Last month, we spoke with two people who have studied the issue of gun violence from complementary perspectives, about the phenomenon of firearm use, gun reform legislation, policy recommendations, and areas in need of further research. Louis Klarevas (University of Massachusetts – Boston) is an expert on the study of mass shootings and homeland security, and author of the recently published book Rampage Nation: Securing America from Mass Shootings. Sonali Rajan is an expert on adolescent risk behaviors and studies school climate, aggression and violence prevention in schools, and socio-emotional wellbeing among adolescents.

The conversation covered a variety of related topics including the landscape of gun violence in the United States, the role of policy and legislation, impact and role of media, school shootings and the inadequate responses that are being proposed (from arming teachers to bulletproof backpacks). Our conversation concluded with a discussion of how listeners can take action in service of gun violence prevention and show that this issue is everyone’s lane.

Below is a list of links to resources that were referenced in this podcast. If there are others you’d like us to include, tweet at us @masclab or find us on instagram @masclab.

• Listen to this podcast
• Read more by Lou Klarevas, who is a columnist for The Daily News and writes about mass shootings, gun reform legislation, the impact of gun violence, and homeland security.
• Background about the Dickey Amendment.
• Information about the Heller Decision.
• Arming Schoolteachers: What Do We Know? Where Do We Go From Here? by Sonali Rajan and Charles Branas (in American Journal of Public Health)
• More on existing gun law in the United States.
• Scarred by school shootings (special infographic and essay in Washington Post).
• Why This Generation Needs Gun Control, by Emma Gonzalez, a teen who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
• Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• Sandy Hook Promise

And earlier this month, House Democrats introduced a bill to expand background checks on gun sales. We’ll share additional resources as we continue to gather the latest on this and related actions.