Is everything we think we know about gun violence wrong?

Regardless of political party, lawmakers and constituents across America have come to view the nation’s epidemic of gun violence as an intractable challenge. Public opinion and policy debates are often gridlocked by fundamentally different views of what causes gun violence itself: Is it the loose regulation of firearms? The result of malignant individual behavior? Or the byproduct of unequal access to opportunity and flawed governance? 

On October 1, Brookings Metro will hold a public event exploring how policymakers can transcend these “either/or” debates and offer actionable, evidence-based, and bipartisan solutions for reducing gun violence by focusing on place, collective efficacy, and community vitality—especially as the current federal funding and policymaking environment for public safety investments becomes increasingly uncertain. The event will begin with opening remarks from Brookings President Cecilia Rouse, followed by a keynote presentation from Chicago behavioral economist Jens Ludwig on his new book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.” It will be followed by a panel moderated by Brookings scholar Hanna Love, featuring Karen Freeman-Wilson (president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, former mayor of Gary, Ind., and former Indiana Attorney General), and Prema Katari Gupta, President and CEO of Philadelphia’s Center City District.