More than 40 experts from across sectors in medicine, public health, law, industry, and community violence intervention have produced a blueprint for substantially reducing firearms harms.

Nancy La Vigne, Dean of the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice and an expert on criminal justice reform, policy data, and research, was part of the JAMA Summit convened by JAMA and JAMA Network. Their report presents suggestions to dramatically reduce firearm violence by 2040 through practical solutions grounded in evidence and accountability, recognizing constitutional protections while ensuring public safety.

The report synthesizes evidence on policies and interventions that demonstrably reduce firearm violence and deaths. It identifies actions to drive progress in the coming years, including investing in community-based initiatives; advancing technologies while strengthening oversight for firearms as consumer products; and shifting the public’s and policymakers’ understanding of the preventability of firearm harms, reframing gun violence as a public health, social, and environmental issue. The experts also recommend supporting coordinated action at the federal, state, and local levels informed by scientific insight and advocacy, and expanding research on the effectiveness, scaling, and equity of interventions.

“Over 800,000 individuals in the United States have died from injuries related to firearms and more than two million others have been injured,” said La Vigne. “These are the result of homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings, which reverberate through communities nationwide and result in psychological, economic, and social consequences that far exceed physical injury.”

The report is available here.