The Violence Project's co-founders Jillian Peterson and James Densley spoke with Alia Dastagir about how we can combat gun violence. "We're acting like these are scary monsters, and they just show up and the best we can do is run faster and hide," Peterson said. "Our goal is to show the pathway for perpetrators, so we can have real … [Read more...]
For the COVID-19 pandemic we wear masks. For the pandemic of gun violence, what do we do?
A List of Recent Mass Shootings in the United States
The bleak reality of a list like this is that it leaves out so many more. There have been dozens of mass shootings in the United States in just the past five years, according to the Violence Project, which maintains a database of attacks in which at least four people were killed. And before that, many more were seared into memories: San … [Read more...]
Years of Research Finds That Most School Shooters Have 4 Things in Common
After a mass shooting at a school—or any other location—we are left with so many questions: Why was this school targeted? Was there anything anyone could do to stop it? Were there any clues in the shooter’s behavior that might point to why they resorted to this type of violence? Among those seeking answers are Jillian Peterson, PhD, a … [Read more...]
Don’t let the mass shooters win
"Mass shootings are a serious problem. But we shouldn’t let fear of them take over our lives." Dylan Matthews from Vox discusses the panic stemming from terrorism and mass shootings, as well as the cases for and against raising the profile of mass shootings. He reached out to The Violence Project's Jillian Peterson to talk about the harm caused … [Read more...]
We can address mass shootings by reducing childhood trauma and mitigating its impact
Mass shootings have our nation once more desperately searching for answers to difficult questions. How could they have been prevented? Some question whether prevention is within our reach. This question sparks debate around issues such as the proliferation of guns in America, hateful political ideologies, violence in video games and movies, and … [Read more...]