News

Mass shootings are a source of shared anguish and outrage among Americans and are becoming more frequent. Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as gun violence restraining orders or “red flag” laws, are designed to help prevent these shootings. Our experts note that:

A study from the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis examines case details and mortality records from the first three years of California’s GVRO law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

What does the data on gun violence tell us about trends?

Are trends in gun purchases linked to trends in firearm violence? 

How effective are background checks?

What makes a community more vulnerable to gun violence?

How can we reduce the risk within specific communities of need?

Shani Buggs, an assistant professor with the Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP), was in attendance for a historic White House event in the Rose Garden on April 11. She was there as President Joe Biden announced new rules to crack down on “ghost guns” and a ban on the manufacturing of untraceable firearms.

The rise in unemployment during the five months of the pandemic was associated with an increase in firearm violence and homicide in 16 American cities. 

Research led by UC Davis Professor Garen Wintemute shows that violence indirectly impacts most Californians. Though relatively few may experience or witness a violent act, a large majority of surveyed Californians reported having an “experience of violence” (EV). These included hearing gunshots in their neighborhood, encountering a sidewalk memorial to a violent death or learning about a violent event through their social network.

Handgun owners who have been charged with intimate partner violence (IPV) – abuse or aggression in romantic relationships – are much more likely to commit other violent crimes. That includes crime index offenses, such as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. These results affirm prior research that showed IPV is a major risk for future offenses. 

During the first five months of the pandemic in 2020, low-income communities of color experienced significantly greater increases in firearm violence, homicides and assaults compared to more affluent, white neighborhoods.

Previous studies showed increases in violence in U.S. cities during the pandemic but did not indicate where violence was highest or increased most within those cities.

Researchers at the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) assessed the prevalence of exposure to violence, such as robbery or assault, and its impacts on the mental health and social functioning of California adults.

People who own guns and those living with gun owners are substantially less worried about the risk of firearm injuries than individuals living in homes without guns, says a new study by violence prevention experts at UC Davis Health.