The Necessity of Studying Gun Violence in America

Gilroy.

El Paso.

Dayton.

Odessa.

A festival.

A Walmart.

A nightclub.

A highway.

3 dead, 15 wounded

22 dead, 24 wounded.

9 dead, 14 wounded.

7 dead, 21 wounded.

These are the mass shootings from the past two months in the United States, the dead and injured including infants and small children. And they are only the high-profile incidents in which three or more people were killed.

We have a gun problem.

In August, The Scientific American reported that the U.S. Congress has begun to revive gun violence research— and stated the incredible importance of follow-through.

“The tremendous toll makes gun violence a huge public health problem. Yet unlike other pressing health threats, Americans have few ideas about the most effective prevention strategies because there has been almost no large-scale research on the issue.”

Everytown for Gun Safety has a great breakdown on the importance of dedicating time, money, and resources to the research of gun violence in America. Gun violence is an epidemic. It is a public health problem.

I am grateful for the existence and work of organizations like AFFIRM, clinicians and researchers dedicated to studying gun violence in order to offer impactful solutions to this epidemic.

Join me in investing in a solution for ourselves, for our country, for our children.