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A brand new report printed within the journal JAMA proposes a spread of initiatives to considerably cut back the hurt brought on by firearm violence in the USA over the subsequent 15 years. These embody utilizing synthetic intelligence (AI) and different applied sciences to detect hid weapons, and increasing packages that tackle poverty, social mistrust and different elements behind violence in American communities.
The report summarizes discussions amongst 60 specialists in public well being, criminology, sociology, social work, public coverage and different fields. JAMA convened the two-day summit final March to chart a “roadmap that will lead to substantial reductions in firearm violence, injuries and harm in the United States by 2040.”
“We really tried to step back and think about what innovations are needed to address the firearm problem in a new way—realizing we live in a country with a Second Amendment and somewhere around 400 million firearms in private hands,” stated Dr. Frederick P. Rivara, professor of pediatrics on the College of Washington Faculty of Medication. He chaired the summit.
Since 2000, greater than 800,000 People have been killed and greater than 2 million injured by firearms. Firearm homicides peaked at 21,383 in 2021. Though charges have fallen 29% since then, homicides nonetheless totaled 16,725 in 2024. Firearm suicides, which account for two of each 3 firearm deaths, have climbed steadily since 2000, reaching 27,310 in 2023.
The report notes that the harms to society brought on by firearms prolong past demise and bodily damage. These embody psychological hurt to individuals who witness shootings, whose family members have been killed or injured, and others who stay in concern of firearm violence of their communities.
The report acknowledges that some U.S. Supreme Court docket selections have restricted restrictions on firearm possession, however notes that plenty of legal guidelines regulating gun use—akin to these requiring background checks, secure storage and the give up of weapons by people thought of at excessive threat for violence—nonetheless cross authorized muster and have been applied in lots of states.
Promising social packages cited by the report embody group violence-intervention packages, akin to people who join regulation enforcement and social providers to assist high-risk people acquire housing and monetary help, job coaching and placement, and therapeutic assist.
AI, the report famous, can be utilized to reinforce police enforcement and community-intervention packages by figuring out high-risk people and areas. Such use of the expertise, nevertheless, raises problems with privateness and civil liberties, which should be addressed in parallel, the report cautioned.
Lastly, the report known as for motion towards the root-level causes of firearm violence by altering inequitable social constructions that give rise to them—an strategy it calls “primordial prevention.” Such actions would come with selling “housing stability, economic opportunity, environmental improvement and equitable policies” in communities which have suffered from a protracted historical past of segregation, neglect and disinvestment, the report stated.
“The promise of primordial prevention lies in its power to shift the very conditions under which violence becomes possible and simultaneously improve health and safety. By restoring trust, redistributing power and redesigning context, these innovations can help build a future where firearm injury is not just treated, but prevented,” the report stated.
Different UW Medication authors who contributed to the report are Drs. Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, professor of epidemiology and pediatrics, and Dimitri Christakis, professor of pediatrics.
Extra info:
Frederick P. Rivara et al, Towards a Safer World by 2040, JAMA (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.18076
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College of Washington Faculty of Medication
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Report outlines how AI and different tech might curb firearm violence by 2040 (2025, November 4)
retrieved 4 November 2025
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