The Rutgers School of Public Health facility is filling a void left by the lack of federal research dollars
At a moment when the federal government has sharply cut funding for gun violence prevention science, the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center has increased its commitment to expanding the field through funding grants and, this year, is issuing more than $1.1 million in awards.
In total, the center at Rutgers School of Public Health is funding 12 projects, divided into three tracks: multiyear grants that last up to two years, single-year grants and small start-up or dissertation grants aimed at supporting the work of students.
"For so many years, gun violence prevention science has been either completely without federal funds, or severely underfunded," said Michael Anestis, executive director of the center.
Anestis said New Jersey consistently boasts one of the lowest rates of firearm injury and death in the nation, in no small part because of the investment the state has made in the tools best suited for preventing tragedies involving gun violence. Since 2018, the state has annually provided funding to the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, which has leveraged these funds to train a new generation of gun violence prevention scholars, produce gun violence prevention research, communicate about the science of gun violence prevention to New Jersey communities and fund gun violence prevention scientific grants.
We are confident that the results of these studies will help move the field forward, help keep productive young minds in the field of gun violence prevention science, and benefit communities not only within but also beyond New Jersey.
Michael Anestis
Executive Director, New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
"One of our goals as a center is to place New Jersey at the forefront of gun violence prevention solutions by stepping in and helping address that gap," Anestis said. "We are grateful that the state has trusted us with annual investments and look forward to working with Governor-elect Sherrill to keep the momentum going during her first term."
Each year, the members of the center invite scientists throughout the nation to apply for grant funding, placing an emphasis on applications that aren't only innovative and address significant issues, but which promote the interests of New Jersey, either through a focus on state data and policies or through the development of research teams based in New Jersey universities and communities.
This was a record-breaking year in terms of the number and average size of applications submitted to the center and, as a result, its members opted to invest a record amount in this portion of their annual portfolio.
The grants funded this year include:
- A test of whether gunshot detection technology improves shooting survivability in Paterson, N.J.
- The development and evaluation of an app to increase secure firearm storage behaviors among families with young children
- A study on closing the gun show loophole and pipeline of illegal firearms trafficked into New Jersey
- An evaluation of how interpersonal relationships among women can influence patterns of gun violence in Newark
Members of the center describe the entire group of awarded projects in detail on their blog.
"The quality of the grant applications this year was so high and the situation with federal funding is so dire, that it felt important that we recognize this moment by reallocating some of our resources and putting more of our energy into investing in this work," Anestis said. "We are confident that the results of these studies will help move the field forward, help keep productive young minds in the field of gun violence prevention science, and benefit communities not only within but also beyond New Jersey."
Explore more of the ways Rutgers research is shaping the future.
