Reducing Gun Violence in America: Evidence for Change

Reducing Gun Violence in America: Evidence for Change is designed to provide learners with the best available science and insights from top scholars across the country as well as the skills to understand which interventions are the most effective to offer a path forward for reducing gun violence in our homes, schools, and communities. Through this course, you will learn how to: 1. Appreciate the scope of gun violence and the importance of considering the issue across a variety of contexts. 2. Describe the role of law and policy in addressing gun violence at the federal, state, and local levels. 3. Compare the effectiveness of gun violence policies and highlight the importance of changing the way we talk about gun violence. 4. Describe state standards for civilian gun carrying and use and how those standards affect crime and violence. 5. Describe how firearm design is regulated, the effective and just enforcement of firearm laws, and strategies for reducing police-involved shootings. 6. Identify and explain evidence-based programs to reduce gun violence and understand public opinion on gun policy. As a student of this course, it’s important to recognize that you are part of an international learning community. We understand that gun violence can be a difficult issue to discuss and we all have our own set of opinions and beliefs. However, we ask you to please remember that gun violence is something that affects every person differently. It’s important to understand that this course is intended to generate productive and meaningful conversation. We ask students of this course to abide by the rules outlined and expected of you by Coursera’s Code of Conduct Policy. Please help us promote a healthy, productive, and sustainable learning environment for all and practice the following principles: Be polite.  Treat your fellow learners with respect.  Insulting, condescending, or abusive words will not be tolerated.  Do not harass other learners.  Polite debate is welcome as long as you are discussing the ideas or the evidence, not attacking the person. Be sensitive.  Remember that Coursera is a global forum with learners from many different cultures and backgrounds.  Be kind, thoughtful, and open-minded when discussing race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or controversial topics since others likely have differing perspectives. Post appropriate content.  Content that violates the Honor Code or Terms of Service is not permitted.  You may not post inappropriate (e.g., pornographic or obscene) content.  Do not post copyrighted content.  Do not advertise or promote outside products or organizations.  Do not spam the forums with repetitive content. Please note that violations of Coursera’s Code of Conduct, Honor Code, or Terms of service are not permitted and may result in:  Deletion of posted content.  Removal from the course.  Losing access to the Coursera site. *It is important to also note that certain policies and laws mentioned in this course are likely to change and develop over time. As a result, we understand that course content may need to be updated to reflect such changes. While we will strive to do this as quickly as possible, we appreciate your patience. All information included in the course is reported accurately at the time of recording and we intend to update lectures as soon as possible and to the best of our ability. The development of this course was made possible through generous financial support provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, an organization committed to improving the lives of children, enabling the creative pursuit of science, advancing reproductive health, and conserving and restoring the earth’s natural systems.