Priorities for a Public Health Research Agenda to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence”, was made public in June of 2013 . At over 120 pages in length, the IOM/NRC report is what scientists call “a review of literature”. The report contains no original research findings, but instead attempts to synthesize the findings of previous research studies, to present in one place a summary of what is currently known about gun violence. From that summary, the authors then make suggestions for what investigations and research needs to be done. For to be able to develop a meaningful research agenda and productive prevention strategies, it is important to first understand what is and what is not known about the occurrence of gunshot injuries and death. Given how the committee authors are responsible for publishing a good deal of the existing scientific literature on gun violence, they are highly qualified to present such a comprehensive summary and suggestions for future research.
On the issue of the characteristics of gun violence, the committee report noted that exact information about the number and types of guns in America is largely unknown. The committee reported that disparities exist across socio-economic and ethnic groups in overall injury and mortality rates arising from gun violence, and from the occurrence of each type of violence – homicide, suicide, or unintentional - as well. Such disparities are likely to affect the success of any prevention strategies. The committee concluded that more effort needs to be put into characterizing the scope and nature of gun violence, including what motivates individuals to acquire and own firearms and use them, and how guns are distributed across sub-populations of the American public. Additionally, the committee recommended better research to characterize the differences in fatal and non-fatal gun use across the US.
The committee noted that the risk of injury posed by firearms can be effected by a number of factors; both simple – such as how a gun is stored – to complex – like the acceptability of violence in a society or community, levels of economic and social disparity among different groups, and individual factors such as impulsivity and aggressiveness, and drug and alcohol use. The committee reported that gun violence cannot occur without the presence of guns, and that little is known about what motivates an individual to acquire a weapon, how individuals go about getting firearms, or levels of skill in firearm usage. The report recommended research to better understand factors associated with juveniles and young adults acquiring and using guns, a better understanding of the health risks and benefits of keeping a gun in the home, and more research on understanding the risk factors that influence firearm violence in specific high-risk locations.
The committee noted that successful interventions to reduce gunshot injuries requires the involvement of health and public safety organizations, educators, and grass-roots community organizations. Past research has shown mixed results on the effectiveness of interventions that seek to reduce firearm violence. On the issue of Prevention and Intervention Strategies, the committee recommended more research on strategies to reduce the illegal possession of firearms, and reducing criminal access to legally purchased firearms, as well as understand in what ways these interventions impact the overall incidence of gun violence. The committee also recommended studying the degree to which childhood education and prevention programs impact the incidence of gun violence
As with automobile airbags and child-proof caps on pill bottles, technology can help to reduce the incidence of gunshot injuries. The committee report noted that existing research shows that making a product safer is much more effective at preventing injuries that trying to change the behaviors of individuals using the product. On firearm technology, the committee report recommended studying how both active and passive firearm technologies can reduce gunshot injury and death, examining past consumer acceptance and use of new safety technologies, and explore the applicability here within the US as a whole of state- and overseas firearm policies.
Regarding portrayals of violence in the media and its effect on gun violence, the committee notes that media outlets have expanded beyond radio, TV, and films, to include the internet, music lyrics and videos, video gaming, and social networking media. The committee found that in over 50 years of research on violence in the media, none has focused on firearm violence as a specific outcome, and that so far, no direct relationship has been found between violence as depicted in the media and actual real-life gun violence. The committee recommended further study of both old and newer forms of media to examine the relationship between exposure to media violence and real-life violence.
The advancement of research and formulating sound public policy requires solid data that is relevant, credible, and accessible. The committee reported that solid basic data on number and types of guns in America, patterns of gun ownership, gun storage and use, data on the location of guns, and data on gun owners themselves are all lacking The CDC, in collaboration with state and federal agencies, has the ability to improve both what data is collected, as well as the accuracy and reliability of that data. The committee recommended using new technologies to link available databases, and more and better partnerships between academics, health practitioners, and community organizations to improve both the quality of available data, and how that data is used.
This summary merely scratches the surface of the IOM/NRC report. Interested readers can read the entire original report for free, but downloading a copy requires purchase. In addition, the IOM has prepared a Report Brief, which is free and presents an overview of findings. Williem Saletan at Slate Magazine has written a nice article highlighting what he thought are the “top ten” take-away points from the IOM/NRC report.
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