Addressing global gun violence: a Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health

Civilian gun violence claims an estimated 600 lives every day around the world, with countless more suffering debilitating injuries that greatly reduce their quality of life.1 Although homicides make up most global civilian gun-related deaths at approximately 71%, unintentional firearm discharges and self-harm are also substantial causes of mortality attributable to gun violence.1 This burden disproportionately affects males and young people, and just six countries—Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, the USA, and Venezuela—account for two-thirds of global gun deaths.1 Injuries from gun violence often result in reduced physical ability for victims, placing them and their families at an increased risk of mental ill health and substance misuse.2 Civilian gun violence often intersects with complex social issues, such as poverty, gang violence, citizens' perceptions of security, and democratisation.3 With the monopoly on gun ownership no longer remaining with the state, guns exacerbate a breakdown of social order by eroding trust in institutions, which leads to a more fragmented society. Inaction emboldens powerful gun lobbies in specific countries to continue stifling public discourse and legislative action, making it harder for gun control measures to gain traction.6 Firearm manufacturers use some tactics, such as targeted marketing, on vulnerable populations (eg, young adults or women in minoritised groups) by portraying a disproportionate sense of threat to personal safety and making buying firearms appear attractive through deceptive messaging.7 An absence of checks and balances over such commercial tactics can create a sense of powerlessness and discourage sustained focus on the problem. [...]inaction leads to normalisation of violence, creating a vicious cycle that becomes harder to break with each passing generation. Bringing these perspectives together means assessing the epidemiological, demographic, economic, and social factors that affect the relationship between gun violence and health outcomes. [...]we are pleased to announce a new Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health.