September 25, 2023
This summer, the North Carolina Medical Journal (NCMJ) published a theme issue on preventing violence and reducing firearm injuries and deaths in North Carolina. Scientists from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and across North Carolina collaborated with other state, local and public health experts on a series of articles documenting the many common-sense community programs and people who are working to make gun ownership safer in North Carolina. use evidence-based approaches to reduce the likelihood of firearm-related injuries and deaths for North Carolinians of all ages.
Many articles were written in partnership with local and state practitioners in public health departments, emergency rooms, police departments, and clinical care settings, reflecting the Gillings School’s long legacy of practice-oriented scholarship. The issue also includes a special article from Governor Roy Cooper on “Acting to Build a Safer North Carolina.”
“Gunshot wounds are a serious health problem that can have tragic consequences for individuals and their loved ones. But like many injuries, they are preventable through a public health approach that applies rigorous science to policy and community solutions,” said John Wiesman, DrPH, associate dean for practice at the Gillings School. “The Gillings School is proud to be part of a network of peers who share knowledge and expertise with the ultimate goal of reducing the harm, anxiety and trauma related to gun violence. »
Community leaders across North Carolina implement programs and community actions that enable lawful gun owners to store, use and retrieve their legally owned firearms in a way that helps their loved ones. In North Carolina, more than half of all deaths involving firearms are suicides.
Several Gillings School researchers have contributed to the problem, including:
Stephen Marshall, Ph.D.professor of epidemiology and director of the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center
Reducing firearm injuries and deaths: a comprehensive approach
Anna Waller, ScDprofessor of emergency medicine and adjunct associate professor of health behavior
Gun-related injuries and deaths in North Carolina: Trends during the COVID-19 pandemic
Lucas Neuroth, doctoral student in epidemiology, and Lois Johnson, MPHdata analyst and advisor at the North Carolina Institute for Public Health
Emergency Department Visits Before a Firearm Death: The NC LEADS Project
Gillings School experts will also meet with local public health leaders to further discuss this critical issue.The Future of Violence Prevention in North Carolina: Gun Safety Pre-Conference” event on September 26, in advance of the North Carolina Public Health Association’s annual fall educational conference.
The fellowship and conference build on the Governor’s Task Force on “Keeping Families and Communities Safe: Public Health Approaches to Reducing Violence and Gun Misuse Leading to Injury and Death» – convened in 2022 by Governor Cooper and including a Gillings faculty member Beth Moracco, Ph.D.. This led to the creation of the NC SAFE initiative, a public awareness campaign to promote the safe storage of firearms in North Carolina, and the formation of the NC Office of Violence Prevention within the NC Department of Public Safety.
Read the NCMJ special issue online.
Access North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (VDRS) Data Dashboard
- Check the NC-VDRS Data Dashboard to query and visualize data on all violent deaths, homicides, suicides and firearm-related deaths.
NC SAFE Initiative — secure firearm storage
Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.
