Unless lawmakers support ‘rigorous research,’ we won’t find cure for gun violence

Crosses representing victims of gun violence stand outside Collins Academy High School in North Lawndale. | Martha Irvine/Associated Press We know gun violence is a public health problem because more than 30,000 people a year are dying from it. It is the third leading cause of death for American children. Anecdotally speaking, Americans appear more likely than people in similar nations to be shot in church, in school, at a concert, watching a movie, or participating in a town hall. Given gun violence’s wide-reaching impact, one would think we would be dedicated to rigorous research to provide evidence-based solutions to this American public health problem. Yet, that is not the case. According to a letter, “Funding and Publication of Research on Gun Violence and Other Leading Causes of Death” published in JAMA in January 2017, gun violence doesn’t receive nearly an equal share of research dollars or publication volume compared with other injuries or illnesses that kill in similar numbers. Thus, we find ourselves in a situation where elected officials base arguments for and against gun control on feelings and anecdotes rather than rigorous research with replicable findings. Until we have this research, we will never be able to fix the problem. As it stands, my two children are learning how to hide during lockdown drills at a Chicago daycare. We have truly given up as a society if we think teaching toddlers and preschoolers how to hide is our only answer to keeping kids safe from guns in […]

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