Washington University will host a free public symposium on gun violence prevention this week.
The second annual Larry Lewis Health Policy Symposium will bring together experts specializing in gun violence research from a public health and policy perspective. Organizers say the goal is to reduce gun violence in St. Louis, a city with one of the highest rates of gun-related deaths in the country.
“There are very few people in the city of St. Louis who are not affected one way or another by gun violence,” said Washington University Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Kristen Mueller.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, there were 193 firearm-related homicides in St. Louis in 2017. This statistic likely underestimates the extent of gun violence in the city, as it does not include suicides or gun injuries in which the victim survived.
The symposium will feature speakers on a range of gun-related topics, including suicide prevention strategies, firearm injuries among children and gun violence as a human rights issue.
“We’re really hitting this topic from a bunch of different angles to try and create a more robust picture of gun violence in our community and in the United States,” said Mueller.
If you go:
Larry Lewis Health Policy Symposium: Firearm Injury Prevention
Where: Washington University, Clopton Auditorium
When: Tuesday, August 7; 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Schedule: Wash U website
Cost: Free with lunch provided
Registration: Contact Lisa Hayes, Wash U Division of Emergency Medicine, hayesl@wustl.edu
Follow Shahla on Twitter: @shahlafarzan
