Gun violence and its prevention were thrust onto the public’s agenda on April 20, 1999, with the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. But the shootings did not happen in a vacuum. In this Issue, we explore the context of gun policy debate in newspapers during the spring of 1999.
Some researchers have argued that communities are safer when more residents carry guns. But are they? Daniel Webster and Jens Ludwig examine the evidence put forth in various studies by John Lott and Gary Kleck to assess the question. Until proven otherwise, they write, the best science indicates that more guns will lead to more deaths.
The majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws, and they are silent no more. They are telling newscasters, pollsters, and politicians that they want something done to end the ease with which people can get guns. This report traces the trajectory of public opinion on guns and makes recommendations for violence prevention advocates who want to amplify the public’s voice on this issue.
The California Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI) was conceived in 1993 as a policy advocacy effort to reduce violence among youth. The VPI included an emphasis on shifting societys definition of violence to include a public health perspective, reducing access to alcohol and other drugs, and limiting availability of handguns. Prior to the VPI, there were no local SNS bans. Now, there are bans in 41 California jurisdictions.
This report explores gun laws in seven states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. These states, whose laws vary from unusually restrictive to remarkably permissive, present a host of challenges and opportunities for gun violence prevention advocates.
News for a Change provides step-by-step instructions for public health advocates working with the media to promote social change. The book provides a guide to media advocacy — the strategic use of mass media to advance policies that improve health.
The lines of debate on child care are drawn between the personal responsibility of parents to provide for their own families and the role of the government or other institutions in helping meet this vital need. In Issue 7, we analyze this tension in five years of child care news and opinion.
Once viewed primarily as a criminal justice problem, violence and its prevention are now often claimed by public health professionals as being within their purview. After reviewing 282 articles published in public health and medical journals from 1985 through 1995 that discussed violence as a public health problem, the author found a tension between public health professionals’ vision of the social precursors of violence and their attempts to apply a traditional set of remedies.
Youth Radio is dedicated to bringing the voices of youth to young and adult audiences. This is a story of young people using radio to create their own representations as a mechanism for violence prevention.
Violence is a perplexing and multi-dimensional problem, about which the public remains largely misinformed. TV news is important to violence prevention because it heightens awareness of the issue and because it is the most consumed news source. This article examines whose voice is represented in local TV news stories about youth and violence.
