Dear Research Advocate: I’ve devoted part of my last two letters to gun violence research, and this one will address it, as well. It seems to me that we are witnessing in real time just why research is essential to addressing what is actually a long-standing and multi-faceted societal challenge, playing out on the streets every day, as well as in schools, concerts and churches. I’m sure all of us have read and heard assertions about what drives individuals to choose gun violence. What’s too often lacking, though, are research-based findings to back up those assertions. If policy changes are taken based on assumptions rather than evidence, we are simply throwing the dice, not identifying...
