RAND Corporation tapped to oversee collaborative effort to generate data on gun violence, identify solutions

The RAND Corporation has been selected to oversee a five-year effort supported by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) to use data to better understand gun violence patterns and to find solutions.

LJAF has pledged $20 million to the collaborative effort, called the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research. The group is seeking to raise an additional $30 million in support from other philanthropic groups.

“Understandably, gun violence is a deeply emotional issue. But arguing about the proper response will not solve the problem,” Laura Arnold, co-chair of LJAF, said. “Our goal is to provide objective information to guide a rational, fact-based response to a national crisis. We need data, not politics or emotion, to drive our decisions.”

The National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research will work to identify common characteristics of gun violence, as well as the risk-benefit of owning a gun and factors increasing the probability of violence. Additionally, the group will work to gauge the effectiveness of solutions to prevent gun violence, including childhood education or prevention programs.

“Discussions about the best ways to reduce gun violence — suicides, injuries and homicides — should be based on facts and rigorous, objective analysis,” Michael Rich, president and CEO of RAND, said. “The National Collaborative is an important step toward building the evidence base needed for constructive debates and effective policymaking.”

LJAF cited recent reports that there’s little data available on who owns guns, how weapons are acquired, how frequently guns are stolen and the number of households with guns. Jeremy Travis, executive vice president of criminal justice at LJAF, said the lack of critical data is “truly startling.”

“Unfortunately, government research has been stymied for more than two decades, and that gap hasn’t been adequately addressed by the private sector,” Travis said. “As with other public health challenges, the crisis of gun violence will be effectively addressed only if we produce high-quality, objective research. We believe that funding this research will save lives.”