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‘What We’ve Become’ explores limitations of public health approach to guns
On its surface, the central argument in Jonathan Metzl’s most recent book is a surprising one and a departure from his previous books and public statements. One of those books, “Dying of Whiteness,” made a strong case for why gun violence needs to be treated as a public health crisis. In “What We’ve Become: Living and…
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Gun violence rates decline in 2025, mirroring 2024’s drop
Firearm deaths and injuries nationwide dropped for a third straight year in 2024 after reaching record levels of gun violence during the pandemic. And the trend seems to be continuing this year. In the country’s largest cities, fatal shootings dropped 27% in 2024, according to an analysis of over 1,000 U.S. cities from Magic Wade,…
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Has the public health framework failed in the fight against gun violence?
‘What We’ve Become:’ A new way of framing America’s gun violence epidemic Moderator: Kaitlin Washburn, reporter, Chicago Sun-Times; AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Firearm Violence Jonathan M. Metzl, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine, Health and Society By Cara Anthony, Firearm Violence Reporting Fellowship When Jonathan Metzl published a book about America’s complex…
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Philly-based organization republishes Surgeon General’s gun violence advisory after Trump admin removes it
Last summer, Vivek Murthy, M.D., declared firearm violence a public health crisis, the first time the Office of the Surgeon General had issued a publication focused on guns. Experts and violence prevention advocates celebrated this unique opportunity to draw attention and resources to this often undercovered issue. The advisory “outlines the urgent threat firearm violence…
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New program helps gun violence survivors connect with journalists
A new program is helping journalists produce more impactful stories on gun violence by making the “violence survivor community more readily accessible.” The Survivor Connection, launched in February by The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting (PCGVR), “promises to facilitate more empathetic, ethical and impactful news reporting in the city by bridging a gap between…
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12 harmful practices to avoid when covering gun violence
A recent study clearly defined 12 harmful elements used when reporting on gun violence; rating them as mild, moderate, or severe across individual, community and societal levels. News stories that include graphic content, use episodic framing of individual incidents with little or no context, leave out potential solutions, and rely only or mostly on law…
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Addressing childhood abuse could prevent firearm violence later in life
A recent study revealed a person who experiences abuse, neglect or family violence in their childhood are at risk for gun violence perpetrated against themselves and others later in life. “There is a well-established connection between child maltreatment and the risk of violent crime and suicidality,” the authors wrote. The report, from the Children’s Advocacy…
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