{"id":263134,"date":"2026-03-27T16:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=263134"},"modified":"2026-03-27T16:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:32:14","slug":"global-gun-violence-research-requires-a-multidisciplinary-approach","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2026\/global-gun-violence-research-requires-a-multidisciplinary-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Gun Violence Research Requires a Multidisciplinary Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-center has-text-position-y-bottom\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Gun and ammo magazine in the safe, front view\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research.jpg 6000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-755x503.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/03\/gun-research-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 6000px) 100vw, 6000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Viewpoint<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGlobal Gun Violence Research Requires a Multidisciplinary Approach\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Research on firearm violence faces complex challenges that require collaborative efforts across continents to reduce the toll of this growing crisis.\u00a0<br><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 27, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/jillian-mckoy\/\">Jillian McKoy<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>Gun violence remains a global public health crisis, with up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/what-we-do\/arms-control\/gun-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">71 percent<\/a> of homicides worldwide involving firearms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although gun culture and mass shootings are uniquely associated with the United States, firearm violence is a global public health crisis that inflicts physical, mental, and economic harm among affected individuals and communities. More than <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12535839\/\">70 percent<\/a> of gun-involved homicides occur in low- and middle-income countries, with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean bearing the greatest burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding gun violence risk factors, along with effective policies and interventions, can help reverse this alarming trend, but researchers face multiple challenges in achieving these goals, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(26)00361-2\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new commentary published in <em>The Lancet<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the commentary,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/adnan-ali-hyder\/\">Adnan Hyder<\/a>, School of Public Health dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, and authors <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/tec.mx\/en\/our-faculty\/ecsg\/sandra-ley?srsltid=AfmBOopd5OeuP1fc4MiT72BNqB4SKV-3QdxGZ-A_GKDUo2ku82fIDdw0\" target=\"_blank\">Sandra Ley<\/a>, Distinguished Professor in Political Science in the School of Social Science and Government at Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey in Mexico City; <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/neci.fflch.usp.br\/en\/lorena-guadalupe-barberia\" target=\"_blank\">Lorena Barberia<\/a>, professor in the Department of Political Science, University of S\u00e3o Paulo;<em> <\/em>and<em> <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/aisha-jafri\/\">Aisha Jafri<\/a>, director of the Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health, identify the major challenges that gun violence researchers face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One important issue that countries are grappling with is a lack of access and availability to quality data on firearm violence, the authors write. For example, Mexico considers many of its gun violence investigations and data to be issues of national security, so this information is often withheld\u2014and the information that does become available to the public is often delayed or inconsistent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many governments have even passed legislation to withhold firearm violence data or terminate funding for gun violence research. These decisions are further complicated by geopolitical influences that result in inconsistent support of international gun research. \u201cStrategic and economic interests take precedence over global health concerns, complicating efforts to fund research initiatives that maintain integrity and public trust,\u201d the authors write, citing the 2025 firings of more than 200 staff members from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, the authors argue that the World Health Organization\u2019s (WHO) decision to change the way it addresses gun violence will affect the way firearm research is conducted. Since 2014, the WHO has moved away from producing reports that specifically focus on firearm policy and legislation, and instead folded its gun violence agenda into its broader work on homicides, which may diminish the targeted approaches needed to address the complexities of gun violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overcoming these complex challenges to researching gun violence requires concerted and creative efforts\u2014such as coordinated efforts between academia, investigative journalism, and civil society to capture gun violence information, the authors write.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen collaborating across sectors and countries, institutions can unlock knowledge exchange and shared learning and broaden funding sources,\u201d says Jafri. \u201cA multifaceted gun violence consortium is well positioned to communicate the evidence to different stakeholders, inform policy development, and catalyze community engagement and mobilization.\u201dIn this aim, <em>The Lancet<\/em> established a Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health in 2024 to spur gun violence research and evidence-based action at the local, national, regional, and international levels. Co-led by Drs. Hyder and Barberia, the commission consists of international experts in public health, economics, law, medicine, history, political science, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGun violence is a highly complex issue that calls for convergent thinking to explore multisectoral solutions, and we hope to deliver a pathway towards that in our report next year,\u201d Hyder says. \u201cIt is already clear that new thinking is needed for the prevention, mitigation and control of gun violence here in the United States and in the top ten countries with the highest burden of this disease. We need a lot more research in low- and middle-income countries in the future, as the current quantum of work is very limited in those settings.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gun violence remains a global public health crisis, with up to 71 percent of homicides worldwide involving firearms. Although gun culture and mass shootings are uniquely associated with the United States, firearm violence is a global public health crisis that inflicts physical, mental, and economic harm among affected individuals and communities. More than 70 percent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15205,"featured_media":263138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2265,3243,1866,3649,4830,4680,3380],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3531,3540,3545],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[5292,5363],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/263134"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263134"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/263134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":263160,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/263134\/revisions\/263160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263134"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=263134"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=263134"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=263134"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=263134"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=263134"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=263134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}