When will it ever stop?
Moms Demand Action gather on the steps of the Minnesota capitol to call attention to the issue of gun violence in 2018.
© Fibonacci Blue / CC BY 2.0
As gun violence gets worse in the United States, many of us feel overwhelmed by helplessness and anger.
We feel that, too, at Greater Good. But we know that change is possible, and that what we do as individuals matters. We’ll keep doing what we can to encourage people to take care of each other, see the good in ourselves and others, and understand the research that will help us to make better decisions.
Here are some resources that might help you make sense of gun violence, talk with kids about traumatic events, and take action for change.
Click to jump to a section:
Understanding gun violence
Resources for parents and educators
Tips for activism and hope
Organizations to support or get involved in
Understanding gun violence
- Seven Insights to Help You Make Sense of Gun Violence: Research can help us understand why guns are killing more Americans—and what we can do to stop it.
- Can We Train American Police to Turn Away From Violence?: The ubiquity of guns in American society shapes police training, at the expense of peaceful conflict resolution.
- What’s Driving Political Violence in America?: Hate crimes are rising, and so is support for political violence. New research explores why—and what we can do to stop it.
- Why Are Asian Americans Being Attacked and What Can You Do About It?: Here are science-backed ways we can reduce hatred and division.
- How the Media Can Help Prevent Mass Shootings: Sensationalized TV coverage of mass shootings may encourage more of them.
- Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention, and Policy by the American Psychological Association: Research-based conclusions and recommendations on how to reduce the incidence of gun violence—whether by homicide, suicide, or mass shootings—nationwide.
Resources for parents and educators
- Five Tips for Talking With Kids About What’s Going On in the World: By discussing challenging topics with our children, we can help them practice compassion.
- Nine Tips for Talking With Kids About Trauma: After a tragedy, kids will have questions. How do we respond?
- How to Talk With Kids About Scary News: Researcher Abigail Gewirtz explains how parents can have conversations with kids about global conflict and humanitarian crises.
- Nine Ways to Help Students Discuss Guns and Violence: How can educators respond to mass shootings in schools?
- Five Ways to Support Students Affected by Trauma: Teachers can help students recognize their strengths and build resilience.
Tips for activism and hope
- Can We Bridge Our Differences Over Gun Laws?: In 2022, an activist brought political opponents together to have an emotional conversation about gun violence.
- Who Is Your Rock? He survived the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, two years ago and has been a student mental health advocate ever since. Now Kai Koerber finds a way to thank the person who helped him find his voice.
- Six Tips to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by the News: Here’s how to cope when all the negative news is triggering you.
- How to Sustain Your Activism: These three principles can help activists avoid burnout and continue working toward a better world.
- How to Renew Your Compassion in the Face of Suffering: Mass suffering can make us feel helpless. Focusing on solutions, rather than emotions, may be the way out.
- Four Reminders of Human Strength and Goodness after Sandy Hook: Are people horrible? It’s a question many Americans are asking ourselves after the horror of a school shooting.
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