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Articles on US gun violence

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The stress of experiencing high levels of community violence harms entire families. skynesher/E+ via Getty Images

Black mothers trapped in unsafe neighborhoods signal the stressful health toll of gun violence in the U.S.

Chronic stress from living with systemic racism and gun violence can lead to increased symptoms of PTSD and depression as well as elevated cortisol levels.
Two mourners embrace at a memorial for those killed in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in 2018. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Five years after Parkland, school shootings haven’t stopped, and kill more people

Some Americans hoped the Parkland shooting in 2018 would herald a turning point for gun violence in schools. Shootings, and deaths, have continued – and gotten more frequent.
The mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, Calif., is the latest in an endless string of gun violence tragedies. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Horror and anguish are playing out on repeat following the latest mass shooting – and the mental health scars extend far beyond those directly affected

Even people who are only indirectly exposed to these repeat tragedies, such as first responders and those affected by media coverage, can experience profound and long-lasting grief.
Reenactments of Old West gunfights, like this one at a tourist attraction in Texas in 2014, are part of the mythology underpinning the United States’ gun culture. Carol M. Highsmith via Library of Congress

American gun culture is based on frontier mythology – but ignores how common gun restrictions were in the Old West

A scholar of gun culture looks at the roots of Americans’ love affair with firearms – and their willingness to accept gun violence as a price of freedom.

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