1 in 5 Adults Have Lost a Family Member to Gun Violence

The big picture: Gun violence in the U.S.

• New research has found just how much gun violence impacts the nation's mental health, suggesting that the shootings have negative impacts beyond the direct survivors and community, and into the broader population of Americans. 
• A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that gun violence has impacted most families in the U.S. — just over half of all adults have a connection to at least one firearm-related incident. Nearly one in five adults have had a family member killed by a gun or have been personally threatened with a gun, and about one in six have witnessed someone being shot.  
• Black adults are around twice as likely as white or Hispanic adults to have a family member killed by a gun or witness a gunshot injury. A third of Black and Hispanic adults worry daily that one of their family members will be a victim of gun violence — nearly three times the share of white adults. 
• The survey found that about four in 10 adults, including those with children, live in a household with guns. Of this subgroup, 75% said their firearms are stored in a way that does not reflect standard gun-safety practices.

What they're saying 

• The frequency of mass shootings in the U.S. has led to an exponential increase in indirect impacts on the general public. Leah Brogan, a psychologist who works at the Center for Violence Prevention and the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said: 

"We know that exposure through the media – which can happen across many different outlets, with a swipe of a finger or a ding on your phone – to some type of traumatic event can result in someone experiencing an acute stress reaction and can trigger underlying post-traumatic stress…[T]hat constant exposure can be escalating and activating people even when they don't experience something directly."

• Mass shootings are often depicted as a public health issue needing a curated set of interventions. Mental health hotlines, which can offer some relief and solutions for those in distress, report an uptick in calls and messages directly after mass shootings as people, mainly young adults and teens, are encompassed with fear, grief, and helplessness.
• Dr. Shairi Turner, the chief health officer for the Crisis Text Line, an internist, and a pediatrician, said many are reaching out to establish a sense of stability in their own lives. She continued: 

"Under the age of 20 or 22, our brains are still developing, and we're still formulating our understanding of the world. Children and young adults start to create narratives around their own safety, the safety of their schools and homes and communities based on what they are witnessing. Tragedies can tend to make them think that the world is an unsafe place."

• Brogan and Turner both emphasized the importance of processing these events without letting them define you. Turner said: 

"It can take days to weeks to months to process tragedy. Reach out for support, listen to each other's feelings, and set boundaries around how much you're taking in of current crises." 

Gun violence is consuming America. Demand your reps take action now.

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Flickr/olshinb)