October 2021

GOOD MORNING, CONSORTIUM MEMBERS AND FRIENDS,

The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and members of the Consortium on Risk-Based Firearm Policy weighed in on history in the making in the Supreme Court case New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. (NYSRPA) v. Bruen. In the 2008 landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held, for the first time, that the Second Amendment bestowed an individual right to possess firearms for self-defense, although it limited the “core” of that right to possess guns in the home for the purpose of self-defense. To date, lower courts have generally upheld laws that regulate firearms in public spaces. However, some on the Supreme Court may see NYSRPA v. Bruen as an opportunity to make it dramatically more difficult to regulate firearms in public, or at least change how lower courts have to evaluate Second Amendment claims in a way that is less favorable to existing laws.

The Ed Fund collaborated with the Consortium to file an amicus brief informing the Supreme Court how and why public health research is indispensable in evaluating firearm-related cases, especially regarding the possession and use of firearms in public. Consortium members’ research is cited directly to identify the risks associated with gun possession and in support of policies such as the New York licensing law at issue in this case. Several Consortium members and other notable researchers signed onto the brief to lend their credentialed support to the value public health data on gun violence has in the Supreme Court’s deliberations.

Research funding: In September, the NIH awarded 10 grants totaling a historic $12.5 million in support of “scientific research to develop, evaluate, and implement effective public health interventions to understand and prevent violence, including firearm violence, and the resulting trauma, injuries, and mortality.” Congratulations to all awardees, we look forward to learning from your work!

Federal updates

The Consortium endorsed and submitted a letter of support for the Lethal Means Safety Training Act (HR 2749) in advance of a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing on preventing veteran suicide. If passed, the Lethal Means Safety Training Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to regularly update training on lethal means safety counseling and expand the reach of those trainings to more VA staff who routinely interact with veterans as well as to affiliated Community Care Network providers. The Consortium issued recommendations for training on lethal means safety counseling in its 2017 report, Breaking Through Barriers: The Emerging Role of Healthcare Provider Training Programs in Firearm Suicide Prevention.
The Invest in Us Coalition is advocating for funding in the Build Back Better Act, President Biden’s proposed infrastructure plan, to provide grants to jurisdictions for community violence intervention (CVI) programs, public health research into the effectiveness of CVI, and victim services programming. To date, the Invest in Us Coalition has successfully advocated for $5 billion in funding to be allocated, split between the Judiciary Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee, and continues to advocate to ensure that the funding remains in the final version of the Bill.
Negotiations in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act have “broken down” with little hopes of Republicans and Democrats reaching an agreement. Sticking points in the negotiations included whether law enforcement should have qualified immunity as well as federal funding of law enforcement.
The White House withdrew David Chipman’s nomination to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Despite Chipman’s previous experience working at ATF, his nomination was opposed by Senators from both parties who disagreed with his gun violence prevention approach. Chipman shared reflections with the New York Times.

New resources

The FBI released its annual Crime in the United States report, with 2020 statistics available via Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)’s Crime Data Explorer
Violence Policy Center’s annual report, When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2019 Homicide Data
GVPedia’s latest video in their myth-busting series, Why Guns Don’t Make Us Safer
Pew Research Center’s survey findings about Americans’ attitudes about gun violence and gun policy, Key Facts about Americans and Guns
Everytown’s new report on unintentional shootings by children, Preventable Tragedies
Center for American Progress’ fact sheet, Frequently Asked Questions about Gun Trafficking
Recent books:
- Evidence-Based Policing and Community Crime Prevention by James McGuire, Emily Evans, and Eddie Kane
- Social Emergency Medicine by Megan L. Ranney, Patrick M. Carter, and Rebecca M. Cunningham
- Book Chapter: Violence: A Prescription of Hope for a Vulnerable Population by Tonita Smith, Edith Amponsah and Lia Garman in Leading Community Based Changes in the Culture of Health in the U.S.

Judicial updates

The Ed Fund collaborated with the Consortium to file an amicus brief informing the Supreme Court how and why public health research is indispensable in evaluating firearm-related cases, especially regarding the possession and use of firearms in public.
The Supreme Court is currently considering whether to take on two significant gun cases: Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. v. Grewal (challenging New Jersey’s ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds) and Young v. Hawaii (challenging Hawaii’s good-cause regime for open carry).

Media highlights

After 25 Years in the Dark, the CDC wants to Study the True Toll of Guns in America – NPR
FBI: Killings Soared Nearly 30 Percent in 2020, with More Slayings Committed with Guns – Washington Post quoting Ari Davis (CSGV), Daniel Webster, among others
Gun Violence is an Epidemic. Better Data can Help – Op-ed from Bloomberg
Missouri Saw Deadliest Year Ever for Gun Violence in 2020, Made Worse by Pandemic – The Kansas City Star, as part of the Missouri Gun Violence Project
Women are Nearly Half of New Gun Buyers, Study Finds – Wall Street Journal
Intersections of Justice – New analysis as part of Philadelphia Inquirer’s Under Fire project
Four Under-the-Radar Cases That Could Reshape U.S. Gun Laws – The Trace
When Schools Call Police on Kids – Collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity and USA Today

Upcoming events

October 7: Hope and Heal Fund and Berkeley Media Studies Group’s webinar preview of an upcoming report, Understanding Violence and Prevention During a Pandemic
October 12: Vision for Justice’s virtual teach-in, Understanding the School-to-Prison Pipeline
October 13-14: SOPHE Virtual 23rd Annual Advocacy Summit
November 12: University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center’s 2nd Annual Virtual Injury Prevention Center Research Symposium

Career opportunities: The University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention is hiring 3-4 tenure track faculty (open rank) with interest in developing/continuing a research focus in firearm injury prevention. Vanderbilt University’s Departments of Medicine, Health, and Society is hiring a tenure-track assistant professor focused on quantitative study of gun violence and policy.

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STUDIES

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