Gun Violence

Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the U.S. Guns kill more than 48,000 people a year, and firearm injuries were among the five leading causes of death for people ages 1-44 in the U.S in 2022, according to CDC. As a longtime advocate for violence prevention policies, APHA recognizes a comprehensive public health approach to addressing this growing crisis is necessary.

Latest Updates

U.S. Surgeon General declares firearm violence a public health crisis - CNN reported on March 18, 2025 that HHS removes surgeon general’s gun violence advisory from its website. Read APHA's release in support of the advisory when it was released in 2024.

Take action:

• Share our fact sheet about gun violence and prevention (PDF)
• Spread the word: add your comment to our thought bubble, take a photo with your sign and share it on social media. #stopgunviolence
• A Public Health Approach to Gun Violence Prevention: Your 2020 Action Plan (webinar for APHA members)

The issue of gun violence is complex and deeply rooted in our culture, which is why we must take a public health approach to ensuring our families and communities are safe. We must place a renewed emphasis on improving gun injury and violence research.

If you are interested in a sample op-ed, letter to the editor or technical support to help reach your local media, please contact APHA Media Relations.

How does public health tackle gun violence?

 "As our nation has this very intense debate over how best to make our communities safer and reduce the carnage that occurs from firearms, we’ve given you some policies that will work and how we can move this nation forward.” -- APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD

Additional Resources

• Policies that Work to Reduce Gun Violence forum: Video
  • Presentation slides (PDF) Introduction and Overview, Panel 1, Panel 2
• Read about the forum in this article from The Nation's Health
• APHA webinar: Gun Violence Prevention through the Public Health Lens: History, Intersectionality and Interventions
• From The Nation's Health: Federal funding for gun violence prevention research sparks hope
• APHA President Pam Aaltonen: Progress on gun violence prevention constrained by unanswered questions (The Nation's Health)
• Webinar for APHA members: Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue 
• Fact sheet: Who Gets Killed in America? The National Violent Death Reporting System is Keeping Track (PDF)
• Troisi, Williams: Public health approach can stem gun violence (PDF, Houston Chronicle)
• "Gun Violence is an epidemic. It is time for a public health response" (editorial in The Guardian by APHA's Georges Benjamin) 
• Diagnosis: gun deaths and injuries are a public health issue (editorial by APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD, and Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence President Dan Gross)
• The rate of gun-related murders fell sharply in the 10 years after Connecticut implemented a law requiring people buying firearms to have a license, according to a study (CNN article based on American Journal of Public Health study findings)
• Community preparedness resources for active shooter incidents (NACCHO)