The Center to Prevent Youth Violence

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The Center to Prevent Youth Violence (CPYV), originally known as PAX, is a non-profit organization co-founded in 1998 by Daniel Gross and Talmage Cooley, with the mission of ending the crisis of gun violence in America by repositioning the issue as a common sense matter of public health and safety, rather than the seemingly intractable political wedge issue it had become. [1] By 2002, PAX had become the largest non-lobbying organization working on gun violence prevention as a result of the success and rapid expansion of its ASK and SPEAK UP campaigns, which were designed to have immediate impact on the frequency of gun deaths and injuries, while also shifting the national dialogue around guns to a prevention-driven, public health and safety orientation.

Contents

In 2011, PAX officially changed its name to The Center to Prevent Youth Violence[7] to better reflect the youth and family focus of its prevention driven campaigns. In 2012 the organization was merged with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Daniel Gross became President of the Brady Campaign. Talmage Cooley resigned as co-CEO of The Center to Prevent Youth Violence in 2004 but remained on the organization's Board of Trustees until its merger with the Brady Center in 2012. [2]

Since inception, CPYV has created groundbreaking public health and safety campaigns that promote the simple steps parents, kids and others can take to prevent violence affecting youth, [3] including gang-related and other urban violence; school shootings; suicides, accidents and homicides involving firearms which claim the lives of eight children and teens every day. [4]

Parent-focused Programs

CPYV has created two parent-focused problems aimed at educating parents about simple steps they can take to reduce the risk of violence affecting their children.

ASK

The ASK Campaign was launched by the gun violence prevention organization PAX [5] (renamed The Center to Prevent Youth Violence in 2011 and merged with the Brady Campaign in 2012). The ASK campaign was originally developed by Talmage Cooley and Daniel Gross, co-founders of PAX/The Center to Prevent Youth Violence, and launched in 2000 in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It is now managed by The Brady Campaign. The campaign raises awareness among parents about the importance of asking if there are guns where their children play, to ensure guns stay out of kids’ hands. The program also emphasizes the importance of medical and health professionals to talk to parents and patients about guns in the home, gun safety and safe storage.

In partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the ASK Campaign's goal is to encourage parents to ask if there are guns where their children play (i.e. the homes of friends and relatives). [6] The ASK Campaign includes television and radio public service announcements and collateral materials that inform parents and inspire them to ask about the presence of firearms in the homes where their children play. [7] If the answer is yes, then parents are encouraged to make sure they are stored securely in a place that is inaccessible to children. [8] Community-based ASK Campaigns have been implemented in Rockford, IL [9] and in Portland, OR. [10]

The ASK Campaign is also observed nationally on National ASK Day, June 21 of each year. [11] [12] In 2011 a major ASK Day event was held in Miami, Florida in response to the recently passed ban on physicians asking their patients about the presence firearms in the home. [13] The event encouraged parents to ask themselves, since physicians were restricted in their ability to do so. The ban has since been blocked. [14]

By 2017, the ASK and SPEAK UP campaigns had been active for over 17 years, and remain the leading public health and safety campaigns dedicated to gun violence prevention in the US, with over 19 million Americans signing the ASK Pledge and over 31 million parents reporting that they ask their neighbors about guns where their kids play.[9]

GAO Report Praising ASK Campaign Effectiveness 2017

In October 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the effectiveness of firearm storage awareness programs, ultimately finding the “ASK” program to be the only national safe storage program that has been independently evaluated and found to be effective. The report, entitled “Personal Firearms: Programs that Promote Safe Storage and Research on their Effectiveness,” was prepared over a two-year period in response to a request by the Congressional HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee. [15]

The report also points out that funding for gun violence prevention research is disproportionately low relative to health issues with comparative mortality rates. According to the report, government-funded research for gun violence is .7 percent of that for sepsis, which has a comparable mortality rate, and the publication volume for studies on firearm-related deaths is about four percent of that for sepsis. [15]

The report evaluated 16 programs, both regional and national, that are aimed at spreading awareness of the importance of safe storage of firearms. The ASK campaign was found to be the only national program that effectively promotes awareness of safe storage through its parent-centered program that urges caregivers and parents to ask if there are guns safely stored in the homes where their children play. The NRA's Eddie Eagle program, aimed directly at young children, was found to have no effect on participating children's behavior around guns. [15]

Jim Accomando, president of National PTA, said “Child and school safety starts at home. When families store their guns responsibly, they’re much less likely to end up in schools and tragedies are less likely to occur. It is critical that guns are kept safely away from kids and that we, as parents, ask if there are guns in the homes where our children play. National PTA is proud to support the ASK campaign to help prevent gun-related incidents and keep children safe. The association is also committed to advocating for legislation and appropriations to research the causes and effects of gun violence. In order to fully understand and address this epidemic gripping our nation, we need to first understand the causal relationships and the effects such violence has on our communities.” [15]

HELP Senate Committee leaders lauded the report's findings. [15]

“There is so much we can and absolutely should be doing to address gun violence—but as this report makes clear, one simple, critical step is to gain a better understanding of how to encourage the safe storage of guns,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA).“I’m hopeful that every Senator will take a close look at the findings in this nonpartisan report, and join families nationwide in pushing for stronger investments in gun violence research.” [16]

"If we want to stop this tragic scourge of gun violence, we need better information about what is causing it and what can be done to prevent it,” said Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). “We need to study gun violence like the public health crisis that it is. This new GAO report outlines how important it is to give the medical, scientific, and public health community the resources they need and support a federal research agenda into gun violence. I thank the Brady campaign for their leadership on this issue and look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make critical investments in protecting lives." [16]

Suicide-Proof Your Home

The Suicide-Proofing Initiative was launched in September 2011 in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health under a youth suicide prevention grant from SAMHSA. [17] This program is based on research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, which illustrates that preventing youth access to lethal means of suicide, such as firearms, reduces the likelihood that a young person will die from suicide. [18] The Suicide-Proofing Initiative includes TV and radio public service announcements, mass awareness materials, and a website, all of which are aimed at educating parents of adolescents and teens about simple steps they can take around their homes to reduce the risk of a suicide occurring. [19]

Youth-focused Programs

CPYV believes that young people have the power to prevent violence. The SPEAK UP campaign and hotline give youth the tools and motivation to help keep their communities safe.

Speak Up

The Speak Up Campaign (and the 1-866-SPEAKUP hotline) was launched in 2002 by PAX [5] (renamed The Center to Prevent Youth Violence in 2011 and merged with the Brady Campaign in 2012) based on the insight that in the vast majority of incidences of youth violence, young people who are not involved in the violence know what is going to happen before it does. [20] Speak Up targets youth with a message encouraging them to “speak up” about threats of violence they hear about, either by telling an adult who can help or by calling 1-866-SPEAK-UP, an anonymous, national hotline maintained by CPYV. Speak Up programs are currently being implemented in New York City; [21] [22] Minneapolis; [23] Cumberland County, NC; [24] Lindale, TX; Berkeley, CA; [25] and Waldron, AR.

1-866-SPEAK-UP

1-866-SPEAK-UP was a national hotline for students to anonymously report threats of violence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The hotline was operated in accordance with a rigid protocol developed in collaboration with national education and law enforcement authorities. Trained counselors collected information from callers and then immediately reported the threat to appropriate school and law enforcement officials. The counselors also have access to an extensive database of local, city, and state referral sources, which they can offer callers who call with issues unrelated to youth violence. The Speak Up program, including its 1-866-SpeakUp referral line, will be discontinued as of December 31, 2018.

If you would like to explore programs related to school safety, the National PTA School Safety portal provides resources from Sandy Hook Promise, the National Safety Council, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), and the National Association of School Psychologists. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun safety</span>

Gun safety is the study and practice of using, transporting, storing and disposing of firearms and ammunition, including the training of gun users, the design of weapons, and formal and informal regulation of gun production, distribution, and usage, for the purpose of avoiding unintentional injury, illness, or death. This includes mishaps like accidental discharge, negligent discharge, and firearm malfunctions, as well as secondary risks like hearing loss, lead poisoning from bullets, and pollution from other hazardous materials in propellants and cartridges. There were 47,000 unintentional firearm deaths worldwide in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun control</span> Laws or policies that regulate firearms

Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act</span> Mandate for background checks on firearm purchasers in the U.S.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, often referred to as the Brady Act or the Brady Bill, is an Act of the United States Congress that mandated federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States, and imposed a five-day waiting period on purchases, until the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was implemented in 1998. The act was appended to the end of Section 922 of title 18, United States Code. The intention of the act was to prevent persons with previous serious convictions from purchasing firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brady Campaign</span> American nonprofit gun control organization

Brady: United Against Gun Violence is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and against gun violence. It is named after James "Jim" Brady, who was permanently disabled and later died in 2014 as a result of the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt of 1981, and his wife Sarah Brady, who was a chairwoman of the organization from 1989 until her death in 2015.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people in the United States from the ages of 10 to 56.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide methods</span> Means by which a person dies by suicide

A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brain damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide prevention</span> Collective efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide

Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.

The Violence Policy Center (VPC) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Eagle</span> Program and character developed by the National Rifle Association of America

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program and its namesake character were developed by the National Rifle Association for children who are generally considered too young to be allowed to handle firearms. While maturity levels vary, the Eddie Eagle program is intended for children of any age from pre-school through third grade.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization based in New York City, with a public policy office based in Washington, D.C. The organization's stated mission is to "save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun violence in the United States</span> Phenomenon of gun violence in the United States

Gun violence in the United States results in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries annually, and was the leading cause of death for children 19 and younger in 2020. In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available as of 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics reports 38,390 deaths by firearm, of which 24,432 were by suicide. The rate of firearm deaths per 100,000 people rose from 10.3 per 100,000 in 1999 to 12 per 100,000 in 2017, with 109 people dying per day or about 14,542 homicides in total, being 11.9 per 100,000 in 2018. In 2010, there were 19,392 firearm-related suicides, and 11,078 firearm-related homicides in the U.S. In 2010, 358 murders were reported involving a rifle while 6,009 were reported involving a handgun; another 1,939 were reported with an unspecified type of firearm. In 2011, a total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal violent crimes were committed with a firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun violence</span> Method of violence

Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and suicide, or attempted suicide, depending on jurisdiction. Non-criminal violence includes accidental or unintentional injury and death. Also generally included in gun violence statistics are military or para-military activities.

Talmage Newman Cooley is an American filmmaker and social impact organization founder and consultant. Through his production company Kinoglaz Pictures, he is the writer/director of award-winning narrative and documentary films featured at Sundance and over 100 festivals worldwide, as well as numerous PSA spots for social justice organizations. He was the founder of The Gun Violence Project and then co-Founder and co-CEO of The Center to Prevent Youth Violence. While attending the Harvard Kennedy School in 2012 he founded Democracy.com. Cooley is also the Founder of Theory of Change, a social impact consulting firm based in New York City.

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<i>Private Guns, Public Health</i>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bipartisan Safer Communities Act</span> Legislation of the 117th United States Congress

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a law passed during the 117th United States Congress. It implemented several changes to the mental health system, school safety programs, and gun safety laws. It was introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R–FL) on October 5, 2021 as an unrelated bill, then consistently modified by an amendment by Senator Chris Murphy (D–CT) on June 21, 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden on June 25, 2022. Gun safety laws in the bill include extended background checks for gun purchasers under 21, clarification of Federal Firearms License requirements, funding for state red flag laws and other crisis intervention programs, further criminalization of arms trafficking and straw purchases, and partial closure of the boyfriend loophole.

References

  1. ↑ "Walrus".
  2. ↑ "Democracy.com Shines Searchlight". TechPresident.
  3. ↑ "CPYV".
  4. ↑ "CDC".
  5. 1 2 Gregg Lee Carter, Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law, Volume 1, pp.465-6, ABC-CLIO, 2002, ISBN   1-57607-268-1, ISBN   978-1-57607-268-4.
  6. ↑ "AAP". AAP.
  7. ↑ "CPYV".
  8. ↑ "Parents".
  9. ↑ "WIFR".
  10. ↑ "ceasefireoregon".
  11. ↑ "AAP".
  12. ↑ "The Chart". CNN. June 21, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Palm Beach Post".
  14. ↑ "Miami Herald". Miami Herald .
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Personal Firearms: Programs that Promote Safe Storage and Research on Their Effectiveness" (GAO-17-665). 2017-10-18.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. 1 2 "GAO Report Validates Brady Center's ASK Program as Most Effective National Safe Storage Awareness Program".
  17. ↑ "Suicide Proof".
  18. ↑ "Harvard".
  19. ↑ "Suicide Proof".
  20. ↑ "CPYV".
  21. ↑ "Bronx".
  22. ↑ "Bronx".
  23. ↑ "CI Minneapolis".
  24. ↑ "CCS".
  25. ↑ "Berekely Daily Planet".
  26. ↑ "School Library".
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