Experts to Share Research, Proposals to Improve Federal Gun Laws
BOTTOM LINE: Top gun policy experts will convene at The Johns Hopkins University on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 14-15, to recommend federal actions to curb gun violence in the U.S.
WHAT: More than 20 experts will speak at a Summit on Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis. After presentations on the latest research, the experts will adopt specific recommendations, informed by research and data, for policies that would reduce gun violence, can win broad public support and would not violate constitutional rights. The recommendations will be announced at a post-summit news conference.
WHEN: Presentations (open to coverage) Monday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EST, and Tuesday, Jan. 15, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST. A meeting of the experts to develop recommendations will follow (closed to coverage).
Recommendations will be released at a news conference at 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
WHERE: All open sessions of the Summit and the post-Summit news conference will be webcast here. Media who register in advance also are welcome to cover the summit in person at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health at 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, Md. 21205.
WHO: The summit will begin with opening remarks by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Presentations will include research findings from experts at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Rutgers, Michigan State, George Mason and Howard universities and the universities of Chicago, Connecticut and California-Davis. Experts from Great Britain, Australia and Brazil will present evaluations of gun policy reforms in their nations. A full schedule and presenter information are available online.
WHY: Last month's school shootings in Newtown, Conn., opened the door to new federal action to reduce gun violence in the United States. Johns Hopkins University's Center for Gun Policy and Research believes that any action should be based on the best available research. Evidence-based measures should aim, the Center believes, to curb not only mass shootings but also the less publicized U.S. gun violence that takes an average of 30 lives every day. For that reason, the University, its Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center are convening what is believed to be the most extensive summit meeting ever for gun policy researchers to discuss the evidence and make specific action recommendations.
COVERAGE OPTIONS: Journalists wishing to cover all or part of the summit in person should register by contacting Natalie Wood-Wright at nwoodwri@jhsph.edu. If you are unable to attend but wish to cover the summit through its webcast, please send your name, affiliation, email address, telephone number and (if applicable) Twitter handle to Ms. Wood-Wright. That will enable us to ensure that you receive all relevant materials before, during and after the summit.
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Twitter hashtag for the Summit is #jhugunpolicy.
Additional Resources
Restricting High-Risk Individuals from Owning Guns Saves Lives
In October 2012, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health produced a report examining policies and initiatives for reducing gun violence in the U.S. by reforming current gun policies.
Social Media and Multimedia
Follow the summit and gun policy research conversation on social media.
About
The John Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, founded in Baltimore in 1876 by philanthropist Johns Hopkins, was America's first research university and today is a leader in higher education across more than 250 major fields of study, conferring both graduate and undergraduate degrees at campuses throughout the Baltimore-Washington area and in Italy and China. The University comprises schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Advanced International Studies, Medicine, Music, Nursing and Public Health, and the Applied Physics Laboratory, a research-only division. For decades, Johns Hopkins has won more federal research-and-development funding than any other U.S. university. For more about how The Johns Hopkins University is working to advance humanity in service to our world, see www.jhu.edu.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
As a leading international authority on public health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to protecting health and saving lives. Every day, the Bloomberg School works to keep millions safe from illness and injury by pioneering new research, deploying its knowledge and expertise in the field, and educating tomorrow's scientists and practitioners in the global defense of human life. Founded in 1916 as part of the Johns Hopkins University, the Bloomberg School of Public Health is the world’s oldest and largest independent school of public health. More information: www.jhsph.edu.
Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research is dedicated to reducing gun-related injuries and deaths through the application of strong research methods and public health principles. Its faculty have pioneered innovative strategies for reducing gun violence, and achieved a national reputation for high-quality, policy-relevant research. The Center examines the public health effects of guns in society and serves as an objective resource for policy makers, the media, advocacy groups, and the general public. For the past two decades its faculty has helped shape the public agenda in the search for solutions to gun violence. Graduates of the School’s academic programs hold leadership positions in the field of gun violence prevention worldwide. More information: www.jhsph.edu/gunpolicy
Contacts
Tim Parsons
Director, Public Affairs
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
615 N. Wolfe Street/E2132
Baltimore, MD 21205-2179
410-955-7619
tmparson@jhsph.edu
Dennis O’Shea
Executive Director Communications & Public Affairs
Office of Communications
The Johns Hopkins University
901 S. Bond Ste 540
Baltimore, MD 21231
443-287-9960
dro@jhu.edu