Reducing gun violence: Stanford scholars tackle the issue

In response to the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Florida, many Americans are asking how to prevent future senseless acts of violence. They are raising complicated concerns about the causes and solutions to gun violence: Why are so many people killed each year by guns? What gun laws need to be changed? How can we balance our Second Amendment rights with gun safety?

Stanford scholars have been studying these issues from a range of perspectives: law, politics, economics and medicine. Here are some of their findings.

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Gun Legislation and Policy

Law Professor John Donohue III has studied what can be done to prevent gun violence in the United States for over 25 years.  A lawyer and economist, Donohue explores how law and public policy are connected to gun violence, examining gun laws in the U.S. compared to other countries and looking at how the laws vary between states and the effect that has on rates of violence.

Another mass shooting: An update on U.S. gun laws

In a Q&A, Donohue discusses gun safety law and legislative developments.

Law & Policy

Violent crime increases in right-to-carry states

Stanford Law School Professor John Donohue found that states that adopted right-to-carry concealed handgun laws have experienced a 13 to 15 percent increase in violent crime in the 10 years after enacting those laws.

How US gun control compares to the rest of the world

While deaths from mass shootings are a relatively small part of the overall homicidal violence in America, they are particularly wrenching. The problem is worse in the U.S. than in most other industrialized nations. And it is getting worse.

4 gun control steps U.S. needs now

Donohue pens an opinion piece for CNN laying out four steps the United States should take to strengthen gun legislation.

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Causes of Gun Violence

Uncovering the causes of gun violence has been a challenge, in part because research is limited by federal legislation restricting research funding on the issue. Nigam Shah at the Stanford School of Medicine has written about the effect that limit has had on empirical research. He is not alone in exploring the topic of gun violence from a medical perspective. David Studdert has also examined the issue, specifically how gun ownership poses a risk to public health.

Disconnect: The gap between gun violence and research in numbers

Gun violence is much discussed but little studied, largely due to federal decisions governing research funding. A new analysis highlights just how big the gap between the violence and our knowledge of it is. The answer? It's huge.

California handgun sales spiked after two mass shootings

In the six weeks after the Newtown and San Bernardino mass shootings, handguns sales jumped in California, yet there is little research on why – or on the implications for public health, according to a Stanford researcher.

Law & Policy

New study analyzes recent gun violence research

Consensus is growing in recent research evaluating the impact of right-to-carry concealed handgun laws, showing that they increase violent crime, despite what older research says.

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Reducing Gun Violence

Many Americans are demanding practical next steps to reduce gun crime. Stanford scholars, including Lawrence Wein at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, have applied their expertise to identify usable solutions. These proposals could help policy-makers enact legislation that reduces gun violence and boosts safety.

How to solve more gun crimes without spending more money

Simple tweaks to how police process bullet casings could dramatically improve their forensic data.

Social Sciences

Improved gun buyer background checks would impede some mass shootings, Stanford expert says

Stanford Law Professor John Donohue says a background check system that was universal and effectively operated could impede gun acquisition by people who commit mass shootings.

Law & Policy

Reducing civilian firepower would boost police and community safety, Stanford expert says

In addition to restricting the firepower a person can amass, Stanford law Professor John J. Donohue advocates efforts to build trust between communities and law enforcement agencies as a way to enhance both police and citizen safety.