As the nation tries to make sense of the murders of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Texas, there seems widespread recognition about how difficult it will be to spark change in the polarized debate on the issue. The Gazette spoke with David Hemenway, a professor of health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and an expert on gun violence and efforts to control it.
GAZETTE: What did you think when you heard about the shooting in Texas?
HEMENWAY: It’s just so sad. It’s kids and other innocents. We should also remember though, that on that same day probably 110 to 120 other people were killed with guns. Their names we don’t know. Unfortunately, certain types of violence are contagious, such as school shootings. Some troubled individuals may read about these killings, and it gives them ideas; some may even try to outdo previous levels of killings. That’s deeply concerning.
GAZETTE: Since the tragedy, I’m hearing a lot of resignation that things will never change. Do you share that resignation?
HEMENWAY: Being in public health, there have been so many success stories. They always take much longer than you hope, but after a while things finally reach a tipping point, and suddenly we have fire-safe cigarettes or safer rules for school sports, so I have a lot of long-run...
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