Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the U.S. Guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause nearly 85,000 injuries each year. As a longtime advocate for violence prevention policies, APHA recognizes a comprehensive public health approach to addressing this growing crisis is necessary.
How does public health tackle gun violence?
Take Action
The issue of gun violence is complex and deeply rooted in our culture, which is why we must take a public health approach to ensuring our families and communities are safe. We must place a renewed emphasis on improving gun injury and violence research.
If you are interested in a sample op-ed, letter to the editor or technical support to help reach your local media, please contact APHA Media Relations.
MORE ON GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
“As our nation has this very intense debate over how best to make our communities safer and reduce the carnage that occurs from firearms, we’ve given you some policies that will work and how we can move this nation forward.” -- APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD
Policies that Work to Reduce Gun Violence forum:
Presentation slides (PDF) Introduction and Overview, Panel 1, Panel 2
Read about the forum in
APHA webinar: Gun Violence Prevention through the Public Health Lens: History, Intersectionality and Interventions
From The Nation's Health:
APHA President Pam Aaltonen: (The Nation's Health)
Webinar for APHA members: Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue
Fact sheet: Who Gets Killed in America? The National Violent Death Reporting System is Keeping Track (PDF)
Troisi, Williams: Public health approach can stem gun violence (PDF, Houston Chronicle)
"" (editorial in The Guardian by APHA's Georges Benjamin)
(editorial by APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD, and Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence President Dan Gross)
, according to a study (CNN article based on American Journal of Public Health study findings)
(NACCHO)