Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Gun Violence Surge During Coronavirus Pandemic

Michael Anestis, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, is available to discuss the surge in gun violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

“COVID-19 has highlighted systemic inequities as marginalized groups have borne the highest degree of burden at the same time that they have fought for racial justice across the country,” Anestis says.

“Combined, these factors have resulted in a surge in interpersonal gun violence and a fear of a potential increase in suicide. As we look toward solutions to these outcomes — particularly as states make budgetary decisions in response to the financial impact of the pandemic — it is vital that we remember that there is not one single solution, that not every answer will look the same and that many of our most promising tools for preventing gun violence involve investing in communities to provide opportunity and clean and safe space.”