Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting

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Homicides in Philadelphia are down by more than half compared to last year, according to city data:

How Many Guns Did Americans Buy Last Month? About 1.2 million guns were sold in February, according to seasonally adjusted estimates.

Americans bought an estimated 1.25 million guns in February 2026, according to an analysis of FBI data:

Changing the narrative: Researchers call for a new approach to reporting gun violence A Temple-led study finds that how television news reports violence can shape trauma, fear and inequality in the communities most affected.

“Gun violence is preventable... Reporting should help people understand why it happens and what works to stop it.” Introducing the latest study led by PCGVR Director of research Dr. @jessicabeard.bsky.social and our multidisciplinary research collaborative:

NRA successfully lobbies against bill taking away guns from abusers - Mississippi Today Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins says he'll try again in the 2027 legislative session to get his NRA-opposed bill passed to get guns out of the hands of domestic violence abusers.

“This bill is for and supported by domestic violence survivors, advocates and people who understand that domestic violence is an epidemic in the state of Mississippi.”

Mom’s Last Gun My mother has severe mental illness. Our family has spent decades trying to keep her from using firearms to hurt herself and others.

"And at the quiet suggestion of police officers, I have gone into my mother’s house — twice — to take her guns away. Once, that meant flying cross-country to break in while she was out running errands. The officers didn’t suggest that lightly. They knew it was not legal..."

LA’s program that diverts mental health crisis calls away from police becomes permanent Since launching in 2024, the Unarmed Model of Crisis Response has diverted some 17,000 calls away from police and other first responders.

“We can’t keep deploying armed officers to handle mental health crisis calls because the outcome is Angelenos paying with loss of life and millions of their tax dollars for legal settlements."

The JAMA Summit Report on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms This Special Communication discusses the JAMA Summit on Firearm Violence and provides an innovations roadmap to lead to substantial reductions in firearm violence, injuries, and harm in the US by 2040...

Here's the report published in November: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

JAMA Summit Report on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms To the Editor As a trauma surgeon and an emergency medicine physician caring for people with firearm injuries every day at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, we are deeply invested in public ...

"We were dismayed to find no discussion of the role that news media must play in changing the narrative." PCGVR research director Dr. @jessicabeard.bsky.social and colleague respond to Toward a Safer World by 2040, last fall's JAMA Summit Report on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms. (in thread)

Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times Children encounter war through constant media exposure. Calm, honest conversations help reduce fear and strengthen resilience.

"Training adults in managing media and using coping strategies to assist children in coping with media exposure related to terrorism has demonstrated a reduction in children's distress caused by exposure to terrorism-related media."

Father who gave gun to Georgia school shooting suspect for Christmas is guilty of 2nd-degree murder A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun he’s accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a high school has been convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

“You just had to do one thing — take that rifle away and this would have been prevented.”

After Fatal School Shootings, Campaign Cash Surges—and Congress Stays Stuck | Stanford Law School When a child is killed in a school shooting, public outrage is swift and intense. Polls consistently show overwhelming support for measures like unive

“More than 80 percent of Americans support universal background checks... When you have that level of consensus and yet see decades of inaction, something is interrupting the normal democratic process. Our research shows that political spending is a significant part of that story.”

‘Bridging the Divide’ on Firearms Laws A new project brought together people from opposing sides of the gun debate to craft model legislation for violence prevention.

"The panel formulated a package of eight state-level firearm policies aimed at preventing shootings and saving lives, all while protecting the rights of gun owners. All eight policies were approved with broad consensus from the participants, then combined in a 67-page package..."

Covering a police officer killed in the line of duty - Poynter An Indianapolis police officer was shot and killed while on duty. The Indy Public Editor takes a look at the coverage of the incident across the city's media landscape.

"Asking hard questions in the wake of a tragedy is not a sign of disrespect to law enforcement. Instead, it’s a sign of respect to the public that both the police and journalists serve."

'Scream 7' shows us a different way to survive the night | Opinion When the first 'Scream' came out in 1996, car crashes were the leading killer of kids in U.S. Today, guns are – and Hollywood can help change that.

"When writers and directors take the time to show characters properly storing their firearms, we can inspire audiences everywhere to do the same."

‘Our Culture is Prevention’ Native youth die by suicide at rates 91% higher than the general population. Tribal communities are turning to culturally centered treatment — combining ceremony, traditional practices and mental…

"But tribal communities are breaking that silence by turning to culturally centered treatment that blends ceremony, traditional practices and clinical care."

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Changing the narrative: Researchers call for a new approach to reporting gun violence A Temple-led study finds that how television news reports violence can shape trauma, fear and inequality in the communities most affected.

“Gun violence is preventable... Reporting should help people understand why it happens and what works to stop it.” Introducing the latest study led by PCGVR Director of research Dr. @jessicabeard.bsky.social and our multidisciplinary research collaborative:

Firearm and intimate partner violence is a preventable tragedy - Capitol Weekly OPINION - We don’t have the data we need to understand, and prevent, firearms-related deaths due to intimate partner violence (IPV).

"Firearms dramatically raise risk of death in IPV contexts. When those deaths are hidden, the most vulnerable, especially women of color, are left behind. So let us build the infrastructure for systematic and timely violent death data."

Do No Harm, Do Not Swarm: Storied Experiences of Mass Shooting Survivors with Journalists When mass shootings occur, journalists often overwhelm communities in the throes of immense trauma. This study seeks to understand the experiences of survivors and victims’ families after mass shoo...

"As audience trust declines, understanding the impact journalists have on the people they report on from the perspective of the people experiencing the tragedy is an integral part of the conversation for journalists and educators."

Supreme Court leans toward a marijuana user's challenge to gun restriction Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, was convicted under the same law before his father pardoned him.

"John Adams took a tankard of hard cider with his breakfast every day. James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day. Thomas Jefferson said he wasn't much of a user of alcohol. He only had three or four glasses of wine a night," Gorsuch noted.

We collaborate with @billy-penn.bsky.social to produce the Weekly brief on gun violence prevention, delivered via their daily newsletter every Wednesday. Here's this week's edition: mailchi.mp/billypenn/we...

Armed (Spring Series): Strategies to Address the Impacts of Gun Violence

Thursday: The Role of Schools in Gun Violence Prevention and Support

Fewest murders through February since 1962 in Philadelphia, second fewest on record (14 in 1962).

Armed (Spring Series): Strategies to Address the Impacts of Gun Violence

Thursday: The Role of Schools in Gun Violence Prevention and Support

As domestic violence homicides rise in Philly, a police unit will expand to work with victims of abuse Police hope the expanded 20-member team that's part of the Office of Victim Advocacy and Engagement will lead to fewer fatalities.

"Deaths related to domestic violence accounted for about one in six homicides in the city last year:"

After UChicago Trauma Center Reopened, Nearby Shooting Deaths Fell Nearly 4 Percent: Study Shooting victims arrived for treatment about 10 minutes sooner and traveled about 3 miles fewer to receive care after the center's 2018 relaunch, according to a study published this week in the…

"In other words, for every 1,000 shooting injuries within the UChicago center’s service area, about 39 people survived who would have otherwise died."

Philadelphia launches fund to support families of homicide victims - Metro Philadelphia The City of Philadelphia has launched a new program to help families of homicide victims cover funeral costs, city officials announced.

“Losing my son Justin to gun violence shattered my very existence. Being forced to navigate costly arrangements without any assistance added a weight that nearly broke me—emotionally, financially, and spiritually."

We feel honored and grateful to our friend and research partner Dr. Elinore Kaufman, who recognized our work when she authored a chapter in this important new text. When others cite our work, it helps advance our mission to improve media narratives and help prevent gun violence. www.pcgvr.org

How Philly became ground zero for rethinking gun violence reporting An effort led by local researchers and survivors is reshaping how journalists tell stories of trauma, healing, and prevention.

Our friends at WHYY’s Billy Penn took part in our national conference last fall and followed up with this two-part deep dive into our activities, people and impact.

Five years of work. One concise guide. Free to view and download now. – Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting News coverage of gun violence often inadvertently perpetuates stereotypical narratives about the people and communities most impacted. Typical coverage focuses on individual episodes of gun violence…

By changing the way gun violence is covered, reporters can take an active role in minimizing harm to injured people, communities, and society—and even make an important contribution toward preventing gun violence.