Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 2810 RAPPORT | Feature Story Q Q A A What about the highly publicized mass shootings we have seen in recent years? The majority of highly publicized shootings with multiple casualties such as the tragedies at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Aurora, CO movie theater, the attempted assassination of Representative Gabrielle (Gabby) Giffords, and the church shootings in Charleston, SC were committed by young white males. And, even if all of these mass shootings could be eliminated, this would reduce total casualties from gun violence by only approximately one-half of one percent. Bottom line: there is no single biological predis- position, individual trait, life experience, social dynamic, or diagnosis of mental disorder that can satisfactorily account for the emergence of gun violence. Does the research suggest it’s all random? Are we left with nothing that could help us understand and prevent gun violence among our nation’s youth? No, the research does not suggest it’s all random. In fact, while it is difficult to impossible to confi- dently predict in advance that a specific individual will commit an act of gun violence, research does help us identify which groups of young persons and others are at higher risks of suicide (the most common form of gun violence), homicide, and accidental injury or death. Risk for gun violence is associated with a complex confluence of individual, family, school, peer, community, sociocultural, and situational factors. READY ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT CAN OFTEN PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE. THE CURRENT LEVEL OFACCESS TO QUALITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THIS COUNTRY IS WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT. — Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD, Associate VP for Community Engagement