For over two decades, it was incredibly difficult to conduct research on gun violence in America, as a result of the Dickey Amendment pushed by the NRA. Despite the dearth of knowledge this caused, we do know some things. The editors of Scientific American have published a powerful piece that’s well worth reading.

The science is abundantly clear: More guns do not stop crime. Guns kill more children each year than auto accidents. More children die by gunfire in a year than on-duty police officers and active military members. Guns are a public health crisis, just like COVID, and in this, we are failing our children, over and over again.

Despite the seeming intractability of the problem, there exist simple and common-sense proposals which would close obvious loopholes. These proposals enjoy widespread support among Americans, and with enough collective action, they can be passed. These changes would not be enough, but they would be a start.