Reducing Firearm-Related Harm

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

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How Do You Define ‘Firearm-Related Harm’?

Firearms cause harm in the form of serious injuries, death, and are related to individual and community-wide trauma. Firearms are also the most lethal means of violence and self-harm in the U.S. The three major forms of firearm fatalities result from community violence, intimate partner violence, and suicide. Nationally, the vast majority of firearm fatalities are due to homicides (38.3%) and suicides (58.4%), accounting for 96.7% of the total. 

Is Firearm-Related Harm a Public Health Crisis?

Yes. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1 to 17 in the United States. Firearms kill more children and teens than any other cause, including car crashes and cancer. More than 46,000 Americans, including 3,200 Californians, die from gunfire each year, according to the CDC.

Which Are the Most Vulnerable Communities?

What Aspects of the Impact of Firearm-Related Harm Are Often Overlooked?

Historically, the emphasis has been on firearm deaths due to homicides, with proposed solutions limited mostly to increasing law enforcement resources and passing firearm legislation. While widely used, these tools have not fully or equitably addressed the complex issue of firearm-related harm.

A public health approach is necessary to address this problem. This means we need more tools to develop innovative solutions.  We must do more to heal individual and community-wide trauma, address mental health and firearm access, curtail firearm trafficking, and change the media narrative to lift up local solutions and show that firearm violence and suicides are preventable. It’s also critical to address the underlying causes of violence and self-harm, with a key focus on firearms as the most lethal means of harm. We must do both to get large reductions in firearm injuries and trauma. 

Why Is Timely and Accurate Data So Important?

Precise and current firearm homicide and suicide data are essential to fully understanding the different forms of violence and self-harm and are critical to designing local, regional, and state strategies to prevent and mitigate harm. The data must go beyond states or counties and focus on our communities, as local as possible, so advocates can design appropriate strategies. Timeliness is also critical to ensure that community-based organizations are responsive to changing circumstances. Hope and Heal Fund’s Geographical System Information (GIS) maps show firearm homicides down to the neighborhood level and offer a comparison of county firearm homicides and suicides in California.

How Prevalent Are Mass Shootings and What Can We Do to Stop Them?

Much attention has been devoted to coverage and causes of mass shootings due to their sudden and devastating impact, yet they account for only 1% of all firearm deaths in the U.S.  For school mass shootings, 3 in 4 firearms used in these shootings were obtained from the student’s home or that of a relative, making the case for safe and responsible firearm storage. Nearly ⅔ of all U.S. mass shootings are related to domestic violence, which garners less press coverage.

What Is the Framework to Ensure We Address Firearm-Related Harm Holistically and Equitably?

Hope and Heal Fund uses a framework that consists of the following elements:

  • Prevention
  • Intervention
  • Aftercare and Healing from Trauma
  • Assess the Cost of Firearm Violence to Communities
  • Address the Easy Access to Firearms in Communities and Within Homes

What is the importance of healing trauma to prevent future violence

Communities that experience high rates of violence continue to be plagued with persistently high rates of trauma. Trauma and its associated symptoms of mental and psychological illness are more prevalent in the U.S. than in most other countries in the world. Trauma-informed care has become a standard practice in health care and mental health care provision and education in many communities. While this is an incredibly important development, it’s also critical that attention goes beyond individuals and focuses solely on treatment and protocols after exposure to traumatic conditions. Addressing community trauma requires attention at a population level, culturally-appropriate healing, and consideration of what can be done to prevent trauma in the first place.

Frequently, traumatized communities have fewer economic means and fewer social services, making it less likely that individuals will be able to heal from trauma. Childhood exposure to witnessing firearm-related incidents has been associated with higher odds of adolescent handgun carrying.

Studies show that people who experience violence are more likely to suffer and perpetrate violence. The Violence Project, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research center focused on violence prevention and intervention, found that 100% of the perpetrators of mass shootings from 1966 to 2019 had a history of childhood trauma — child abuse or neglect, emotional abuse, bullying, or exposure to significant violence.

This Issue Sometimes Seems Intractable, So How Do We Solve This Epidemic?

This epidemic is absolutely preventable and must be addressed through a public-health lens and with a framework that recognizes solutions exist outside of a narrow policy focus that leaves out many aspects of prevention, intervention, and trauma aftercare. We must:

  • Innovate, as solutions exist beyond policy
  • Trust local leaders who provide the best solutions for their communities
  • System improvements that include encouraging mental health systems to address the root causes of this public health crisis, rather than provide a temporary fix
  • Prioritize equity-based solutions, as firearm harm adversely affects communities of color and other vulnerable populations