The Problem of Gun Violence in the United States

Abstract

In the time lag between when these words are written and when they are published, many incidents of gun violence will have occurred, particularly in the United States. I am writing at a time when the senseless murders of Black community members at a store in Buffalo, New York, and predominantly Latinx elementary school students and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, are in the news. Since that time, however, information on mass murders with guns comes out almost daily. The enormity and tragedy of this social problem, and its seeming intractability, can make action seem futile or overwhelming. Social work can draw from its own knowledge base, and from allied disciplines, to propose and enact solutions that may result in safer communities, schools, neighborhoods, and homes. The epidemic of gun violence has long been a topic of interest to social work, and previous writing may be instructive as we think about how to move forward.