December 28, 2024

Gun Violence: A Public Health Crisis

You may be as surprised as we were to learn that gunshot wounds have been the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States for more than the last 20 years. 

Even more stunning for us is that suicide and accidental gun-related deaths are the leading causes of gun death in children and adolescents. More than 55% of all firearm deaths are related to suicide. 

Both completed suicides and gun violence are more frequent in boys than girls. 

We are all aware that gun violence is still continuing in our schools. Between 1997 and 2022, there were 1,453 school shootings. 

Regardless of where you stand on gun control, firearm violence is real and it is happening. It is a public health crisis that kills us every day. Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms, is critical to saving lives. 

Why is Gun Violence a Public Health Epidemic?

There were nearly an average of 45,000 deaths of all ages annually between 2019-2021 due to firearm violence and an estimated 76,000 nonfatal injuries. In 2020 alone, firearm deaths added up to 1,131,105 years of potential life lost before the age of 65—more than diabetes, stroke, and liver disease combined.

Americans are affected by several different kinds of gun violence — like suicide, murder, bystanders, accidental deaths, and nonfatal injuries. The impact of gun violence is not just measurable in the loss of human lives. From the grief of losing a loved one to the anxiety of possibly being shot at school, firearm violence places a massive strain on us all. 

Anyone can be affected by gun violence, but it often disproportionately affects people of color, particularly the men and boys in these groups. Domestic violence involving firearms also puts women at heightened risk of death or life-changing injuries.

Many of us do not feel safe no matter where we are. No one group of people should feel exempt from the threat of gun violence when it affects us all.   

The Public Health Approach to Gun Violence and Prevention

The public health approach is about solving large health problems through strategy. Here’s how it works:

• Find Out What’s Going On – It begins by asking, “What’s the problem?” In this case, the problem is people are dying from gun violence and we all have to live with that.
• Figure Out Why It Happens – Next, we try to understand, “Why is gun violence happening?” and we figure out who is impacted and how we can protect them. 
• Come Up with Solutions – We think of ways to prevent the problem. We already know that locking our guns away and separating the ammunition from our firearms will prevent gun violence. 
  • It’s not statistics; it’s common sense. Locking our guns and ammunition away will make it more difficult for our children to accidentally find them or get into the safes where they are locked.
  • Maybe we could implement background checks on all gun sales. Currently, federal law requires a background check if you are buying a firearm at a federally licensed gun dealer. However, that only makes up 40% of gun sales. That means that 60% of gun sales can fall into the wrong hands. Sometimes, these people are abusers, mass shooters, or self-destructive. It contradicts the whole purpose of why most of us own a gun—protection. Not requiring a background check means that we are implicitly allowing 60% of gun owners to have the opportunity to engage in gun violence.
  • The type of gun also matters. In 2020, handguns were used in almost 60% of the 13,620 gun murders and nonnegligent manslaughter in the U.S.   “Assault weapons-type” rifles were used in 3%. Shotguns that are popular for hunting were used in only 1% of gun-related murders. Perhaps handguns and rifles should use a similar vetting and training process to that of a hunting weapon, like a shotgun, to improve the safety with which we use them.
• Make a Plan to Help Everyone – Once we have ideas, we share them with the community and work together to put them in place. There are many ways for us to get involved on a local level that don’t involve taking our guns away.
  • For example, community watch or safe passages involve community members working together for our kids to travel to and from school safely. Our communities can also start violence interrupter programs, where trained community members step in during potentially dangerous situations to calm things down. 

What Can We Do Now?

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared on June 25, 2024, that gun violence is an urgent public health crisis, and released a report talking about its consequences and how to implement the public health approach to combat the issue. Read the report in detail here, and join the effort to create safer communities by taking action today.

One action that we can take now is to provide bleed control kits in classrooms in case of urgent emergencies. Parents can get involved by advocating to school councils for better security at schools. Now, this does not necessarily mean adding armed guards. We could also set up a mobile panic alert system that connects them to the proper authorities should an incident of gun violence happen on campus. 

Consider supporting organizations such as Moms Demand Action and Sandy Hook Promise that fight for safer communities. Whether you want to make an impact through policy or within your community, you can find a list of resources here.  

Firearm violence is a big problem in our country that affects many people’s lives each year. We have gotten used to hearing about gun violence as a society, but we must not normalize this. Using a public health approach can help us understand why gun violence happens, come up with ways to prevent it, and work together to make our communities safer. Solving this issue takes teamwork. Gun safety is important for building a healthier, safer future for everyone.