We need a better understanding of the public health aspects of gun-related violence, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. It is vital that we understand the causes and health burdens of guns and violence, so that effective interventions are implemented.

The authors (Committee) explained that considerable progress is possible within the next three to five years through a research program that concentrates on five key areas:

  • the characteristics of gun-related violence
  • risk and protective factors
  • prevention and other interventions
  • gun safety technology
  • the impact video games and other media might have on gun violence

As background information, the authors wrote that over 105,000 people were either killed or injured as a result of a gun-related incident in 2010 in the United States. The recent tragic mass shootings in Newtown, CT; Aurora, CO; Oak Creek, WI; and Tucson, AZ, have heightened the public’s interest in protecting American children and communities from the harmful consequences of firearm violence.

The majority of Americans use firearms legally for a range of activities. However, fatal and non-fatal gun-related violence poses a serious threat to public welfare and safety.

The report is a response to President Obama’s 23 executive orders, issued in January this year, ordering federal agencies to improve knowledge of why firearm violence occurs, what interventions are most effective at preventing it, and strategies to reduce its public health burden.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was charged with identifying the most urgent gun-related violence research needs. The CDC and the CDC Foundation asked the Institute of Medicine and the Research Council to “recommend a research agenda on the public health aspects of firearm-related violence”.

The authors of this report say they determined potential research areas by examining previous relevant research, analyzing public input, and using expert judgment. The Committee was not asked to determine how much money was required, nor specify the methodologies that would be utilized to deal with the topics.

Alan Leshner, chair of the study committee and CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said:

“The complexity and frequency of gun-related violence combined with its impact on the health and safety of the nation’s residents make it a topic of considerable public health importance. Therefore, when developing its agenda, the committee took a public health approach that focused on gun violence problems associated with significant levels of injuries and fatalities.

Although this research agenda is an initial, not all-encompassing set of questions, it could help better define the causes and prevention of firearm violence in order to develop effective policies to reduce its occurrence and impact in the U.S. Similar approaches to public health problems have produced successes in lowering tobacco use, accidental poisoning, and motor vehicle fatalities.”

The authors emphasized that no single agency or research strategy can provide all the answers on their own. They explained that in order to provide a much fuller knowledge base, the public health research agenda should be integrated with research conducted from criminal justice and other perspectives.

The Committee identified the following key research topics:

  • Characteristics of gun-related violence

    – why do people acquire guns, own them, and/or use them? How are firearms distributed across subpopulations?

    – what differences are there in the characteristics involved in fatal and non-fatal gun use across the nation?

  • Risk and protective factors

    – why do some young people have access to, possess, and carry guns?

    – what are the pros and cons of having a gun at home under a range of circumstances and settings?

    – what are the risk factors associated with gun-related violence in specific high-risk physical locations?

  • Gun-related violence prevention and other interventions

    – do interventions aimed at reducing the illegal carrying of firearms reduce gun-related violence?

    – does reducing criminal access to guns that are bought legally reduce gun-related violence?

    – is preventing access to guns by people who are prone to violence effective?

    – how effective are childhood education or prevention programs at reducing gun-related violence during childhood and later on in life?

    – do programs to alter physical environments in areas of high crime reduce gun-related violence?

  • Gun safety technology

    – how effective are different technological approaches at reducing gun-related injury and death?

    – examine previous consumer experiences with accepting safety technologies to inform the development and uptake of new firearm safety techniques

    – How effective are domestic and international policy approaches to gun safety technology, and are they applicable to the USA as a whole?

  • The impact video games and other media have on gun violence

    – what is the relationship between exposure to media violence and actual violence?

A study carried out by researchers from Boston Children’s hospital and published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that more gun laws in a state may lead to fewer firearm deaths from suicides and homicides.

A 2011 CDC report informed that more firearm homicides were carried out by 10 to 19 year olds than all other age groups.

Written by Christian Nordqvist