How Can We Address the Gun Violence Crisis?

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Gun violence is on the rise in the US.  

In fact, gun violence was declared a national public health crisis in 2024.  

Since 2000, gun violence has caused the deaths of more than 800,000 people and led to 2 million injuries in the US, according to a recent JAMA report. 

Many of these deaths have been among children and adolescents, affecting families across the country. 

To address this, JAMA gathered 60 leaders for a summit to create a roadmap to address the increase on firearm violence to promote fewer injuries and deaths by 2040.  

“The vision for 2040 is a country where firearm violence is substantially reduced and where all people and communities report feeling safe from firearm harms,” according to the roadmapreport. 

Let’s go over the roadmap and its five actions to reduce gun violence. 

Firearm Harms by the Numbers 

Firearm violence continues to be a problem in the US because of how widely used and accessible firearms are. 

For instance, there are almost 400 million civilian-owned firearms circulating in the US, according to The Trace.  

Considering there is 340.1 million Americans as of 2024, that’s 1.176 guns for every person living in the US.  

In 2023, there were almost 9 million more firearms manufactured in the US, according to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms. 

In 2020, there was a peak record set for firearm background checks with numbers topping 40 million, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

When it comes to gun-related mortalities, 80% of homicides and 55% of suicides in the US involve guns, the report cited the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.  

Of all the firearm deaths, 58.4% of them were as a result of suicide, according to the Pew Research Center. 

Firearm suicides have risen throughout the last few decades and reached an all-time high in 2023 when the rate went to 7.63 per 100,000.  

While firearm suicides are steadily rising, firearm homicides have been on the decline. 

Firearm homicides reached an all-time high in 2021, experiencing a 29% decline by 2024.  

Let’s dive into how experts are wanting to address the issue of rising gun violence with a five-pronged approach. 

1. Focus on Communities and Change Fundamental Structures that Lead to Firearm Harms

At the moment, firearm violence interventions are focused on strategies about housing, health care, policing, school funding, and domestic violence that help evaluate and inform criminal justice and public health implementation to cut down on gun violence.  

However, summit attendees say more can be done. 

They recommended a wide-scale approach that targets the whole population regardless of risk and then create interventions that work for high-risk populations, according to the JAMAroadmap report. 

This means engaging communities in local, background-driven, and developmental issues. 

In essence, these interventions could include CVI, which are evidence-based, community-led strategies to engage those at highest risk and break cycles of violence and retaliation, suicide intervention resources, and more. 

To create a strong CVI workforce, communities must build their health care systems and training programs and integrate them into city governments to work as mediators and conflict resolution experts within the communities, according to the report. 

With community-based care, one built on trust and support; those who attended the summit hope that the underlying causes of violence in neighborhoods may be addressed. 

2. Harness Technological Strategies Responsibly 

Another way to address the issue of gun violence is to utilize the power of technology. 

For gun safety, technology can help create weapons authentication systems, meaning they could only be fired by the owner, early detection warning systems, and AI tools, according to theJAMA roadmap report. 

To improve firearm safety, we should treat guns more like consumer products — designing them with built-in safety features, just as cars are built with seatbelts and airbags. 

However, technology alone can’t fix the problem.  

To make the most of technology, advancements and interventions should be integrated into programs, laws, funding systems, and training.  

More understanding is needed to find new tools, adopt them, look into affordability, and analyze how fair and effective they will be.  

Lastly, individuals will need to be trained on responsible AI use and research funding is needed to link firearms, robotics, and AI to guide policy and regulation. 

3. Change the Narrative Around Firearm Harms

For decades, gun violence has been known as a “crime” issue. 

But, in general, gun violence is a social, health, and safety issue.  

To address this narrative, society must tackle misconceptions about gun violence, including negative perceptions about crime rates, who commits the crime, and promoting how prevention is possible, according to the JAMA roadmap report. 

A big part of this is the lack of trust in law enforcement.  

The approach from law enforcement should be evidence-based, focused on high risk, and work in tandem with community and public health partners to ensure fair and safe policing devoted to gun violence. 

Lastly, news media has a track record of doing social harm when reporting on gun violence.  

These stories often place a negative image about a person or place, which forms misunderstandings and negative stereotypes that can be harmful for the people or groups they affect.  

And it’s not just limited to news media.  

Health care workers can write off their patients by internalizing these negative understandings. 

Other types of media such as video games, TV shows, and movies have also been a negative influence on our understandings of gun violence.  

To reduce the stigma, society must reshape these negative influences by providing consistent, evidence-based public facing messaging about gun violence. 

For suicide, messaging must normalize conversations about risk and help with access to support services for those in crisis. 

4. Take a Whole-Government and Whole-Society Approach

The current federal administration has rolled back the declaration of gun violence as a public health crisis and dismantled the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, citing an executive order to “protect second amendment rights,” or the right to bear arms.  

This stymies coordinated, science-driven action that can speed up and reduce the harm caused by gun violence, according to the JAMA roadmap report. 

To properly address gun violence, every entity on ever level must be on the same page, according to attendees of the summit. 

States can pick up where the federal government left off by adopting laws and introducing other civic-engagement-strengthening strategies to drive local policy change.  

Another step is to develop grassroots leadership, funding opportunities, better data systems, and provide more community involvement opportunities to fill in policy gaps.  

5. Spark a Research Revolution on Preventing Firearm Harms

The last intervention calls for scientific and data-driven analysis of gun violence and possible actions to take, according to the JAMA roadmap report. 

This includes stronger basic science, modeling, and better evaluation of interventions and technologies.  

Researchers need to measure outcomes for community and civic engagement, not just crime rates.  

More funding would be needed to achieve this along with access to better data collection and government support, according to the report. 

Start ‘Handle With Care’ So Police Alert Schools if Kids Are Exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (Even If School is Closed or Virtual)! 

Gun violence touches many — communities, entire families, and children. 

In fact, 60% of U.S. children have been exposed to violence, crime, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). 

Despite witnessing horrific events, kids still have to go to class, virtually or in person. They carry a burden that can interfere with their behavior and grades. And schools don’t know there’s an issue at home. 

That’s where “Handle With Care” comes in. 

Download the free Salud America! “Handle With Care Action Pack” to start a Handle With Care program. In the program, police notify schools when they encounter children at a tough scene, so schools can provide support right away, even if operating virtually. 

The Action Pack contains materials and technical assistance to start a conversation and plans for implementing a Handle With Care program. Over 65 U.S. cities have started such a program.