Call For Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States of America

Coalition of National Researchers Release Violence Prevention Plan

May 27, 2022:

The recent mass shootings across the country are another painful reminder of failed efforts to stop the kind of gun violence that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School nearly ten years ago. As an interdisciplinary group of scholars who have studied school safety and violence prevention for decades, we call for immediate government action to initiate scientifically-informed actions to reduce gun violence.

After the 2018 shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, The Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence developed a “Call for Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States of America” that was endorsed by numerous professional organizations in education, psychology, and allied fields, representing 5 million professionals working in and with schools. The evidence base for that call was published in 2019 (Flannery et al.). There is now even more research evidence in support of the 8 points in this plan. According to one of our experts, Professor Pedro Noguera, Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, “Scientifically, we know what to do to reduce gun violence. The question is whether our leaders will do it.”

New research shows that comprehensive background checks are foundational to keeping guns from dangerous individuals, especially when coupled with licenses to purchase handguns. Licensing and bans on large capacity ammunition feeding devices prevent fatal mass shootings. Laws requiring gun owners to lock away their firearms so that they are inaccessible to underage youth prevent deaths to teens from suicides and homicides. Extreme risk protection laws are a promising and practical policy for removing firearms when there are clear threats of potential lethal violence and have been used to thwart plans to commit mass shootings.

In addition to our updated 8-point plan, we highlight some resources for educators, school leaders, and parents in supporting the families and staff they serve:

_______________________________________

Flannery, D. J., Bear, G., Benbenishty, R. Astor, R. A., Bradshaw, C. P., Sugai, G., Cornell, D. G., Gottfredson, D. C., Nation, M., Jimerson, S. R., Nickerson, A. B., Mayer, M. J., Skiba, R. J., Weist, M. D., Espelage, D. L., Furlong, M. J., Guerra, N. G., Jagers, R. J., Noguera, P. A., Webster, D. W., & Osher, D. (2019). The scientific evidence supporting an eight point public health oriented action plan to prevent gun violence. In Osher, D., Mayer, M. J., Jagers, R. J., Kendziora, K., & Wood, L. (Eds.), Keeping Students Safe and Helping Them Thrive: A Collaborative Handbook on School Safety, Mental Health, and Wellness ( II, 227-255). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger/ABC-CLIO.

Call for Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States of America

Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence

Updated May 27, 2022

School shootings and widespread community gun violence are far greater in the United States than other nations. Although security measures are important, a focus on simply preparing for shootings is insufficient. We need a change in mindset and policy from reaction to prevention. Prevention entails more than security measures and begins long before a gunman comes to school. We need a comprehensive public health approach to gun violence that is informed by scientific evidence.

A public health approach to protecting children as well as adults from gun violence involves three levels of prevention: (1) universal approaches promoting safety and well-being for everyone; (2) practices for reducing risk and promoting protective factors for persons experiencing difficulties; and (3) interventions for individuals where violence is present or appears imminent.

On the first level we need:

1. A national requirement for all schools to assess school climate and maintain physically and emotionally safe conditions and positive school environments that protect all students and adults from bullying, discrimination, harassment, and assault;

2. A ban on assault-style weapons, high-capacity ammunition clips, and products that modify semi-automatic firearms to enable them to function like automatic firearms, and background checks on all gun purchases.

On the second level we need:

3. Adequate staffing (such as counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) of coordinated school- and community-based mental health services for individuals with risk factors for violence, recognizing that violence is not intrinsically a product of mental illness;

4. Reform of school discipline to reduce exclusionary practices and a focus on prevention that fosters positive social, behavioral, emotional, and academic success for all students;

5. Comprehensive background checks as part of licensing for firearm purchasers, bans on large capacity magazines, laws requiring gun owners to lock up their guns so that they are not accessible to underage youth, and extreme risk protection laws that allow removal of firearms when there is a clear threat of lethal violence.

On the third level we need:

6. A national program to train and maintain culturally proficient school- and community-based crisis intervention and threat assessment teams that include mental health and law enforcement partners. These programs should include practical channels of communication for persons to report concerns as well as interventions to resolve conflicts and assist troubled individuals in a fair and equitable manner that protects individual rights;

7. Removal of legal barriers to sharing safety-related information among educational, mental health, and law enforcement agencies in cases where a person has threatened violence;

8. Laws establishing Gun Violence Protection Orders that allow courts to issue time-limited restraining orders requiring that firearms be recovered by law enforcement when there is evidence that an individual is planning to carry out acts against others or against themselves.

Congress and the executive branch must remove barriers to gun violence research and institute a program of scientific research on gun violence that encompasses all levels of prevention. We contend that well-executed laws can reduce gun violence while protecting all Constitutional rights.

It is time for federal and state authorities to take immediate action to enact these proposals and provide adequate resources for effective implementation. We call on law enforcement, mental health, and educational agencies to begin actions supporting these prevention efforts. We ask all parents and youth to join efforts advocating for these changes, and we urge voters to elect representatives who will take effective action to prevent gun violence in our nation.

Media Contacts

Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., University of Virginia <[email protected]>

Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., University of Southern California <[email protected]>

Ron Avi Astor, MSW., Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles <[email protected]>

Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence

(Statement author names in alphabetical order)

Ron Avi Astor, MSW., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

George G. Bear, Ph.D., University of Delaware

Catherine P. Bradshaw, Ph.D., University of Virginia

Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., University of Virginia

Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Daniel Flannery, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University

Michael J. Furlong, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Nancy Guerra, Ed.D., University of California, Irvine

Robert Jagers, Ph.D., Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning

Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Matthew J. Mayer, Ph.D., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick

Maury Nation, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D., University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., University of Southern California

David Osher, Ph.D., American Institutes for Research

George Sugai, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Daniel W. Webster, Sc.D., Johns Hopkins University

Mark D. Weist, Ph.D., University of South Carolina


Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence

February 28, 2018

PDF Version

School shootings and widespread community gun violence are far greater in the United States than other nations. America cannot be great and realize its promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if our children are not safe from gun violence.

Although security measures are important, a focus on simply preparing for shootings is insufficient. We need a change in mindset and policy from reaction to prevention. Prevention entails more than security measures and begins long before a gunman comes to school. We need a comprehensive public health approach to gun violence that is informed by scientific evidence and free from partisan politics.

A public health approach to protecting children as well as adults from gun violence involves three levels of prevention: (1) universal approaches promoting safety and well-being for everyone; (2) practices for reducing risk and promoting protective factors for persons experiencing difficulties; and (3) interventions for individuals where violence is present or appears imminent.

On the first level we need:

1.    A national requirement for all schools to assess school climate and maintain physically and emotionally safe conditions and positive school environments that protect all students and adults from bullying, discrimination, harassment, and assault;

2.   A ban on assault-style weapons, high-capacity ammunition clips, and products that modify semi-automatic firearms to enable them to function like automatic firearms.

On the second level we need:

3.   Adequate staffing (such as counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) of coordinated school- and community-based mental health services for individuals with risk factors for violence, recognizing that violence is not intrinsically a product of mental illness;

4.   Reform of school discipline to reduce exclusionary practices and foster positive social, behavioral, emotional, and academic success for students;

5.   Universal background checks to screen out violent offenders, persons who have been hospitalized for violence towards self or others, and persons on no-fly, terrorist watch lists.

On the third level we need:

6.     A national program to train and maintain school- and community-based threat assessment teams that include mental health and law enforcement partners. Threat assessment programs should include practical channels of communication for persons to report potential threats as well as interventions to resolve conflicts and assist troubled individuals;

7.     Removal of legal barriers to sharing safety-related information among educational, mental health, and law enforcement agencies in cases where a person has threatened violence;

8.     Laws establishing Gun Violence Protection Orders that allow courts to issue time-limited restraining orders requiring that firearms be recovered by law enforcement when there is evidence that an individual is planning to carry out acts against others or against themselves.

Congress and the executive branch must remove barriers to gun violence research and institute a program of scientific research on gun violence that encompasses all levels of prevention. We contend that well-executed laws can reduce gun violence while protecting all Constitutional rights.

It’s time for federal and state authorities to take immediate action to enact these proposals and provide adequate resources for effective implementation. We call on law enforcement, mental health, and educational agencies to begin actions supporting these prevention efforts. We ask all parents and youth to join efforts advocating for these changes, and we urge voters to elect representatives who will take effective action to prevent gun violence in our nation.

Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence

(names in alphabetical order)

Ron Avi Astor, Ph.D., University of Southern California
George G. Bear, Ph.D., University of Delaware
Catherine P. Bradshaw, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D., University of Florida
Daniel Flannery, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
Michael J. Furlong, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Nancy Guerra, Ed.D., University of California, Irvine
Robert Jagers, Ph.D., University of Michigan
Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Matthew J. Mayer, Ph.D., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Maury Nation, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D., University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
David Osher, Ph.D., Takoma Park, MD
Russell Skiba, Ph.D., Indiana University
George Sugai, Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Daniel W. Webster, Sc.D., Johns Hopkins University
Mark D. Weist, Ph.D., University of South Carolina

 

Organizations and Individuals Endorsements

Alliance for Excellent Education
American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
American Art Therapy Association
American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Board of Professional Psychology 
American Council for School Social Work
American Counseling Association
American Dance Therapy Association
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Psychological Association Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools
Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare
Association for Positive Behavior Support
Association of Teacher Educators
Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA)
Behavioral Institute for Children and Adolescents
Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice
Center for MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports
Center for School Climate and Learning
Children's Mental Health Network
Clinical Social Work Association
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Committee for Children
Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD)
Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)
Council of Combined and Integrated Doctoral Programs in Psychology (CCIDPIP)
Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs
Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology
Division of Educational Psychology, American Psychological Association
Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice
GLSEN
International Bullying Prevention Association
International Charter For Compassion
International Charter For Compassion Women and Girls
Justice Policy Institute 
Learning Disabilities Association of America
Maestral International
National Association for Children's Behavioral Health
National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE)
National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS)
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Center for School Mental Health
National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP)
National Education Association (NEA)
National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Juvenile Justice Network
National Latina/o Psychological Association
National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence
National PTA
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
National School Climate Center (NSCC)
Parent Revolution 
Protect All Children's Environment
Psychology Coalition of NGOs Accredited at the United Nations
Public Advocacy for Kids
Roots & Wings Institute for Family Excellence
Sandy Hook Promise
School Psychology, Division 16 of the American Psychological Association
School Social Work Association of America
School-Based Health Alliance
Search Institute
SEL for Prevention
Society for Community Research and Action
Society for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
Society for Prevention Research (SPR)
Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Division 53 of the American Psychological Association
Society of Counseling Psychology, Division 17, American Psychological Association
The Child and Family Evidence Based Practice Consortium
The Mental Health-Education Integration Consortium
The National Behavioral Intervention Team Association (NaBITA)
Trainers of School Psychologists
University Council for Educational Administration
Wing Institute

#CompassionConvos
​Act Yakima
Addison Northwest School District
Adler University
African American Child Wellness Institute - Minnesota
Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence, University at Buffalo
Alfred University
Arizona Association of School Psychologists
Arkansas School Psychology Association
Asociación de Psicología Escolar de Puerto Rico (APEP)
Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors
Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania
Atlanta Behavioral Health Advocates, Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Baltimore City Association of School Psychologists
Baltimore County School Psychologists' Association
Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education (Case Western Reserve University)
Bullying Research Network
California Association of School Psychologists
Center for Behavioral Education and Research
Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies, University of Rhode Island
Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management at Georgia State University
Center for Social Work Education, Widener University
Center X, UCLA
Central Michigan University School Psychology Program
Chicvara & Associates, LLC
Child Health and Development Institute
Clover Educational Consulting Group
Cognitive Health Solutions, LLC
College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine
Colorado Society of School Psychologists
Common Ground 
Connecticut Association of School Psychologists
Connecticut Psychological Association
Contra Costa Community College District
Council for Children's Rights
Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education, Northeastern
Danville Area School District
Delaware Association of School Psychologists
Delaware Psychological Services
Department of Educational Psychology, Baylor University
Department of Teacher Education at the College of Charleston
Department of Teaching and Learning, School of Education and Human Development, University of Southern Maine
Derry Township School District, Hershey Pa
digiCOACH, Inc.
Family Services Network
Family Therapy Center of Boulder
Fizika Group
Florida Association of School Psychologists
Full Circle Community and Wellness
Futures Without Violence
Goleta Union School District
Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Harvard Graduate School of Education
HIGH IMPACT Mission-based Consulting and Training
Howard University School Psychology Program
ICONS -  Individuals Collectively Overcoming Negative Situations
Illinois Chapter of American Dance Therapy Association
Illinois School Counselor Association
Illinois School Psychologists Association
Indivisible CD 19 NY
Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma
Instructional Research Group
Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community (ISAAC)
International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors
International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals-Illinois Chapter
Iowa School Psychologists Association
Ironside Security Consultants, LLC
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University
Journal of Applied School Psychology
Judge Baker Children's Center
Justice and Serious Mental Illness 
Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education
Lancaster Pediatric Associates
Lee'sSummit4SafeSchools
Literacy, Language, and Culture Department, University of Southern Maine
Little Sisters of the Assumption
Lives in the Balance
Louisiana School Psychological Association
Maine Psychological Association
Maine Resilience Building Network
Maryland School Psychologists Association
Massachusetts School Psychologists Association
McDermott-Sitzman Associates, PC
Metamorphosis Life Revitalizing Center, LLC
Michigan Association of School Psychologists
Michigan Psychological Association
Midwest PBIS Network
Midwest School Social Workers Council
Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders (MSLBD)
Minnesota Public Health Association
Minnesota School Psychologists Association
Minnesota School Psychology Association
Minnesota School Social Workers Association (MSSWA)
Missouri Association of School Psychologists
Missouri Prevention Center; University of Missouri
Montana Association of School Psychologists
Montgomery County School Psychologists' Association (MCSPA)
Move Forward New York - Gun Control Task Force
MVP Pediatric and Urgent Care
National Association of Social Workers -Colorado Chapter
National Shattering Silence Coalition
Neag School of Education
Nebraska School Psychologists Association
Nevada Association of School Psychologists
New Directions Counseling Services
New Hampshire Association of School Psychologists
New Jersey Association of School Psychologists
New Leaders
New York Association of School Psychologists
NYC Leadership Academy
Office of Psychological Services, Baltimore County Public Schools
Ohio Psychological Association
Ohio School Psychologists Association
Oregon School Psychologists Association
Outreach Teen & Family Services
Paris Union School District No. 95
Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychologists (PSCP): The Psychology Network
Pine Forge Farms Therapy Center
Portland (Maine) Public Schools
Prevention Section of the Society of Counseling Psychology, American Psychological Association 
Public Advocacy for Kids
Public Health Advocates
Rainstorms to Rainbows
Respectful Ways Social Emotional Learning Curriculum
Rhode Island School Psychologists Association
Rio Grande Community Farm
Ripple Effects
ROC the Possibilities, Inc.
Safe & Humane Schools within the Institute on Family & Neighborhood Life, Clemson University
San Diego State University - School Psychology Program 
School of Social Work, Leadership, & Youth Advocacy, Wheelock College
School Psychologists Association of Anne Arundel County
South Carolina Association of School Psychologists
Strategies for Youth, Inc.
Student Advocacy Inc.
Students for Peace and Social Justice, Elon University
Summit Area Indivisible
Summit Counseling Center
Summit County Progressive Democrats
Team Up for Families
Texas Association of School Psychologists
The Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment
The Salem Center for Therapy, Training and Research
The South Carolina Education Association
The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory (TOPLAB), New York/New England
Trinity Washington University
UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters
University of Kentucky School Psychology Program
University of Maryland School of Social Work
University of New England School of Social Work
UpBeat NYC
USC Rossier School of Education
USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Utah Association of School Psychologists
Vermont Association of School Psychologists
Violence Prevention Initiative, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Voyages Preschool
Washington State Association of School Psychologists (WSASP)
Wayne State University-School & Community Psychology program
West Valley Resistance ASAP- Active Shooter Action Program
West Virginia Psychological Association
Wheelock College
Wisconsin School Psychologists Association

View a complete list of over 4,400 individuals endorsing this document (pdf)

Barbara J. Burns, Ph.D. Duke University School of Medicine
Ayse Ciftci, Ph.D. Purdue University
James Clyde DiPerna, Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University
George J. DuPaul, Ph.D. Lehigh University
Tanya L. Eckert, Ph.D. Syracuse University
Katie Eklund, Ph.D. University of Missouri
Scott Frank, M.D., M.S. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Nicholas A. Gage, Ph.D. University of Florida
Felipe Gonzalez Castro, Ph.D., MSW Arizona State University College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Frank M. Gresham, Ph.D. Louisiana State University
William L. Heward, Ed.D., BCBA-D The Ohio State University
Stephen P. Hinshaw, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Francisco
Robert H. Horner, Ph.D. University of Oregon
Edward J. Kame'enui, Ph. D. University of Oregon
Regina M. Koepp, PsyD, ABPP Emory University - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Jim Larson, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Tamika P. La Salle, Ph.D. University of Connecticut
John E. Lochman, Ph.D., ABPP The University of Alabama
Celeste Malone, Ph.D., MS Howard University
Jeffrey F. Milem, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara - Graduate School of Education
William Modzeleski Sigma Threat Management Associates
Kamau Oginga Siwatu, Ph.D. Texas Tech University
Elise T. Pas, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Thomas Power, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Wendy M. Reinke, Ph.D. University of Missouri
Carol Robinson-Zanartu, Ph.D. San Diego State University
Elina Saeki, Ph.D. California State University, Los Angeles
Ronald G. Slaby, Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital
Jacqueline Sperling, Ph.D. McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozcom, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Susan M. Swearer, Ph.D., LP University of Nebraska - Lincoln
William G. Tierney , Ph.D. University of Southern California
Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed.D. University of Virginia
Bradley White, Ph.D. Virginia Tech
Roger P. Weissberg, Ph.D. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Marleen Wong, Ph.D. University of Southern California
James E. Ysseldyke, Ph.D. University of Minnesota
Robert A. Zucker, Ph.D. University of Michigan