Texas Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue

Following the November 7, 2017 Sutherland Springs, Texas shooting, which resulted in 26 adults and children losing their lives, Texas Representatives Nevarez and Collier pushed for the state to address gun violence as a public health issue. The shooting occurred not even five weeks after the Las Vegas tragedy which injured 567 and killed 59 individuals. The public health model is science-based and draws on the disciplines of epidemiology, psychology, economics, criminology, medicine and education to define threats to population health.[1] The model defines the threat or problem, identifies associated risk and protective factors, develops and tests prevention strategies, and enables the dissemination of successful solutions and strategies. This approach has been applied to an increasingly broad range of threats or risks beyond those typically viewed as health issues but more informed by the social determinants of health. These determinants are the structural conditions in which individu