Carol V. Petrie – författare

For years proposals for gun control and the ownership of firearms have been among the most contentious issues in American politics. For public authorities to make reasonable decisions on these matters, they must take into account facts about the relationship between guns and violence as well as conflicting constitutional claims and divided public opinion. In performing these tasks, legislators need adequate data and research to judge both the effects of firearms on violence and the effects of different violence control policies.

Readers of the research literature on firearms may sometimes find themselves unable to distinguish scholarship from advocacy. Given the importance of this issue, there is a pressing need for a clear and unbiased assessment of the existing portfolio of data and research. Firearms and Violence uses conventional standards of science to examine three major themes - firearms and violence, the quality of research, and the quality of data available. The book assesses the strengths and limitations of current databases, examining current research studies on firearm use and the efforts to reduce unjustified firearm use and suggests ways in which they can be improved.

This report expands on the work of an earlier National Research Council panelwhose report, Understanding Violence Against Women, was published in 1996. Thereport is based on the presentations and deliberations of a workshop convened inJanuary 2002, at the request of Congress, to develop a detailed research agendaon violence against women. While some of the research recommendations in theearlier report have been funded and carried out, the workshop demonstrated thatimportant gaps remain. For example, prevalence and incidence data are still inadequateto measure trends or to reveal whether interventions being designed underfederal programs are, in fact, working. Among its primary recommendations, thecommittee underscored the importance of strengthening the data and researchinfrastructure in this area, especially the need for better prevalence data and longitudinaldata to determine the causes of violent victimization of women and the impactof interventions.

The shooting at Columbine High School riveted national attention on violence in the nation''s schools. This dramatic example signaled an implicit and growing fear that these events would continue to occur—and even escalate in scale and severity.

How do we make sense of the tragedy of a school shooting or even draw objective conclusions from these incidents? Deadly Lessons is the outcome of the National Research Council''s unique effort to glean lessons from six case studies of lethal student violence. These are powerful stories of parents and teachers and troubled youths, presenting the tragic complexity of the young shooter''s social and personal circumstances in rich detail.

The cases point to possible causes of violence and suggest where interventions may be most effective. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the potential threat, how violence might be prevented, and how healing might be promoted in affected communities.

For each case study, Deadly Lessons relates events leading up to the violence, provides quotes from personal interviews about the incident, and explores the impact on the community. The case studies center on:

For everyone who puzzles over these terrible incidents, Deadly Lessons offers a fresh perspective on the most fundamental of questions: Why?

The shooting at Columbine High School riveted national attention on violence in the nation''s schools. This dramatic example signaled an implicit and growing fear that these events would continue to occur—and even escalate in scale and severity.

How do we make sense of the tragedy of a school shooting or even draw objective conclusions from these incidents? Deadly Lessons is the outcome of the National Research Council''s unique effort to glean lessons from six case studies of lethal student violence. These are powerful stories of parents and teachers and troubled youths, presenting the tragic complexity of the young shooter''s social and personal circumstances in rich detail.

The cases point to possible causes of violence and suggest where interventions may be most effective. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the potential threat, how violence might be prevented, and how healing might be promoted in affected communities.

For each case study, Deadly Lessons relates events leading up to the violence, provides quotes from personal interviews about the incident, and explores the impact on the community. The case studies center on:

For everyone who puzzles over these terrible incidents, Deadly Lessons offers a fresh perspective on the most fundamental of questions: Why?

This report expands on the work of an earlier National Research Council panelwhose report, Understanding Violence Against Women, was published in 1996. Thereport is based on the presentations and deliberations of a workshop convened inJanuary 2002, at the request of Congress, to develop a detailed research agendaon violence against women. While some of the research recommendations in theearlier report have been funded and carried out, the workshop demonstrated thatimportant gaps remain. For example, prevalence and incidence data are still inadequateto measure trends or to reveal whether interventions being designed underfederal programs are, in fact, working. Among its primary recommendations, thecommittee underscored the importance of strengthening the data and researchinfrastructure in this area, especially the need for better prevalence data and longitudinaldata to determine the causes of violent victimization of women and the impactof interventions.

For years proposals for gun control and the ownership of firearms have been among the most contentious issues in American politics. For public authorities to make reasonable decisions on these matters, they must take into account facts about the relationship between guns and violence as well as conflicting constitutional claims and divided public opinion. In performing these tasks, legislators need adequate data and research to judge both the effects of firearms on violence and the effects of different violence control policies.

Readers of the research literature on firearms may sometimes find themselves unable to distinguish scholarship from advocacy. Given the importance of this issue, there is a pressing need for a clear and unbiased assessment of the existing portfolio of data and research. Firearms and Violence uses conventional standards of science to examine three major themes - firearms and violence, the quality of research, and the quality of data available. The book assesses the strengths and limitations of current databases, examining current research studies on firearm use and the efforts to reduce unjustified firearm use and suggests ways in which they can be improved.