Photo of Dan Flannery
Daniel Flannery, the Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Professor at the Mandel School and the director of the Begun Center.

CWRU professor joins scholars from around U.S. in national call-to-action to prevent gun violence

A Case Western Reserve University professor is joining an interdisciplinary group of 19 experts in academia from around the country speaking out against gun violence.

Daniel J. Flannery, a professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, is part of a national call-to-action list with a goal of preventing school and community violence.

The group issued a statement in the aftermath of the recent mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, leaving 17 students and teachers dead and reigniting the discussion about gun control in America.

The team noted that “a focus on simply preparing for shootings is insufficient,” and that the nation needs a change in policy transitioning “from reaction to prevention.”

That’s the whole idea behind the Mandel School’s Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, where Flannery is the director.

“We need a comprehensive public-health approach to gun violence that is informed by scientific evidence and free from partisan politics,” he said.

Public-health approach to preventing gun violence

Flannery, who’s the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun professor at the Mandel School, said that a public-health approach to protecting children as well as adults from gun violence involves three levels of prevention:

  • Universal approaches promoting safety and well-being for everyone;
  • Practices for reducing risk and promoting protective factors for persons experiencing difficulties;
  • Interventions for individuals where violence is present or appears imminent.

The others participating in the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence are:

  • Ron Avi Astor, University of Southern California
  • George Bear, University of Delaware
  • Catherine Bradshaw, University of Virginia
  • Dewey Cornell, University of Virginia
  • Dorothy Espelage, University of Florida
  • Michael J. Furlong, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Nancy Guerra, University of California, Irvine
  • Robert Jagers, University of Michigan
  • Shane Jimerson, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Matthew Mayer, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
  • Maury Nation, Vanderbilt University
  • Amanda Nickerson, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
  • Pedro Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles
  • David Osher, Takoma Park, MD
  • Russell Skiba, Indiana University
  • George Sugai, University of Connecticut
  • Daniel Webster, Johns Hopkins University
  • Mark Weist, University of South Carolina

“We contend that well-executed laws can reduce gun violence while protecting all Constitutional rights,” Flannery said. “It’s time for federal and state authorities to take immediate action to enact these proposals and provide adequate resources for effective implementation. We’re calling on law enforcement, mental health and educational agencies to begin actions supporting these prevention efforts.”

This article was originally published Feb. 28, 2018.