Gun violence is a uniquely devastating problem in the US and takes various forms, accidental and intentional and results in injuries and in death (suicide, homicide, mass shootings). Mass/ school shootings are horrifying and account for much of the media coverage; however, 99% of the deaths resulting from gun violence are the result of shootings that are not mass shootings. (Everytown, “Mass Shootings.”) The information below is focused on mass and school shootings, but many proposed solutions for mass/school shootings address all forms of gun violence. In addition to knowing gun violence is a significant problem, having specific data about the scope of the problem is helpful. The Violence Project is a resource with information specifically about mass and school shootings. Gun Violence Archive is a resource that provides up-to-date information on all gun violence in the US gathered from various sources (law enforcement, media, government, and commercial). (GVA website).
Below are some suggested nonviolent steps that people can take to move our society toward ending gun violence, and mass/school shootings in particular. These include three different categories: (1) preventative measures that seek to create cultures of care and address trauma; (2) nonviolent actions that can bring attention to the devastating impact of gun violence, and (3) political actions to change law and policy that will limit access to guns, in addition to a list of organizations focused on ending mass gun violence in the US.
Insights and analysis:
Watch mental health advocate and consultant Aaron Stark share about how he was almost a school shooter 25 years ago, and his perspective on America’s current gun violence epidemic.
Read educator and peace activist Francesca Po’s interview with Michael Nagler on her call as a teacher to act on gun violence prevention.
Listen to NPR’s Code Switch broadcast entitled Rethinking ’safety’ in the wake of Uvalde.
Preventive Measures:
The Violence Project has a program called The Off-Ramp Project, which is a hub of information, training, and resources to prevent mass shootings. These preventive measures can prevent not only school shootings but all forms of violence including suicide, self-harm, and bullying.
Start with Hello is a no-cost school program developed by the Sandy Hook Promise to build a culture of inclusion, empathy, and safety among students and help end social isolation, which in serious situations lead to someone hurting themselves or others.
Say Something is another no-cost program for schools and youth organizations from Sandy Hook Promise. It builds the capacity of young people to identify signs that peers are in distress and at risk of harming themselves or others, support them, and reach out to a trusted adult for support.
Student-led SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Promise Clubs, originating out of Sandy Hook Promise, give students the opportunity to take an active role in increasing school safety and preventing different forms of violence in schools and communities.
March for Our Lives is engaged in a multi-year program advocating for caring communities focusing on holistic, restorative, and transformative responses rather than policing in schools and punitive responses called Peace Without Police.
Reach out to the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. It is a national hotline available 24/7/365 for people experiencing emotional distress as the result of a natural or human-caused disaster.
Crisis response teams that can support students in crisis, such as The Violence Project’s model - The R-Model.
Take a training:
Organizations, such as DC Peace Team, have trainings around de-escalation and bystander intervention;
The Violence Project also has training to prevent and respond to both school violence and workplace violence.
An example of this in progress is the story of an elementary school accountant who prevented a school shooting by talking the person into putting down his assault weapon.
Educating yourself about the root causes of mass/school shootings and gun violence can be helpful in understanding steps that can end mass/school shootings and gun violence in general. For example, The Violence Project includes key findings from its database on mass/school shootings on its website. March for Our Lives describes what it identifies as the forces behind gun violence.
Nonviolent Actions
Campaign Nonviolence is hosting a Day of Action to End Gun Violence.
The Yellow Bus Project is a mobile art project of the NRA Children’s Museum and Change the Ref that includes 52 school buses, representing the 4368 children who have been killed by gun violence in the last two years.
Jacqueline von Edelberg’s art project “Enough” consists of 30,000 strips of fabric to represent each child killed since the Sandy Hook massacre with messages of support from people around the country. (Zach Miller, “Art piece shifts focus on gun violence nationwide in the wake of Highland Park shooting, “ Chicago Sun Times, 7/11/2022. )
Artist Kyle Holbrook is doing a Gun Violence Awareness National Tour, creating murals in cities in all 50 states, to bring attention to the growing gun violence crisis in the US and to be places of healing. (David Kwiatkowski, “Street artist Kyle Holbrook’s new Columbus mural aimed at gun violence crisis,” Columbus Dispatch)
According to Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, more police in schools have not led to a decrease in school shootings.
Political Action
Support political action to bring about legislation that will address underlying causes of mass/school shootings, including limiting access to guns, holding gun manufacturers responsible, providing greater access to mental health services. Some examples include The Brady Plan and Everytown for Gun Safety’s work on the grassroots, federal, state, and local levels.
Support political candidates that are committed to addressing gun violence. Some organizations identify political candidates who are committed to ending gun violence, e.g., Everytown for Gun Safety’s Gun Sense Voter.