Gun control strategies need to be grounded in science, not bias

If you honestly wish to decrease gun violence across our country, you must be willing to look past the bias of media outlets and elected politicians.

Did you know that the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice? The NIJ website states, "We are dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. We provide objective and independent knowledge and tools to inform the decision-making of the criminal and juvenile justice communities to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local levels."

They follow "widely accepted scientific processes and procedures to help ensure the validity and integrity" of their research. They listen to community members, crime survivors, criminal justice practitioners, people who have been incarcerated, business leaders about crime control, and prevention successes.

"After NIJ has evaluated the results of the funded research, it is disseminated through multiple channels to (1) give policymakers and practitioners the best available evidence to make decisions and (2) build knowledge that advances both science and practice."

The NIJ is required to make Annual Reports to Congress. The NIJ website reflects the last Annual Report was filed for 2020--no annual reports have been filed for 2021 or 2022. However, their website, https://nij.ojp.gov, does contain a research document dated Feb. 3, 2022, entitled "Public Mass Shootings: Database Amasses Details of a Half Century of U.S. Mass Shootings with Firearms, Generating Psychosocial Histories." The subtitle states, "A troubled past and leaked plans are common to those who take part in mass shootings. Most use handguns."

Mass shootings in that report are defined as a shooting that kills four or more people. "The data on 172 mass public shooters cover more than 150 psychosocial history variables, such as those individuals' mental health history, past trauma, interest in past shootings, and situational triggers." Many of the mass shooters are radicalized online, purchase handguns legally, and 64.5% of individuals had a prior criminal record. While 77.2% used handguns, 25.1% used AR's in commission of their crimes. The findings point out that media outlets have their own biases in favor of coverage of mass shootings (i.e., schools, military bases, assault rifles, etc.).

Additionally, the research states the fact that there are no federal laws requiring safe storage of guns and no federal standards for firearm locks. The NIJ website contains other research specific to violence and school safety.

It is time to put political agendas, emotions, and biases aside and look to real scientific evidence to reduce gun violence in this country. To that end, this NIJ report should serve as a valuable resource. It is also time to demand that the current DOJ/NIJ fulfill its responsibility and file required delinquent Annual Reports with Congress. If you wish to contact Senator Shaheen and ask if the reports have, in fact, been filed and simply not posted to the public website or an explanation for this lack of compliance contact her in any of the following manners.

DC Phone Number: 202-224-2841

Government Website: shaheen.senate.gov

ContactEmail: shaheen.senate.gov/contact/contact-jeanne

Official Website: jeanneshaheen.com

YouTube: youtube.com/senatorshaheen

Facebook: facebook.com/SenatorShaheen

Twitter: twitter.com/SenatorShaheen

Cheryl Russell is a former high school teacher and 30-year employee with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She lives in Dover.