A new report published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association lays out a 15-year plan to reduce firearm violence in the United States, proposing a mix of social, technological and policy initiatives aimed at cutting deaths, injuries and trauma linked to guns, according to the University of Washington.
The report draws from a two-day summit convened by JAMA last March that brought together 60 experts in public health, criminology, sociology, social work and policy.
Their goal was to chart “a roadmap that will lead to substantial reductions in firearm violence, injuries and harm in the United States by 2040.”
Dr. Frederick P. Rivara, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, chaired the summit.
“We really tried to step back and think about what innovations are needed to address the firearm problem in a new way — realizing we live in a country with a Second Amendment and somewhere around 400 million firearms in private hands,” Rivara said.
Since 2000, more than 800,000 Americans have died and over 2 million have been injured by firearms.
Firearm homicides reached a high of 21,383 in 2021 before declining 29% to 16,725 in 2024.
But firearm suicides, which account for two-thirds of gun deaths, have steadily risen to 27,310 in 2023.
The report also emphasized that the impacts of gun violence extend far beyond the number of deaths or injuries.
It noted the widespread psychological toll on witnesses, survivors and communities that live in fear of shootings.
The authors acknowledged that recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have limited some restrictions on gun ownership but pointed out that several measures remain constitutional — including background checks, safe-storage laws and the removal of weapons from people deemed a high risk for violence.
The report calls for the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies to detect concealed weapons and help identify high-risk individuals and areas.
However, it warns that such tools must be balanced against privacy and civil liberties concerns.
The report highlights community-based violence intervention programs that connect at-risk individuals to resources such as housing, job training, and therapy.
These efforts have shown promise in breaking cycles of violence and rebuilding trust between residents and local institutions.
Finally, the report urges a broader approach called “primordial prevention,” focused on addressing the root causes of firearm violence by improving housing stability, economic opportunity, and environmental conditions in marginalized communities.
“The promise of primordial prevention lies in its power to shift the very conditions under which violence becomes possible and simultaneously improve health and safety,” the authors wrote. “By restoring trust, redistributing power and redesigning context, these innovations can help build a future where firearm injury is not just treated, but prevented.”
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