Gun violence in the United States: Competing frames and policy tensions

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This event is made possible in part through the generous support of the Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Health Policy Fund. 

About the event:

Gun violence represents a significant social problem in the United States. In a single week, the U.S. experiences, on average, over 1,200 gun-related incidents, including accidents, suicides, homicides, and mass shootings. Of all developed nations, the U.S. has - by far - the highest rates of gun ownership and gun violence. 

Many competing lenses frame the primary causes or drivers of the unique and multi-faceted problem of gun violence in the U.S., lenses that invoke perspectives on crime, race, mental health, immigration, and other contentious issues. Moreover, the topic of gun violence results in extremely heated, bitter, and politically-divisive policy debates. This will be a moderated discussion with a panel of experts who have competing views on how best to frame or define the problem of gun violence and priority policy solutions.

Panelists:

Jane Coaston, Senior politics reporter at VOX (University of Michigan alum, '09) 

Jonathan Metzl, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Sociology, Director of the Center for Medicine, Health and Society at Vanderbilt University

Rebecca Cunningham, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Director of Injury Prevention Center, and Associate Vice President for Research-Health Sciences, University of Michigan

Moderator:

Paula Lantz, PhD, Professor of Public Policy, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Ford School of Public Policy

• Paula Lantz
• DEI
• gun violence
• Jane Coaston
• Jonathan Metzl
• Rebecca Cunningham
• Michael Barr