Less than a week after we marked 12th years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, America was once again rocked by a school shooting, this time in Wisconsin. And, in Connecticut, the fatal shooting of a young mother and her infant son in Hartford last month remains a painful reminder of the work still needed to curb gun violence.
Dr. Kerri Raissian has devoted her professional life to researching gun violence. She is Director of the University of Connecticut’s A.R.M.S. initiative, which stands for “Advancing Research, Methods, and Scholarship in Gun Injury Prevention” and she is at the forefront of efforts to address this crisis. Dr. Kerri Raissian has also been appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to the state Commission on Community Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention. Raissian emphasizes the importance of research-driven solutions and a broader public health approach.
Viewing Gun Violence Through a Public Health Lens
The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2021 declaration of gun violence as a public health crisis marked a turning point in how the issue is framed. For Raissian, this shift highlights the need for a multifaceted approach.
“Public health tools are good at trying to understand when something happens, the pattern in which it happens, and what kind of interventions can be useful in preventing gun injury from happening again,” she said.
Raissian emphasized that addressing gun violence cannot rely solely on punitive measures or law enforcement. Instead, it requires an integrated approach that includes prevention, education, and community engagement.
Disparities in Gun Violence
Connecticut’s Commission on Community Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention reported stark racial disparities in gun violence victims from 2020 to 2023. Black males in the state are three times more likely than Hispanic males and 30 times more likely than white males to be victims of gun homicides.
Raissian believes targeted community resources are essential to addressing these disparities, including local nonprofits that offer trauma-informed therapy to youth affected by gun violence.
“After a shooting occurs, organizations like the Compass Youth Collaborative respond to hospitals to ensure victims have their needs taken care of and to reduce the risk of retaliation,” she explained.
This bedside intervention model, she noted, is a critical step in breaking cycles of violence within communities.
The Role of Strong Gun Laws
Connecticut boasts some of the nation’s toughest gun laws, and Raissian affirmed their effectiveness, particularly in reducing youth gun violence and suicides.
“Secure storage laws are particularly effective at preventing youth-based homicides and there’s some evidence that they’re also effective at preventing suicides,” she said.
Raissian also highlighted the state’s universal background check system, which works hand in hand with a rigorous permitting process.
“These measures ensure that gun owners fully understand their responsibilities while keeping firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them,” she said.
Hartford’s unsolved murder problem
While Raissian said shootings and injuries from gun violence across the state are down in 2024, a nonprofit formed by retired law enforcement and investigative journalists found the number of unsolved gun homicide cases are not.
“I went to the Murder Accountability Project, and they estimate that only about 27% of murders in Hartford County in 2023 were solved,” she said. “We need to do a much better job clearing murders and solving them.”
To improve outcomes, Raissian advocates for better implementation of tools like ShotSpotter technology, DNA and ballistics testing, and video surveillance in public spaces.
“These resources can play a significant role in solving gun-related crimes and deterring future violence,” she explained.
