Using A Public Health Approach To Combat Gun Violence | CPT PPP Coverage

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There has been an unprecedented rise in gun violence across the United States, and it seems that we continue to get desensitized by this increase by the almost regular massacres that are occurring in schools and public spaces. According to CDC data”> CDC data, both homicides and suicides performed by firearms increased by 8.3% in the year 2021, when comparing data to the year 2020. In this same interval, suicides by methods other than firearms actually decreased. Despite these troubling numbers that only seem to get worse year by year, very little has been done to ameliorate gun violence in America from a public health or societal level. A public health approach to address the detrimental effects of gun violence could be a game changer in helping control this epidemic. Here are some strategies that could help.

Strengthening Educational Programs

Think back to grade school when you learned all about the deleterious effects of drinking alcohol and driving. There is no child that graduates from middle or high school that does not have a solid understanding of what driving under the influence of alcohol can do to them and drivers around them. Just as alcohol has become a central component to public health education in grade school, so should gun safety. Although violence prevention remains a pivotal part of the educational pedagogy of many public schools, violence prevention specifically from firearms has not. Research from the Journal of school health demonstrates that the majority of public and private school teachers favor teaching gun safety to elementary school children. Although some states such as Virginia authorize their school boards to educate elementary kids on gun safety, this has not been adopted by all states throughout the country. The power of early education should never be underestimated, and teaching children early about the detrimental effects of gun violence could do wonders in preventing future tragic events, just as school-based programs have done in decreasing the prevalence of drunk driving.

Incorporating Provocative Media

In the 1990’s, public health initiatives geared towards smoking cessation turned to showing the public repulsive images of what smoking can do to the body. In many parts of the world, pictures of cancerous tongue boils and gangrenous necrotic feet were posted on cigarette packs in an effort to curb smoking. These graphics images made smokers think twice about buying cigarettes and were a major driving force in helping smokers quit, according to reports in The Daily News. Why hasn’t such an approach been applied to gun violence? Imagine if there were provocative public health commercials that showed children running and screaming for their lives when a shooter showed up at a public school. The strong emotions that such a campaign would provoke in viewers would resonate with many and could have a profound impact in helping combat gun violence. Such media could inspire parents to speak to school boards and motivate the pubic to push for meaningful change with respect to firearms.

Advocacy In Legislation

Collaborating with public health officials and policy makers remains pivotal in transforming and bringing about gun violence reform. States that have laws requiring in-person application and fingerprinting before purchasing guns have decreased rates of suicides and homicides by firearms, when compared to states without such laws. Currently, only 19 states have Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), which empowers law enforcement and family to petition a court to temporarily withdraw a gun during times of crises. The more states that enact these laws, the less likely it is that we will hear about another shooting massacre at a school.

Gun violence is a public health issue, so a public health approach to tackle it is necessary if we want to see meaningful results.