Gun Violence

Our fifteen-month pandemic experience gave us intensified problems with gun violence. We do not know the precise cause of the rise in gun violence that plagues our country. We can see very clearly, however, that we have made a significant—but hopefully temporary—step backward. At the same time, we also see […]

Day After Day, The Not-So-Happy News

June 7, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention / mass shootings by dillo1sa

I sit down at the computer on a quiet Sunday afternoon intending to briefly check the day’s news. After typing the name of the news service, up pops the webpage with many story titles from which to choose. The list of stories going down the left side of the webpage […]

We Sit Still. But the Problems Do Not.

May 24, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention / mass shootings by dillo1sa

A news report recently presented this disturbing headline: “There Were At Least 11 Mass Shootings Across the US This Weekend” (Silverman, 2021). Critics often express concern that the news media’s attention to such events distorts our understanding of gun violence in the United States. Indeed, if one were to view […]

Looking for Lessons Within Reports of Multiple Mass Shootings

May 14, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention / mass shootings by dillo1sa

In recent weeks, I have received messages from different people comparing gun policy in the United States with laws, policies, and the relative lack of gun violence problems in other industrialized countries. These comparisons are interesting and instructive. Yet, we cannot avoid recognizing that the nature of problems and the […]

Imagining What Is Possible

April 26, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

Boulder. Indianapolis. Austin. The list of cities with publicized mass shootings grows with disturbing frequency. We notice—momentarily. We mourn—momentarily. And then the next event happens. Much like new email messages pushing prior messages out of view in our inboxes, each publicized shooting risks obscuring our focus and memory with respect […]

Looking for Insight Amid Repetitive Reports of Gloomy News

April 22, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

Tragedies produce numbers. This is true of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and other events that take lives and, at least momentarily, grab the news media’s attention. These numbers include dollar amounts for financial losses and subsequent expenditures for prevention and repair. More importantly, they include numbers for deaths and injuries. On […]

Numbness and Numbers

April 5, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

Scholars who study public policy focus on the stages of the processes for developing laws and policies to address society’s problems. Such policy-process stages include “problem definition” and “formulation” of the wording for new laws. These two stages can pose challenges. Ideally, we would like to achieve a consensus concerning […]

Every “Oh No, Not Again!” Is a Call for Legislative ...

March 24, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

LEGISLATIVE ACTION: Enhanced Background Checks Act, Violence Against Women Act, and more! On March 11, the U.S. House of Representatives approved two bills that seek to reduce the risk and harm of gun violence. H.R. 8 is the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. If approved by the U.S. Senate, […]

New Bills Begin to Move Forward in Congress

March 15, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention by dillo1sa

With news media coverage dominated by so many important developments concerning COVID, economic relief for struggling Americans, and investigations of the domestic terrorists’ attack on the U.S. Capitol, it can be difficult to take note of less prominent reports. Yet, we know from experience that stories related to the continuing […]

Guns in the News: Sobering Reminders and Protective Actions

March 4, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention / guns in capitol by dillo1sa

As noted in recent news reports, Valentine’s Day marked the third anniversary of the horrific mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Using the same type of weapon previously used to kill 26 people in 2012 at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Parkland shooter used […]

Parkland, a New President, & a New Session of Congress

February 17, 2021 in Learn / Reports tagged Gun Violence / gun violence facts / gun violence prevention / guns in capitol by dillo1sa