Center for Violence Prevention Research

Stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic may protect people from the disease, but another aspect of public safety is at risk.

Dr. Garen Wintemute, an epidemiologist and emergency room physician who runs the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California at Davis, said homicides by firearms among African American males is one of the most concentrated public health problems he is aware of.

It’s a milestone year for safety research — for the first time in over two decades, Congress has approved substantial federal funding for research on firearm violence and injury prevention.

In December, Congress approved $25 million in federal funding to study gun safety.

The University of California Firearm Violence Research Center (UCFC) — established at UC Davis in 2017 with funding from the State of California — is awarding research grants to investigators at public universities in California.

Gun violence is a top issue for American voters. A new Gallup poll found that 74 percent of respondents see gun policy as being either “extremely important” or “very important” to their vote for president in 2020.

The thinking among academics has shifted a bit in the past few years when it comes to gun buybacks.

Most Californians – and at least half of gun owners – support two policy proposals aimed at reducing firearm injury and death.

Politicians and advocates debated whether to expand gun background checks. The battle over whether to tighten background check laws raises a key question: have background checks proven effective?