How to reduce gun violence in a nation of guns
Compared with other high-income countries, the U.S. has more guns and weaker gun laws—fuel for the nation’s gun violence epidemic, according to experts.
Frontlines Fall 2021
Quick updates about the latest public health news from across the School and beyond.
Higher rates of firearm licensure linked with higher blood lead levels in children
Young children living in Massachusetts communities with higher rates of firearm licensure were significantly more likely to have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood compared to children living in communities with fewer gun licenses, according to…
More women are becoming gun owners
During 2020, amid the pandemic, civil unrest over social justice issues, and a contested election, more people bought guns—and most were women, according to recent news reports.
At Yerby Lecture, Michigan public health dean covers pandemic, firearm safety
F. DuBois Bowman discussed the coronavirus pandemic and firearm safety at the Yerby Lecture on December 3, 2020.
How the 2020 election might shape U.S. health policy
Two Harvard Chan School experts explored the implications of the 2020 election for the future of U.S. health policy in a special report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Soaring U.S. gun sales could lead to more deaths, says expert
Fears related to the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest, and the upcoming election are contributing to record gun sales in the U.S.—and more guns to lead to more deaths, says a Harvard Chan expert.
Gun suicide deaths disproportionately high in west and south
Deaths from gun suicide in 11 congressional districts across Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee are roughly double the national average.
Voluntary gun storage may help prevent suicide deaths
Around the U.S., public health practitioners are partnering with gun owners to prevent firearm suicides by encouraging voluntary storage—removal of guns from the home—during times of crisis.
Preventing suicide by limiting access to guns
Roughly half of those who die by suicide in the U.S. use a firearm. That’s why reducing access to lethal means is key to reducing suicides, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Catherine Barber.