Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative
Purpose
To coordinate, synergize, and stimulate collaborative approaches to firearm injury prevention in Colorado and nationally.
- Be identified as a model of collaboration and neutral (nonpolitical, nonjudgmental) hub of information
- Deliver outstanding education with rigorous evaluation to demonstrate impact
- Pursue action-oriented, innovative research to develop and disseminate effective, acceptable interventions
Vision
Zero firearm-related injuries or deaths in the United States.
Mission
To use collaboration, education, and scientific research to prevent firearm-related injuries and deaths of all types in all populations in Colorado and nationally.
Values
We affirm these core values:
- Recognition of a common goal of health and security
- Respect for diversity and consideration of a range of views
- Engagement of affected communities and those with ‘lived experience’
We demonstrate commitment to these values through:
- Equitable, trustful collaborations
- Local and national engagement
- Scientific rigor
- Rigorous evaluation and accountability
- Context appropriate solutions
- Sustainability and cost-effectiveness
Our Team
Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition
The Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition brings together firearm retailers and instructors, public health and medical professionals, and members of the public to help prevent firearm suicide in Colorado and beyond. Monthly meetings are open to the public.
The Coalition’s work has been covered by numerous media outlets, including National Public Radio and Rocky Mountain PBS.
Education Events
The Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative hosts educational events for a range of audiences, including the general public and healthcare providers. Please contact our program for more details.
Rethink: Talking about firearm injury and gun violence
Firearm Storage Map
The Initiative and the Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition published a Colorado-wide map of firearm retailers, ranges, and law enforcement agencies willing to consider voluntary, temporary firearm storage.
Preventing Firearm Suicide in Colorado – tips for families and friends
Harvard Business Review: How Doctors Can Help Prevent Gun Violence
New England Journal of Medicine: #ThisIsOurLane – Firearm Safety as Health Care’s Highway
JAMA: Physician Counseling on Firearm Safety: A New Kind of Cultural Competence
Denver Post: #ThisIsOurLane in Colorado, too
See the full list of publications for Dr. Emmy Betz, MD, MPH
American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma
Colorado School of Public Health
CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities
Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office
Harvard School of Public Health
University of California Davis
VA Eastern Colorado Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC)
VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC)
In the News
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Betz Lab Awarded Prestigious NIH R01 Research Grant
Sep 17, 2021Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, professor of emergency medicine, and colleagues have been awarded a $1.7 million National Institutes of Health grant for a national study designed to improve firearm safety for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.Full story -
Dr. Betz Featured in JAMA News
Aug 4, 2021JAMA recently featured a review of US gun violence research – explaining that the 1996 Dickey Amendment dramatically chilled funding for research, even as gun deaths steadily increased. The same article highlighted Dr. Emmy Betz’s role thawing that chill. As a recognized leader in federally-supported gun violence research, Dr. Betz, her team and the Department of Emergency Medicine are developing solutions to reverse the increase in gun-related violence.Full story -
Data on gun violence would save lives — just like it has for car crashes
Apr 8, 2021Enacting firearm-related legislation alone won’t solve the problem of firearm-related injuries and deaths — nor will education, nor will engineering. We need them all — and we need the research to inform them all. We need to engage varied voices in these discussions. We need to move away from vilifying the “other side” and instead embrace the fact that all of us want to keep our friends and loved ones safe from harm.Full story -
Securing Weapons, Medications Can Save Lives During a Crisis
Dec 1, 2020A new series by Rocky Mountain PBS on youth suicide highlights a recent study in 6 emergency departments across Colorado. The study was conducted through a partnership between Dr. Betz and researchers at the Program for Injury Prevention, Education & Research, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Northeastern University.Full story -
Dr. Betz’s Suicide Prevention & Gun Storage Research Featured in US News & World Report
Nov 5, 2020Working with gun shop owners and public health officials, Dr. Betz built a broad coalition to decrease gun suicide in a way that gets beyond traditional partisan boundaries. By creating maps of facilities that can safely store firearms, this program can help people at risk for suicide without invoking red flag laws.Full story -
Dr. Betz's Online Storage Map Research Highlighted in NIMH News
Oct 23, 2020Marian Betz, M.D., M.P.H. is leading a project examining the perspectives of firearm suppliers and firearm users in Colorado and Washington on these statewide firearm storage maps. The researchers will also develop an implementation toolkit for other states considering or creating firearm storage maps.Full story -
NIMH Awards 1.2M to Study Online Storage Maps as a Way to Improve Voluntary Firearm Storage
Sep 15, 2020Dr. Emmy Betz, in partnership with Sarah Brandspigel and PIPER Colorado, will lead a 2-year program of mixed-methods research to study firearm storage maps.Full story -
With gun sales spiking in Colorado, let’s talk about suicide prevention
Apr 16, 2020An emergency room physician and a gun shop owner, who advocate together for suicide prevention, say they are concerned a recent increase in gun sales in Colorado could leave more people at risk for suicide.Full story -
Gun Owners And 2A Supporters Are Offering New Ideas, Not Just Saying ‘No’ To Gun Control
Sep 3, 2019Gun owners and Second Amendment supporters aren’t just saying “no” to new gun control laws. They’re also coming up with new ideas that respect the Constitution and tackle issues like suicide and violent crime.Full story -
How families of gun owners with dementia grapple with safety
Jun 25, 2018By 2050 as many as 12 million people with dementia may live in homes with guns -- a fact that is prompting doctors, researchers and family members to ask how potential tragedies can be prevented. John Yang reports.Full story -
How To Talk About Guns And Suicide
Jul 16, 2015How can we support and protect people we love with the going gets rough? This inspiring talk, injury prevention expert Emmy Betz shares her experience at the nexus of conversations about trauma, guns and suicide.Full story
