Teams of health professionals, gun owners work to prevent gun suicides
In various locations around the country, public health professionals have partnered with gun owners to develop strategies aimed at reducing gun suicides. For example, a team in Bend, Ore., including a family doctor and rural firearm owners, created…
Could recent mass shootings spur action to reduce gun violence?
The federal government has not taken steps to reduce gun violence in the U.S., even after a spate of mass shootings. But other entities—such as state governments, foundations, and corporations—may be spurred to take action, according to Harvard…
Medical groups issue joint call to action on gun violence
Several high-profile medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Public Health Association, are calling for action on gun violence in the U.S. In a policy paper published in the Annals…
Can tearing down abandoned buildings reduce gun violence?
It’s possible that removing blighted structures from neighborhoods with high rates of gun violence could help reduce shootings, according to a new study. Researchers led by Jonathan Jay, postdoctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,…
Opinion: Reframe gun violence as preventable disease
When tackling gun violence, American cities should view it through a public health lens, according to Dean Michelle Williams of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Opinion: Gun safety is in physicians’ ‘lane’
Student Latonya Riddle-Jones, a physician, is an advocate for doctors’ ability to counsel their patients on gun safety.
Questioning the reliability of gun injury data
Recent data on nonfatal gun injuries from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may not be trustworthy, according to experts and even the CDC itself. The CDC’s most recent data suggest that between 31,000 and 236,000…
U.S. gun deaths disproportionately high
The U.S. firearm homicide rate is 25 times higher than in other high-income countries, and the firearm suicide rate is eight times higher.
Reducing youth gun violence
Gun-related injuries are the second leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S., according to new research—but there are several promising strategies that can help reduce these deaths, experts say. According to a February 12,…
High rates of gun ownership linked with more youth suicides
A nationwide study found that youth suicide is more prevalent in states with higher rates of household gun ownership. After accounting for factors that could contribute to suicide risk, such as depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse, the researchers…