Strategies to Reduce Gun Violence

• NCJ Number: 247967
• Author(s): David Sheppard
• Date Published: February 1999
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Instructional Material; Factsheet

Annotation

After reviewing trends in gun violence and its impact on juveniles, this Fact Sheet reviews promising strategies for countering gun violence.

Abstract

Gun-related crime peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1997, the national homicide rate declined to a 30-year low of seven murders per 100,000 U.S. citizens. Despite this decline, however, homicide rates remain unacceptably high, and firearms are still the weapons most often used for murder. The impact of gun violence is particularly strong for juveniles. For persons between the ages of 15 and 24, the homicide rate of 15.2 per 1000,000 U.S. residents is higher than the combined total homicide rate for 11 industrialized nations. In response to this national crisis, the U.S. Department of Justice has developed "Promising Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence." This report describes 60 strategies and programs that jurisdictions can use to address gun violence. The strategies and programs featured in the report focus on three points of intervention: interrupting sources of illegal guns, deterring illegal possession and carrying of guns, and responding to illegal gun use. Some examples of each of these strategies are presented. Several communities are implementing comprehensive gun violence-reduction strategies that address multiple risk factors associated with the illegal use of firearms. 4 references