#  Gun Control: A Public Health Crisis Like Any Other 

 





November 07, 2017

 

 

Guns. Americans can't live with them, and can't live without them. On one hand, gun violence is responsible for approximately [30,000 deaths each year in the United States](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm) (about 10,000 homicides and 20,000 suicides). On the other hand, the freedom to own guns is part of the fabric of American society. The tragic shooting in Las Vegas is a sobering reminder, however, than gun violence is just as deadly as diseases like diabetes or cancer. In fact, the very same determinants, or social factors influencing health and wellbeing. that we consider while studying biological diseases also apply to gun violence.

The public health approach to gun violence is one of harm reduction, says Dr. David Hemenway, professor of health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of the [Harvard Injury Control Research Center](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/). Because gun violence sits at the nexus of politics, class, and culture, addressing its determinants requires a diverse set of actors such as the media, religious institutions, and lawmakers. Hemenway points to the need to research and test new policies aimed at gun control, citing the example of teenage driving laws that were tested in one state, and then adopted nationwide after analysis indicated the policy significantly reduced teen injuries and deaths to teens. To learn how U.S. gun violence fits into the global landscape, check out the World Health Organization’s [seminal report on violence prevention](http://repository.gheli.harvard.edu/repository/10981/).



 

 

 



 

 

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