Firearm Violence Prevention

Through a variety of partnerships, we are playing a role in connecting communities to critical resources and elevating information about the impacts of gun violence. We have been a partner of the St. Louis Violence Prevention Commission since its inception and have supported its work since 2019. In 2021, we contracted with Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to develop recommendations and a report for the city of St. Louis and for St. Louis County to help them prioritize the most effective solutions. Several of these recommendations are being carried out, including the establishment of the St. Louis City Office of Violence Prevention. Additional efforts in the region include Life Outside of Violence, a regional hospital-based violence intervention program.

In southeast Missouri, we’ve partnered with the Fresh Start Self-Improvement Center and their “Save Our Community” program, which aims to gain a better understanding of gun violence in the Charleston area.  

Working to fill the gaps in knowledge about gun violence and what could be done to prevent it, in 2020 we partnered with the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research to conduct Missouri-specific research regarding different aspects of gun violence throughout our region. 

In 2020, we began a collaboration with the Kansas City Star to support their Missouri Gun Violence Project. This two-year effort helped illuminate the topic in in-depth ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Through this work, the paper investigated firearm violence in all its forms (including intimate partner violence, homicides, and suicides).

Opening up a conversation and finding common ground on a topic like firearm violence can be difficult. We’ve partnered with the FrameWorks Institute to develop a research-based guide for how to talk about and reframe this discussion and foster real dialogue across the political spectrum. Interested in learning more or viewing the document? Reach out to Jessi LaRose, Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Our work to address firearm homicides and accidents is closely aligned with our broader firearm injury and death work.