Why the Collapse of Firearm Violence Prevention Is a Threat to U.S. Lives

Rutgers researchers urge protection of the infrastructure that keeps communities safe

A Rutgers professor and other firearm violence prevention experts warn that this progress is in jeopardy: In 2025, a wave of federal cuts and policy reversals has been dismantling the very systems that helped make those gains possible.

In 2024, the United States experienced a historic 16% drop in homicides compared to the year prior, according to a study - a powerful signal that evidence-based firearm violence prevention works when properly funded and supported.

A recent editorial, published in the American Journal of Public Health, highlights the potential impact of federal disinvestment on firearm violence prevention infrastructure in the U.S., underscoring the risks posed by recent policy reversals. The authors, comprised of leading experts from around the country, noted that sustained investment - or lack thereof - shapes public safety outcomes. They argued that recent policy reversals could disproportionately harm the communities most affected by gun violence.

This is not just a policy shift, it's a threat to public health and safety. Public safety isn't automatic. It relies on an infrastructure that includes research, prevention programs, and community interventions that must be protected and sustained.

Daniel Semenza

Director of Research, New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers

Daniel Semenza, director of research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Centerat Rutgers, joined other national gun violence experts to write the editorial. They said crucial research funding has been terminated, enforcement of necessary firearm regulations has been scaled back and staffing cuts at public health agencies threaten violence prevention efforts. Without continued investment in violence prevention efforts, firearm-related deaths - including suicides, homicides and unintentional shootings - are likely to rise, the experts warned. This rollback of prevention systems threatens to deepen racial and geographic disparities in exposure to gun violence.

"In just a few months, we have witnessed the rapid dismantling of the very systems that have helped reduce firearm violence in recent years," said Semenza, director of research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and an associate professor in the Departments of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, and Urban-Global Public Health. "This is not just a policy shift, it's a threat to public health and safety. Public safety isn't automatic. It relies on an infrastructure that includes research, prevention programs, and community interventions that must be protected and sustained."

"Dismantling critical prevention systems jeopardizes recent progress in reducing firearm violence," said Semenza. They emphasized the importance of upholding the role of science in informing public safety policy while rejecting efforts to politicize or suppress evidence. "Sustained federal and local leadership funding should remain a cornerstone of effective gun violence prevention," he said.

They noted that gun violence remains a leading cause of injury and death for children and adolescents in the U.S., posing a devastating threat to families and communities nationwide. Its impact extends far beyond the those directly shot - even witnessing or being near gun violence can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic health conditions and long-term disability.

"Addressing this crisis requires more than reactive measures; it demands a sustained commitment to research, community-based prevention, cross-sector collaboration, and strong federal leadership," Semenza said. "Now is the time to reinforce-not dismantle-the systems that protect our most vulnerable and advance public safety for all."