HELLO, CONSORTIUM MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE CONSORTIUM,

August began amidst an especially difficult week – three tragic mass shootings in the span of just eight days in Gilroy, California; El Paso, Texas; and Dayton, Ohio. As we grieve for the victims, survivors, and their families, we also grieve for the people and communities impacted by gun violence every day in this country. Like many of you, we channel our grief into working towards stopping gun violence and are grateful to work alongside you in this effort. Thanks to you all for your work in this field.

In the days and weeks following these mass shootings, many Consortium members and others participated in countless media appearances and interviews, helping to educate the public and lawmakers on evidence-based policies and interventions for gun violence prevention. Here are a few highlights:

• Amy Barnhost was featured on Politico’s Pulse Check podcast to discuss how gun violence is more than a “mental health crisis”
• Kami Chavis and Amy Barnhorst were each interviewed for pieces on mass shootings and misogyny, in Guns and America and the New York Times, respectively
• Cassandra Crifasi, Harold Pollack, and Daniel Webster penned an op ed in the Washington Post calling for licensing and increased oversight of youthful gun purchasers
• Shannon Frattaroli and Josh Horwitz published an op ed in The Hill urging Congress to support implementation of extreme risk laws
• Beth McGinty was quoted and the Consortium mentioned in an NBC News piece on mental illness and evidence-based risk factors for violence
• Jeff Swanson and Garen Wintemute were featured on PBS Newshour discussing evidence-based gun violence prevention policies
• The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence shared a new blog featuring interviews with Consortium members on the history of extreme risk laws and, by default, the formation of the Consortium

A number of new resources were also released this month:

• The Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition released an innovative Gun Storage Map to help community members seeking local options for temporary, voluntary firearm storage. Please email Emmy Betz if you’re interested in expanding the project to your state.
• The Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute published a paper by Russell Lemle about lethal means safety as a firearm suicide prevention strategy among veterans. The paper includes key data, an overview of the VA’s lethal means safety initiatives, and suggestions for policy and research.
• The Firearm-safety Among Children and Teens (FACTS) Consortium developed a teach-out discussing the state of gun violence and injury prevention in the US and how data may inform solutions. The FACTS Consortium will also be hosting its first national research symposium on October 21st in Ann Arbor, MI. If you are interested in attending, please register here.
• The Joyce Foundation (a funder of the Consortium) issued a report commemorating its 25 years of funding gun violence prevention research. Many Consortium members’ work is featured.

Looking ahead: On Wednesday, September 4, the House Judiciary Committee is returning early from their August recess to hold a mark up on H.R. 1186, the Keep Americans Safe Act; H.R. 1236, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019; and H.R. 2708, the Disarm Hate Act. The inclusion of the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act is especially exciting given the promise the bill holds for enhancing the enactment and implementation of Consortium-developed extreme risk laws across the states. In addition, an assault weapons ban hearing is scheduled for September 25.

It was an unusually busy month for the publication of gun violence research. Read on for our research recap, including new research by Consortium member Garen Wintemute and colleagues that highlights cases where California’s extreme risk law was used in the prevention of mass shootings – the first study to show that application of an extreme risk law. As always, please remember to tag us on twitter and continue to send us your work so we can help share it.