The Violence Project's Jillian Peterson spoke with Mara Gottfried about risk factors for violence. "Research shows that poverty, stress and mental health concerns — all amplified during the coronavirus pandemic — increase the risk for gun violence and homicides, Peterson said. At the same time, the pandemic has impacted face-to-face prevention … [Read more...]
In a time of pandemic and riot, crime was up 15 percent in St. Paul last year
In a year of pain, one silver lining: fewer mass shootings
As 2020 comes to a close, The Violence Project's co-founders once again spoke with Associated Press reporter Lisa Marie Pane for a recap of this year's lack of mass shootings. The number of mass shootings this year - two - is lower than it ahs been in over a decade. The decline in mass killings is “almost a natural experiment for the test of the … [Read more...]
US gun violence: too many people have died in 2020 – and COVID played a larger part than you think
"Recent reports here and elsewhere in the media have focused on gun violence in the US, reporting a dramatic rise in mass shootings in 2020 – despite the pandemic – which by November had overtaken the total for 2019. The term mass shooting conjures up images of Columbine and Parkland, but the story for 2020 is more complex." The Violence … [Read more...]
Recent Shootings Spark Fears of a More Violent Summer
While mass shootings have occurred much less frequently this year, the number of other non-suicidal gun deaths is expected to be greater than last year. Increased stress, divisions over racial justice and policing, and political tensions are a few of the factors impacting the number of violent shootings. The Violence Project's James Densley told … [Read more...]
Why Nonprofits Can’t Research Gun Violence As Well As The Feds
Federal funding for gun-related research through the CDC and National Institutes of Health is limited by the Dickey Amendment, which bans the use of federal money to "advocate or promote gun control." However, this amendment doesn't restrict all federal funding. The Violence Project's co-founder James Densley commented on the impact of a grant from … [Read more...]