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Confronted with mass shootings across the country and an uptick<\/a> in gun-related crimes<\/a> in D.C this year, GW has joined local universities and colleges to find solutions to gun violence. The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, a group<\/a> that includes GW among other D.C. schools, created<\/a> the 120 Initiative<\/a> last month to research and recommend tangible steps to reduce gun violence. While GW\u2019s commitment to the initiative is admirable, it can only do so much to keep us safe. We don\u2019t need a research project \u2013 we need immediate change.<\/p>\n The 120 Initiative will take six months to deliver its findings, but to save time, money and, most importantly, lives, it should revise its approach. If roughly 120 Americans die every day from gun violence, hence the organization\u2019s name, then more than 20,000 Americans will die from gun violence before the group publishes its findings. There\u2019s no time to lose \u2013 rather than brainstorm new solutions to gun violence, let\u2019s implement policies we already know can make an impact. The 120 Initiative would be more beneficial if it funded or advocated for violence prevention programs and other policies that have already proven effective.<\/p>\n Stricter gun laws in D.C. and across the country can prevent these horrific acts of gun violence. While regulations vary in type and severity<\/a> from state to state, there\u2019s a correlation<\/a> between stricter gun laws and lower rates of gun-related deaths. According<\/a> to the gun violence prevention advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, tightly-regulated Hawaii has one of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the country, while Mississippi has the weakest<\/a> gun laws and the highest<\/a> rate of gun deaths in the nation. But states can only do so much to control firearms within their borders, especially when surrounding states impose little to no regulations. Take Illinois as an example \u2013 though it strictly regulates guns, firearms purchased<\/a> in loosely-regulated Indiana have wound up at crime<\/a> scenes in Chicago. State regulations work, but it\u2019ll take truly transformative federal policy to undo these loopholes.<\/p>\n Looking at the United States as a whole, gun homicides are significantly higher<\/a> here than in the rest of the world. Why is that? While gun violence has become commonplace in America, some countries have clamped down hard on gun ownership in the wake of tragic mass shootings. Twenty years ago, a mass shooting killed 35 people in Australia, and the Australian government instituted<\/a> a massive gun buyback program to buy and destroy weapons \u2013 since then, it avoided<\/a> the sheer death tolls that American mass shootings have racked up\u00a0at grocery stores, schools and parades in the United States. Japan, which has about\u00a010<\/a> shooting deaths per year, requires<\/a> its citizens to complete a rigorous set of checks that include attending an all-day class, passing a written test and achieving at least 95 percent accuracy during a shooting range test before they can own a gun.<\/p>\n Even our typically gridlocked, out-of-touch Congress was able to pass<\/a> bipartisan gun legislation one month after the May 24 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. But although it\u2019s the first gun control measure to come<\/a> out of Congress in nearly three decades, this bill is only moderately effective while states still differ drastically in firearm regulations. Nor should it take tragedy after tragedy and immense public pressure to catch legislators\u2019 attention \u2013 more than half of Americans think<\/a>\u00a0we need stricter laws on firearms sales,\u00a0according<\/a> to a June 2022 Gallup poll. Americans are frustrated that we\u2019re still here, and they\u2019re tired of their grief and anger falling on the ears of apathetic lawmakers who trot out the same lines after every tragedy.<\/p>\n With numerous proven solutions to gun violence staring us in the face, it\u2019s clear that we already know what to do \u2013 now we just have to do it. There are only so many solutions that more research can find. The 120 Initiative doesn\u2019t need to spend its time coming up with new ideas to reduce gun violence. It should shift its focus to demanding immediate policy change through its influence. Requiring universal background checks or banning<\/a> privately-made, untraceable \u201cghost guns\u201d would reduce gun violence. While these universities are rightfully concerned about appearing overtly \u201cpolitical,\u201d they\u2019ll have to take a public stance if they\u2019re really dedicated to reducing gun violence. Engaging experts and floating solutions can only go so far.<\/p>\n If the initiative wants to make real change outside the halls of Capitol Hill, it could support violence prevention programs for at-risk communities. A study<\/a> by the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform found that roughly 500 people are responsible for as much as 70 percent of D.C.\u2019s gun violence, with about 200 people behind the city\u2019s homicides and shootings. The District\u2019s recently-launched<\/a> Violence Prevention Program targets these individuals to stop shootings before they start \u2013 bolstered by the 120 Initiative\u2019s resources, influential figures and thousands of students, it could improve the safety of the city.<\/p>\n The leaders of D.C.\u2019s colleges and universities are taking gun violence seriously. While that\u2019s more than can be said of many of our elected officials, the 120 Initiative\u2019s goals are still misguided. We don\u2019t need \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d and empty promises, nor do we need months and months of research and analysis \u2013 gun violence is neither inevitable nor unsolvable, but the clock is ticking. Let\u2019s act now.<\/p>\n Jane Cameron, a rising senior majoring in journalism and mass communication, is an opinions writer.<\/em><\/p>\n This article appeared in the August 5, 2022 issue<\/a> of the Hatchet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n