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Other Than Banning or Taking Away Guns, What Else Can We Do to Prevent Gun Violence?
Gun violence can be prevented through several means. Cultural change can happen. There is hope.
According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the National Rifle Association has given politicians millions of dollars to influence votes on gun control legislation. The investment by NRA and other pro-gun groups seems to pay dividends. Even after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, no meaningful gun control legislation was passed. Instead, everyday Americans struggling to make ends meet — let alone donate money to millionaires running for office — are left with more news of yet another shooting in Buffalo, Uvalde, Philadelphia… The list goes on and on.
Those who work in public health are becoming more frustrated because we recognize that gun violence is a problem. Guns killed more children than vehicle accidents in 2020, according to the latest available data. That same year (2020), according to the Pew Research Center, more Americans died from gun-related injuries than at any other time since records have been kept. Because of an increasing population, however, “…the rate of gun deaths — a statistic that accounts for the nation’s growing population — remains below the levels of earlier years.”
