The statistics are startling: Every day in the United States, an average of 289 people are shot, and 86 of them die. Of these deaths, 30 people are murdered, 53 die by suicide, two die accidentally, and one is shot in a police intervention, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violenceopens in new window.
American civilians lead the world in gun ownership, with one-third of all Americans owning a gun ( Injury Preventionopens in new window , 2015). And although many Americans are concerned about guns in the hands of terrorists, firearm violence is much more likely to occur in the form of suicides, intimate partner violence and accidents. In fact, from 2000 to 2013, for every American killed by terrorism, more than 1,000 others were killed by firearms, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. State Departmentopens in new window. In all, 406,496 died by firearms and 3,380 by terrorism in that time frame.
What has APA done recently to raise the visibility of this issue?
Recognizing the urgent need for increased efforts on gun violence prevention, in 2013 APA released "Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention and Policy," a report by a panel of experts who synthesized the current knowledge on the antecedents to gun violence and what works to predict and prevent violence. Among the report's conclusions:
- Violence prevention begins in early childhood with programs to help parents raise emotionally healthy children and continues throughout the lifespan with efforts to identify and intervene with troubled individuals who are threatening violence.
- Although only a very small percentage of people suffering from a mental illness are dangerous, mental health treatment can help those at risk for violence due to crisis, suicidal thoughts or feelings of desperation.
- Prohibitions that keep firearms away from high-risk groups—including domestic violence offenders, people convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes and those who have been adjudicated as being a threat to themselves or to others—have been shown to reduce violence.
In line with APA's mission to promote psychological knowledge for the public benefit, in 2014 APA adopted a Resolution on Firearm Violence Research and Prevention, which has two primary goals: 1. to encourage the scientific study of firearm violence and its prevention and 2. to encourage psychologists to respond to the problem of firearm violence as scientists, practitioners and educators.
What legislative action does APA support?
APA believes that gun violence must stop and has asked Congress to:
- Increase funding for violence prevention research.
- Remove unnecessary policy riders that hamper funding for evidence-based research on violence prevention at key federal agencies.
- Expand the collection and analysis of data related to gun violence and other violent deaths.
APA also advocates for funding for research and community-based programs that have been shown to reduce violence. Our members have mobilized to support the expansion of background checks for all gun sales, including those at gun shows. APA will continue to support these and other provisions as part of a multi-pronged, public health approach to violence prevention.
What is Congress doing now?
In June, a week after the Orlando mass murder at the Pulse night club, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) sponsored legislation that would expand FBI background checks to ban people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns. That legislation was rejected in the Senate. A bipartisan effort to expand background checks is likely to take place again this fall, but it also is expected to fail. In the next Congress and presidential administration, there will be continued efforts to support research and expansion of background checks.
Importantly, there is renewed momentum at the state level to keep guns out of the hands of abusive dating partners and stalkers. This could help push federal action on the issue.
The good news is that members of Congress have indicated a willingness to act on the root causes of inequality, bias and poverty that contribute to violence in the United States.
What else is APA doing to prevent gun violence?
Partnering with other like-minded groups is another way APA is working to stem gun violence. Primarily, APA works with other groups on teasing apart media messaging on mental illness and gun violence. The association is working with such groups as the Brady Campaign, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Americans for Responsible Solutions and Everytown for Gun Safety.
In addition, APA is an active participant in the CDC STRYVE Action Council (vetoviolence.orgopens in new window), a national initiative that seeks to prevent youth violence. The council works to:
- Increase public health leadership to prevent youth violence.
- Promote the widespread adoption of youth violence prevention strategies based on the best available evidence.
- Reduce the rates of youth violence on a national scale.
What can I do?
APA members can voice their concerns to Congress, urging support for a complete, robust background check system and increased support for violence prevention programs and research coordinated by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
For more information on how you can get involved to help APA prevent gun violence, contact Amalia Corby-Edwards at acorby-edwards@apa.org.
