More than 20 gun policy experts and government officials discussed and recommend federal actions to reduce gun violence in the U.S. at a summit hosted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center for Gun Policy and Research, which began on Monday.
The "Summit on Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis" began with research presentations. Participants then weighed research and data to adopt specific recommendations, which were announced in a press conference on Tuesday.
Topics of discussion on Tuesday included: gun control in Great Britain after the Dunblane shooting, gun laws in Austrailia and Brazil, constitutionality of suggested reforms to federal firearm policy and public opinion on proposals to strengthen U.S. gun laws.
On Monday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, called on Congress and the White House to enact a number of proposals aimed at reducing gun violence in his opening remarks. He accused Congress of hampering gun control efforts by restricting access to information on gun-related crimes.
Other discussions yesterday focused on gun violence statistics and gun regulation, keeping guns away from high-risk individuals, improving the country’s system of background checks, mental illness and violence, gun violence in domestic dispute cases and injuries caused by firearms.
President Obama is expected to announce his proposal for reducing gun violence this week. It’s likely to include renewal of the assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and a ban on high capacity magazines.