Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities

This report found that nearly 30,000 American lives are lost to gun violence each year—a number far higher than in any other developed country. Since 1963, more Americans died by gunfire than perished in combat in the whole of the 20th century. When FBI data for 2006 showed gun violence rates rising for the second year in a row, with many Midwest cities leading the trend, the International Association of Chiefs of Police convened law enforcement leaders and others concerned with gun violence from around the Midwest in Chicago in 2007. The Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence was organized with support from the Joyce Foundation. “Taking a Stand” summarizes the summit’s proceedings and publishes its recommendations. Attendees reviewed the research, listened to experts, shared information and worked hand in hand to draft recommendations. This report comes from a regional group, but addresses a national problem, and it demands national attention.