Guns are the leading cause of death among children and young adults ages 0–24 in the United States.1 A recent report by the Commonwealth Fund found that mortality rates due to gun violence in the United States are similar to those observed in countries experiencing active conflict. The issue of gun violence is so pervasive that in 2024 the Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis.2
The year 2023 recorded the third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever reported in the United States. Racial disparities due to longstanding intersectional and structural inequalities persist with Black people facing disproportionate gun homicide rates 13 times higher compared to their white counterparts.3 These disparities are particularly impactful among children and teens.2 Additionally, gun violence is harmful to mental health and wellbeing, contributing to multi-generational trauma in those communities most affected by gun violence.4 The limited data available indicates that self-reported risk factors for gun violence among youth focused on association with delinquent peers, with protective factors including strong social bonds to their communities.5
National research on gun violence prevention has been limited in the United States due to the combined effects of the Dickey Amendment passed in 1996 which prohibits the use of federal funds to advocate or promote gun control and the Tiahrt Amendment that banned tracing the sales of guns. Together these policies have weakened law enforcement efforts to prevent gun crimes and prosecute people who commit gun offences. This also has limited researchers' ability to study the impact of gun violence prevention efforts. For the first time in twenty years, in 2021 congress allocated federal funding for gun violence research in an attempt to reduce gun violence.6 Gun violence reduction efforts should include advocating for laws that prevent or reduce the ability to purchase firearms, which could lead to lower rates of death and harm at the population level (Branas, 2021).7 However in the current socio-political environment it is critical to examine alternative approaches that emerge from within communities that don't depend on state or federal legislation.
A 2017 review of community programs in 264 cities showed an association between community programs and violence reduction.8 Specifically, for every 10 additional nonprofit, crime reduction programs per 100,000 residents there was a 9% reduction in homicide and a 6% reduction in violence. These findings call attention to the critical role of the community in leading gun violence prevention and research efforts. Emerging evidence-based prevention interventions commonly focus on using community navigators to de-escalate conflicts, promote job readiness and employment opportunity programs, and increase the availability of and enrolment in after-school and summer activities. Partnerships between communities, schools, and law enforcement can support culturally relevant healing processes that help to disrupt years of generational trauma among populations who are overrepresented in gun violence statistics.9 These efforts should include strengthening education and law enforcement systems to interrupt pathways linked to violence while fostering increased bidirectional trust and respect.7 Inclusion of directly impacted community members who possess vital insider perspectives and lived experience involving gun violence is fundamental to informing prevention efforts.
The United States is experiencing a gun violence crisis during an era of dramatic socio-political changes that will influence national gun violence prevention efforts for years to come. To address these challenges, investments in community-based prevention efforts that strengthen safety nets for those most impacted are required to shift the underlying factors that influence an individual's risk of committing gun violence. When community-based interventions are designed and led by the lived-insights and expertise of the people who are most impacted, targeted safety net strengthening can lead to measurable reductions in community gun violence. It can also reduce the number of people incarcerated and strengthen intergenerational opportunities for families.10 The community is the front-line expert. Investing in inclusively designed community-based prevention and research will identify new prevention solutions while ushering in an era of strengthened safety and security for our nation.
Contributors
MS-conceptualization, writing original draft.
MD-conceptualization, writing reviewing and editing.
GT-writing reviewing and editing.
TLS-writing reviewing and editing, project administration.
JG-writing reviewing and editing.
NCD-writing reviewing and editing, funding acquisition.
Declaration of interests
Grant Tietjen and Malia Duffy work as consultants on this work and were paid for their efforts.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by a grant received from the Quad City Community Foundation. The funding source had not involvement in the writing or conceptualization of this work.
References
- 1.Lee L.K., Fleegler E.W., Goyal M.K., Doh K.F., Laraque-Arena D., Hoffman B.D. The Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention; firearm-related injuries and deaths in children and youth. Pediatrics. 2022;150(6) doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-060071. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Gumas E.D., Gunja M.Z., Williams R.D., II . The Commonwealth Fund; 2024. “Comparing Deaths from Gun Violence in the U.S. With Other Countries,” Chartpack. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Semenza D.C., Kravitz-Wirtz N. Gun violence exposure and population health inequality: a conceptual framework. Inj Prev. 2024 doi: 10.1136/ip-2023-045197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Keels M. Developmental & ecological perspective on the intergenerational transmission of trauma & violence. Daedalus. 2022;151(1):67–83. [Google Scholar]
- 5.Pardini D., Beardslee J., Docherty M., Schubert C., Mulvey E. Risk and protective factors for gun violence in male juvenile offenders. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2020;50(3):337–352. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2020.1823848. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Morrel A.R., Smart R. A new era for firearm violence prevention research. JAMA. 2022;328(12):1197–1198. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.16743. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 7.Branas C.C., Reeping P.M., Rudolph K.E. Beyond gun laws—innovative interventions to reduce gun violence in the United States. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021;78(3):243–244. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2493. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 8.Sharkey P., Torrats-Espinosa G., Takyar D. Community and the crime decline: the causal effect of local nonprofits on violent crime. Am Socio Rev. 2017;82(6):1214–1240. [Google Scholar]
- 9.Hawks L., Lopoo E., Puglisi L., et al. Community investment interventions as a means for decarceration: a scoping review. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2022;8:100–150. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2021.100150. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 10.O'Neill K.M., Salazar M.C., Vega C., Campbell A., Anderson E., Dodington J. “The cops didn't make it any better”: perspectives on police and guns among survivors of gun violence. Soc Sci Med. 2021;284:114–197. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114197. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]