UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention

Public Health, Gun Safety, Equity | SiriusXM Doctor Radio Reports

If you have SiriusXM, here's the link to @amybarnhorst.bsky.social's appearance on Doctor Radio. In the episode, Dr. Barnhorst talks with Dr. Marc Siegel about gun violence + the role physicians can play in reducing it. For resources, see: @bulletptsproj.bsky.social www.siriusxm.com/player/episo...

How to Counsel - BulletPoints Project % Learn to have appropriate and respectful conversations to help increase the safety of everyone living in homes with guns.

📜 Did you know that no state or federal laws prohibit clinicians from asking their patients clinically relevant questions about firearms?

🏡 Many clinicians, however, do not talk with patients about the risks of firearms in the home, even when it’s clinically indicated.

1/2

@ucdavisresearch.bsky.social @ucdavis.bsky.social @ucdavishealth.bsky.social

"Violence interrupter programs, hospital-based violence intervention programs," Wintemute listed. "Afterschool programs, Pre-K education programs, all of these things have been shown to have substantial impacts on rates of violence."

‘This is a first step’: Evaluating the efficacy of gun buyback programs (FOX40.COM) — FOX40 is taking a closer look at a specific mitigation effort — gun buyback programs. While they are often touted as an effective means of stripping the streets of these weapons,…

“'I think buyback programs are effective in mobilizing communities and changing the views of firearms in communities,' Wintemute said.

"Wintemute said these efforts often open the door to other strategies that can have a bigger and bolder impact."

www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Maine becomes 22nd state with a red flag law Maine voters passed the state’s first red flag law in November, creating a legal pathway to temporarily prevent someone in crisis from accessing firearms.

Per Dr. Pear, "widespread use of [a red flag law] often hinges on whether people in power are pushing to use the law working with law enforcement and judges on procedures." More on understanding and covering ERPO from @kwashburn.bsky.social @healthjournalism.org healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/02...

Study Highlights EMS Role in Reducing Firearm-Related Harm This study highlights the opportunities for EMS professionals to go beyond responding to firearm-related injuries and actively help prevent them.

EMS World recently interviewed @ucdaviscvp.bsky.social researcher and study lead co-author Amanda Aubel who provided insights into this study and its conclusions.

The study is entitled, ‘Experiences with and perspectives on firearm injury prevention among emergency medical services clinicians.’”

🚩 "Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement (and others, depending on the state), to petition a court for a temporary, civil order that allows for removal of someone’s guns and prevents them from buying more because they pose a serious risk. 1/

@ucdavis.bsky.social @ucdavisresearch.bsky.social @ucdavishealth.bsky.social

Should We Treat Political Violence as a Public Health Crisis? Thinking of political violence solely as a safety issue is not enough to address the harm that follows. “The patient is the community.”

"When political leaders describe opponents as existential threats, they’re not just venting. They’re conditioning people to see violence as a rational response. That fear doesn’t stay with one person; it spreads." CVP director Garen Wintemute in @thenation.com

www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Garen Wintemute, wearing blue medical scrubs and a stethoscope, stands in a hospital hallway.

Garen Wintemute, ER physician and director of the @ucdaviscvp.bsky.social, was recently featured in a new documentary from @kcranews.bsky.social: "Liberty and Limits: Guns in California."

Image: Garen Wintemute, wearing blue medical scrubs and a stethoscope, stands in a hospital hallway.

Community-Based Violence Intervention in the Aftermath of Homicide: Community Violence Prevention Specialists’ Proximity to and Perspectives on Community Safety and Healing - Julia J. Lund, Amanda J. ... Communities impacted by homicide endure profound loss and trauma, yet the voices of those intimately acquainted with navigating its aftermath are often overlook...

@ucdaviscvp.bsky.social spoke with 45 community violence prevention specialists (CVPS) to explore their role in preventing violence. Their proximity and perspective provide valuable guidance to inform and strengthen violence reduction efforts. Read more: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Image Description The image is a promotional flyer for a virtual workshop titled “Train the Trainer: Virtual Workshop on Clinical Firearm Injury Prevention.” The design uses shades of blue, purple, and black on a light background. At the top is the workshop title in large blue text, with a small logo-like graphic to the left. Image text: Header text: Train the Trainer, Virtual Workshop on Clinical Firearm Injury Prevention. Body text: Are you a clinician educator looking to incorporate firearm injury prevention into your teaching? In this training, you will learn: • how to assess when a patient is at risk of firearm injury • how to have respectful and culturally appropriate conversations about their access to guns • ways you can intervene to reduce that risk • how to incorporate these skills into your clinical supervision and classroom teaching February 25, 2026 11am-3pm PST 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM and APA CE Credits Available Footer text: Fill out this brief survey by February 20th to receive the registration link: tinyurl.com/BPTTT2026 Scan the QR code to access the survey or click on the link above

⏰ There's still time to sign up for our train the trainer workshop!
Join us for @bulletptsproj.bsky.social Train the Trainer Virtual Workshop on Clinical Firearm Injury Prevention!
Fill out this brief pre-registration form by February 20th: www.tinyurl.com/BPTTT2026

California cities just saw their lowest homicide rates in decades. It's not clear why Homicides in California surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, killings are down to historic lows in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and many other cities.

"@buggs44.bsky.social [of @UCDavisCVP] said in the report that cities with major decreases in their homicide rate tended to spend federal pandemic funds on violence prevention and have police depts that focused on people with repeated allegations of violent crimes..." calmatters.org/justice/2026...

Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Year-End 2025 Update - Council on Criminal Justice With homicide down 21%, the 2025 homicide rate may reach the lowest level ever recorded in law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900, CCJ’s year-end analysis finds.

Explore the full report from @counciloncj here: counciloncj.org/crime-trends...

What's Driving the Drop in Homicide? How Low Might It Go? - Council on Criminal Justice CCJ brought together leading experts to assess what’s driving the homicide decline, including changes in criminal justice policy, shifts in technology use, and broader social and economic trends.

Homicide in US cities is down 21%. What's driving the drop?

@counciloncj.org found homicides in US cities were down 21% in 2025. To explore what's driving this decrease, CCJ shared perspectives from leading experts, including CVP's @buggs44.bsky.social

counciloncj.org/whats-drivin...

Looking for good news?

“Modesto’s good news [of a zero-homicide year] is part of a national trend,” Wintemute said. “Cities all over the country have reported steep declines in homicide since rates peaked during the COVID pandemic.”

More in The Modesto Bee: www.modbee.com/news/local/c...

Unsupported client – Canva Unsupported client – Canva

Learn about the researcher-artist teams here: bit.ly/4qcvUsW

ARx - Aggie Square

#ARxSacramento at Aggie Square has launched! We cannot wait to see how artist Ruby Chacon transforms CVP faculty member @nicolekw.bsky.social's research into compelling, community-facing art.

Mark your calendar for the exhibition Nov 12, 2026. #ArtMeetsScience

visitaggiesquare.com/arx/

Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) give people in crisis the time and space to get help — and a second chance at life.

Via @caloes.bsky.social, learn more at ReduceTheRisk.ca.gov

📢 Clinical educators! Looking to incorporate firearm injury prevention into your teaching?

Join us for @bulletptsproj.bsky.social's Train the Trainer Virtual Workshop on Clinical Firearm Injury Prevention!

Fill out this brief pre-registration application by 2/20: tinyurl.com/BPTTT2026

Full paper in Criminology & Public Policy, funded by the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research: doi.org/10.1111/1745...

📣 Research Alert! 📣

Using machine learning with purchase and recovery records, Laqueur et al. identified firearm retailers at highest risk of selling crime guns, showing how AI could be used for targeted enforcement to disrupt gun trafficking and illegal activity. cvp.ucdavis.edu/research/ide...

Older men in rural California are dying by suicide. How officials are trying to save lives In Trinity County, isolation, pain, and limited healthcare drive gun suicides among seniors. Health officials plan prevention programs to address the crisis.

“You can’t discount the fact that having access to a firearm, period, all other things being equal, increases the risk that somebody will die by suicide by a factor of more than three,” @amybarnhorst.bsky.social.

More by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social in @calmatters.org
calmatters.org/health/2025/...

Red flag laws are the spearfishing of firearm policies, argue CVP's
@amybarnhorst.bsky.social, Garen Wintemute, and Veronica Pear. They "leave most Americans’ firearm rights intact while focusing on those at highest risk." More in @thehill.com thehill.com/opinion/crim...

Happy holidays from @UCDavisCVP! Thank you to our partners + community for supporting our work in violence prevention. Your collaboration + commitment make meaningful progress possible. Wishing you a peaceful season + a bright year ahead—we look forward to continuing our efforts together in 2026!

What Researchers Learned About American Gun Violence in 2025 Trump’s return to office rattled academia, but insights continued to emerge.

For decades, gun violence research was stifled, but in the past five years, the field has greatly expanded, with an unprecedented volume of studies published.

Here’s a look at some of the most important findings from this year’s body of research:

How will Australian firearm policy evolve following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach? Dr. Wintemute weighs in on announced plans for a gun buyback, expected to be the "biggest since the one that followed the Port Arthur massacre in 1996."
@washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

The BulletPoints Project Clinical tools for preventing firearm injury. BulletPoints equips clinicians with knowledge on firearms, their uses, benefits, risks, and safety to make providers comfortable engaging with patients…

Are you a healthcare provider looking for clinical tools for preventing firearm injury? Explore training resources (including a free, on-demand, accredited CE course!) from @bulletptsproj.bsky.social www.bulletpointsproject.org

ER Voices, National Stakes: Trauma physicians have been pushing for that reduction for years - Tucson Weekly Doctors who treat gunshot victims rushed into emergency rooms have long stepped beyond their clinical roles, advocating publicly, working in schools, publishing research and speaking out about what…

"It is not enough to treat but prevent." -Dr. Garen Wintemute

www.tucsonweekly.com/newsopinion/...