Dear Colleagues:

On March 15, 49 people were murdered, and dozens injured, at two mosques in central Christchurch, New Zealand. Mass shootings are rare in that country; this attack was the deadliest in its recent history. While we are still learning the details of the shooting, the alleged gunman reportedly left messages linking the crimes with the ideologies of fascism and white nationalism. Terrorism is always shocking, but it is hard not to feel there is something especially obscene about these attacks occurring near the time of Friday prayers, a central ritual of Islam.

Sadly, here in the US, we are all too familiar with someone motivated by hate using weapons of war to attack the innocent. From Sandy Hook, to Orlando, to Las Vegas, to Parkland, the intersection of guns and hate has long been a vector for our country’s gun violence epidemic. We also know how mass shootings are, at core, a political problem, and that commonsense gun safety legislation can help prevent them. For example, a recent study, co-authored by SPH researchers, found that states with more permissive gun laws have higher rates of mass shootings. And just last Monday, our school co-hosted a panel with WBUR, featuring state leaders and advocates, who led a discussion of how Massachusetts gun laws have sharply reduced gun deaths in this state. All of this reinforced the fact that shootings are not inevitable. We can stop them with good, data-informed laws. It is not possible to end hate, but it is possible to deny hate the tools it needs to fashion a tragedy.

As we grieve for New Zealand, it is important to remember just how much we can do—both here at SPH and in the wider world—to address the challenge of gun violence, and inform a conversation that points towards solutions. Pursuing these solutions, we must also care for the many who are injured by guns, whose struggles can be overlooked once the latest tragedy has faded from the news cycle.

While it is difficult to speak of hope after a day like Friday, I am indeed hopeful about our capacity to create a healthier world, one without the daily toll of gun violence. As always, it is a privilege to be part of a community that is working to create this world, every day.

Warm regards,

Sandro

Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean, Robert A. Knox Professor
sgalea@bu.edu

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