How California Is Finally Treating Gun Violence As The Serious Public Health Problem It Is

David M. Studdert 2

(This opinion essay was first published for The Sacramento Bee on November 13, 2021.)

California has taken a big step to address the scourge of gun violence. A new state law will allow scientists to generate the evidence that legislators and community leaders need to design violence prevention programs that work. As violence researchers, we know that every Californian stands to benefit. Violence is a public health problem. Not everyone sees it that way, but if it isn’t, as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted nearly 30 years ago, “then why are all those people dying from it?” Today, violence is one of America’s leading causes of injury and death.

(Continue reading the opinion essay on The Sacramento Bee’s page here.)