun violence. And yet, gun violence costs the United States tens of billions of dollars or more annually. These tens of billions of dollars are negative externalities — costs that gun owners do not bear themselves, and thus that are imposed on the victims of violence and on taxpayers generally. What can we do about these costs? One way to reduce them would be to pass meaningful laws, laws that would reduce the likelihood of gun violence. In light of both the culture and the Constitution of the United States, though, such legislation seems improbable. Lawmakers face significant limitations on their ability to regulate firearms directly. If they cannot prevent gun violence, though, they can at least cause gun owners to internalize the costs. Where direct regulation is difficult, they can turn instead to a Pigouvian tax. In this Article, I propose a Pigouvian tax on firearms. The tax would be a hybrid excise tax and property tax, imposed at the state or local level. Legislatures would set tax rates that roughly approximated the amount of externality that gun violence created in their jurisdiction, and would use the revenue to reimburse individuals and governments for the costs they bore from gun violence. Such a tax would have little problem passing the constitutional muster, and, while it might have little behavioral impact, at least it would serve the interim purpose of making society financially whole, and requiring gun owners to bear a larger percentage of the costs of gun ownership.

This study investigated young Black and Latine organizers' perceptions of how mainstream narratives of gun violence relate to and influence their antigun violence organizing work. We analyzed interview data from 22 Black and Latine young people (Mage = 19.91, 55% women) who were engaged in gun violence prevention organizations in the United States. The results centered on three themes: (1) Young people's journeys of gaining awareness of structural racism through personal experience with gun violence, (2) media's perpetuation of structural racism through its dismissal of community gun violence, and (3) the need for community-based solutions to address the root causes of gun violence. These findings shed light on how societal elements, including the media, policymakers, and white-led gun violence prevention organizations, perpetuate structural racism and pose challenges to the organizing efforts of Black and Latine youth. Furthermore, these findings amplify young Black and Latine gun violence prevention organizers' experiences with gun violence and their frustrations towards the discriminatory media portrayals of gun violence in their communities, as well as recognize the importance of their organizing work.

Gun violence prevention: Ripe for the entire medical community

This study utilizes the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm to analyze and map the geographical distribution of gun violence across the United States, drawing on data sourced from the Gun Violence Archive. By identifying distinct clusters of gun violence incidents, the research highlights significant spatial patterns and hotspots, particularly in major urban centers such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, and New York. These findings underscore the correlation between gun violence and urban density, socio-economic factors, and the distribution of firearm accessibility. The study also discusses the implications of these spatial patterns for public safety and legal frameworks, advocating for targeted policy interventions and resource allocation to areas most affected by gun violence. Additionally, the research addresses the limitations of the current dataset and the DBSCAN method, proposing future research directions that incorporate a broader range of data sources and advanced analytical techniques. This paper aims to provide policymakers and law enforcement agencies with actionable insights to develop more effective gun control measures and violence prevention strategies.

<p>The United States (U.S.) currently ranks number one in the world in both the quantity of privately owned guns and the rate of private gun ownership. These privately owned firearms, which include rifles, shotguns and handguns, are predominantly owned by middle-aged, 35-54, white men, but the gaps have been steadily closing over the years, especially depending on the type of firearm, in all areas including gender, age, race, education level, political affiliation and geographic location. Gun violence is a leading cause of injury death in the U.S. In examining gun violence and potentially reducing its incidence, this article reviews gun ownership, access and utilization in the U.S., outcomes of gun violence, and the impact of community involvement in reducing gun violence. Specific areas of focus include the current state of background checks, with a focus on mental illness, and the role of medical professionals in guiding gun policy development. Gun violence continues to negatively impact the safety of individuals, families and communities. This article will emphasize the importance of social mobilization in enacting meaningful changes in gun policy and the development of relationships among healthcare professionals, social workers, and community members so as to further reduce and/or prevent gun violence.</p>

<p>The United States (U.S.) currently ranks number one in the world in both the quantity of privately owned guns and the rate of private gun ownership. These privately owned firearms, which include rifles, shotguns and handguns, are predominantly owned by middle-aged, 35-54, white men, but the gaps have been steadily closing over the years, especially depending on the type of firearm, in all areas including gender, age, race, education level, political affiliation and geographic location. Gun violence is a leading cause of injury death in the U.S. In examining gun violence and potentially reducing its incidence, this article reviews gun ownership, access and utilization in the U.S., outcomes of gun violence, and the impact of community involvement in reducing gun violence. Specific areas of focus include the current state of background checks, with a focus on mental illness, and the role of medical professionals in guiding gun policy development. Gun violence continues to negatively impact the safety of individuals, families and communities. This article will emphasize the importance of social mobilization in enacting meaningful changes in gun policy and the development of relationships among healthcare professionals, social workers, and community members so as to further reduce and/or prevent gun violence.</p>