On May 27, 2022, the Coalition of National Researchers, an interdisciplinary group of scholars who have studied safety and violence prevention for decades, announced in a press release their updated violence prevention plan and called for immediate government action to begin scientifically informed plans to reduce gun violence.

After the mass shooting at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, the Coalition released a “Call for Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States of America” that detailed an 8-point plan to reduce gun violence. The Call to Action was endorsed by professional organizations representing more than 5 million professionals working in and with schools. Research released since 2018 continues to strengthen the Coalition’s plan and makes clear that comprehensive background checks, especially when coupled with licenses to purchase handguns and licenses and bans on large capacity ammunition feeding devices, are proven to prevent mass shootings.

The Coalition’s recent announcement provides resources for educators, school leaders, and parents to help support the families and staff they serve and details a public health approach to protecting children and adults from gun violence. It emphasizes the urgency in which Congress, the Executive Branch, and states need to remove barriers to gun violence research, take immediate action to enact the proposals they’ve laid out, and provide resources for effective implementation. They also call upon law enforcement and mental health and education agencies to begin supporting prevention efforts, for parents and youth to advocate for these changes, and for voters to elect representatives committed to taking effective action to prevent gun violence.

To read the Coalition’s full press release and access their resources, click here.

Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages.