To stop deaths from guns, public health practitioners need to collaborate with and learn from gun owners, according to doctoral student Morissa Sobelson, DRPH ’19. In an op-ed published in the Concord Monitor on October 15, 2017, Sobelson described her experiences working to prevent youth suicides in Utah, a state with a suicide rate and easy access to guns.
“I learned that gun owners have a strong culture around protecting the family, promoting responsible firearm handling, preventing unintentional shootings and encouraging friends to support friends—values well aligned with public health goals,” she wrote.
Read op-ed: Finding common ground on gun violence