About
Who We Are
The Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health addresses gun violence as a public health emergency and utilizes objective, non-partisan research to develop solutions which inform, fuel and propel advocacy to measurably lower gun violence.
Home to some of the nation’s leading gun violence prevention experts, the Center conducts rigorous research to drive solutions to save lives.
In addition to our researchers, the Center’s team includes expertise in the fields of policy, law, implementation, equity, and communications. This comprehensive advocacy skill set enables us to impact all phases of the policy change process.
Because gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color, we ground our work in equity and seek insights from those most impacted on appropriate solutions. Our team collaborates with legislators, community members, law enforcement, healthcare providers, fellow advocates, and researchers across the country to drive effective, equitable gun violence solutions.
Research Drives Solutions to Save Lives
“Our biggest successes have come when the evidence meets the moment. Right now is one such moment. This new Center will put the evidence-based solutions identified and developed by our new colleagues directly into the hands of the policymakers ready to make change.”
- Josh Horwitz, JD
Co-Director
The Center applies our unique blend of research and advocacy to advance five priority evidence-based gun violence prevention policies. Our research shows that, when enacted in combination, these policies have the potential to save thousands of lives.
In addition to our focus on policy priorities, our experts are training the next generation of researchers, advocates, and practitioners to identify and enact additional innovative solutions to save lives.
These Five Save Lives
Firearm Purchaser Licensing: Requires a permit to buy a firearm. Purchaser licensing should be paired with a waiting period, safety training, and an enhanced background check.
Firearm Removal Laws: Temporarily prohibit access to firearms for people who pose a risk of violence to themselves or others.
Safe & Secure Firearm Storage: Storing a firearm unloaded and locked helps keep them from falling into the wrong hands
Regulate the Public Carry of Firearms: Limit the ability to carry concealed firearms in public. Outlaw open carry near sensitive locations.
Community Violence Interventions: Strengthen programs that can reduce gun violence in the most impacted communities, including communities of color that have suffered from long-standing lack of funding.
“The data are clear that states with stronger gun violence prevention laws have lower rates of gun violence. Passage of evidence-based solutions would help end the needless suffering happening in all corners of our country.”
- Cassandra Crifasi, PhD '14, MPH
Center Co-Director
Support Our Work
Life-saving solutions exist. We can make gun violence rare and abnormal.
Feitler Professorship combines gun research with advocacy to change policy
Joshua Horwitz — co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and the inaugural holder of the Dana Feitler Professor of the Practice in Gun Violence Prevention and Advocacy — speaks on his work as an advocate to reduce homicide and suicide deaths by firearms. Pamela Hoehn-Saric, who endowed the professorship with her husband, Chris, and who also serves on the Bloomberg School of Public Health Advisory Board, explains how the death of her sister, Dana Feitler, was the catalyst for her dedication in the fight against gun violence.
Center at a Glance
39
Members of the team bringing scientific, legal, translational, and practice-based expertise
500+
Peer Reviewed Papers
125+
Grants as of January 2024
History
In 2022, two leading organizations dedicated to gun violence prevention—the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence—merged to form a new center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
Originally founded at the Bloomberg School in 1995, the Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy was widely recognized for its high-quality research, analysis, and innovative approaches to prevent gun violence. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, a non-profit organization founded in 1978, used public health principles and research translation to engage in policy development, advocacy, and community and stakeholder collaboration.
Today, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions combines the expertise of highly respected gun violence researchers with the skills of deeply experienced gun violence prevention advocates. We use a public health approach to conduct rigorous scientific research to identify a range of innovative solutions to gun violence.
Our new Center identifies and strategically advocates for policies and programs that will make our communities safer.