Opportunities and Challenges for Implementing and Evaluating Gun Violence Interventions Across State and Community Contexts

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

Gun violence in the U.S. remains persistent and deeply inequitable, with Black, Latino, and other marginalized communities experiencing disproportionate exposure to violence. Rates of gun violence—and related policy responses—vary dramatically across states and localities. Policy differences vary not only in firearm laws, but also in the adoption, funding, and implementation of gun violence reduction strategies, including focused deterrence, community violence intervention, and hospital-based violence intervention. Within a federalist system that assigns primary responsibility for public safety to states and local governments, understanding how state policy environments interact with local implementation choices is essential for advancing both effectiveness and equity. 

This roundtable examines how variation in state gun and violence prevention policy frameworks shape the implementation and outcomes of gun violence reduction strategies, with particular attention to chronic racial disparities in gun violence exposure. Drawing on the panelists’ collective experience working across Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas, Indiana, and Pennsylvania—states with highly divergent gun laws, policy coordinating infrastructure, and political contexts—the discussion addresses three core questions: (1) How do state level policies constrain or facilitate gun violence reduction implementation and evaluation? (2) Which gun violence reduction implementation choices are most consequential for reducing gun violence and addressing racial disparities in violence specifically? And (3) What lessons can policymakers and practitioners draw from state variation to inform more effective and equitable violence prevention? 

Panelists bring rich contextual understanding from implementation and evaluation experiences including: the Chief Strategy Officer for the Michigan Public Health Institute with a portfolio focused around violence prevention and racial justice; Senior Director of Community Engagement at Health Resources in Action who has more than 30 years’ experience working in Massachusetts to deliver training and technical assistance to communities most impacted by health inequities including gun violence; Senior Officer within the Community Violence portfolio with Pew Charitable Trusts’ public safety portfolio; and a Researcher within American Institutes for Research (AIR) safety and justice portfolio focused on building contemporaneous nonfatal gun violence data systems. The roundtable is moderated by the Managing Director of AIR’s Safety and Justice portfolio  who brings extensive experience bridging research, policy, and practice on gun violence prevention and intervention alongside rich experience with place-based initiatives which feature the implementation and mixed methods evaluation of cross sector reforms aimed at improving the conditions for community thriving. 

Together, panelists are well positioned to present a cross-state, implementation focused perspective on gun violence prevention that centers equity, governance, and policy design. By juxtaposing experiences from states with diverse institutional environments, this discussion moves beyond “what works” toward understanding where, for whom, and under what conditions gun violence reduction strategies can be effective, equitable, scalable, and sustainable. Panelists will highlight lessons for policymakers and researchers seeking to understand policy facilitators which can enhance grounded implementation—particularly in contexts marked by longstanding racial disparities in violence exposure and system contact. The roundtable will infuse priority questions for policy design, evaluation, and data infrastructure that can strengthen the evidence base for gun violence prevention across fragmented federal and state systems.

Policy Area

• Crime, Justice, and Drugs

Moderator

• Candace Hamilton Hester, American Institutes for Research

Organizer

• Bryant Crubaugh, American Institutes for Research

Speakers

• Moacir Barbosa, HRiA

• Paul Elam, Michigan Public Health Institute

• Meaghan McDonald, Pew Charitable Trusts

• Bryant Crubaugh, American Institutes for Research