Preventing Gun Violence: 3 Real Solutions to Reduce Gun Deaths

Gun violence can happen anywhere, at any time. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 333 active shooter events in the United States occurred between 2000 and 2019. In 2020, even amidst a global pandemic, the number of designated active shooter events increased to 40, up 10 from 2019.

Less than one percent of the approximate 40,000 gun-related casualties yearly come from a mass shooting event. However, it is crucial to know how to address the situation and be prepared.

Active shooter events are very fluid and leave little opportunity to assess the next steps. Providing training in advance improves staff preparedness and survivability.

How to Stop Gun Violence

1. Support Local Violence Prevention and Intervention Programs

While mass shootings account for a large percentage of the media coverage, they are a small fraction of gun-related injuries and casualties. Supporting violence prevention and intervention programs is a great place to begin stopping gun violence.

 Adjusting gun laws is only one way to reduce gun violence. But the programmatic models of cure violence, group violence interventions, and hospital-based violence intervention are proven successful at reducing gun-related violence within communities.

Some examples of successful intervention and prevention programs include:

• Three cities in Connecticut initiated a group violence intervention program from 2011 to 2016. Gun violence fell more than 50 percent.
• In Richmond, California, a strategy that used all three types of intervention programs from 2007 to 2016 saw a 71% reduction in gun violence in the community.

When set in place, these intervention programs significantly impact community safety.

To learn more about how you can support these programs in your community, click here.

2. Take a Training Course

Managing Violence in the Workplace and Active Shooter Response are comprehensive courses covering safety measures from multiple types of potential threats at various critical points during these events. These course objectives help employees recognize and respond in the chance of a violent event. This course teaches you and your team how to:

• Identify an active shooter situation.
• Apply proper procedures to remain safe in dangerous situations.
• Follow your evacuation plan.
• Recognize when hiding is the most responsible action.
• Describe last-resort response actions.
• Recognize appropriate reactions to law enforcement.

These courses increase workplace safety by providing employees with the training needed to act when an active shooter is in the workplace. This training boosts employee morale by providing them with confidence and the skills to take appropriate action during a threatening situation.

Understanding what to do in the instance of an active shooter makes you and everyone around you safer. Having information gives you peace of mind and can save your life.

3. Require Background Checks for Every Gun Sale

Federal law prohibits some individuals from purchasing or possessing firearms. Those with a prior felony conviction, a history of domestic abuse, or who received mental healthcare involuntarily are among those unable to obtain guns legally.

While licensed gun dealers must conduct background checks before selling a firearm, some legal loopholes allow gun sales to occur without a background check. Private individuals selling guns through an online store and dealers at gun shows can legally sell guns without conducting a background check.

When Connecticut implemented a law requiring individuals to get a permit and go through a background check before purchasing a handgun, gun-related homicides fell 40 percent in the state.

Making these background checks a necessary part of every gun purchase effectively reduces gun violence.

To learn more about our Workplace Violence Prevention training options, click here