Nearly 120 journalists, researchers, prevention professionals and experts from the survivor community gathered October 2–3 in Philadelphia for our first national conference in six years: What Now? Gun Violence Reporting in Unprecedented Times. Fifty-eight attendees earned PCGVR Certifications.

We inform journalistic practices to prevent harm and illuminate programs and policies that prevent gun violence. But we need your help. Make a difference. Support our work.

By changing the way gun violence is covered, reporters can take an active role in minimizing harm to injured people, communities, and society—and even make an important contribution toward preventing gun violence.

Philadelphia journalists are invited to access this directory of local community experts who feel willing and prepared to share their stories. Individuals from the survivor community are invited to take part in our introductory workshop on trauma, media literacy and public solutions.

The Association of Gun Violence Reporters helps journalists tell more nuanced, solutions-forward stories about gun violence in hopes of minimizing harm to survivors while advancing public health-informed, trauma-aware and community-centered journalism. Visit: agvr.org

Three key figures on our team are past fellows of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, known until recently as the Dart Center. Those relationships deeply inform this aspect of our work. Visit:

By curating connections, cultivating trust, and conducting collaborative research, PCGVR informs journalistic practices and influences the programs and policies that will ultimately lead to a more nuanced, public health-focused approach and fewer people harmed by gun violence. Visit impact.pcgvr.org

PCGVR leaders in attendance today from left: Survivor Connection Director Oronde McClain, Director of Research Dr. Jessica Beard and Director of Operations Eric Marsh, Sr. We're grateful for this opportunity to participate.

Proud to report that PCGVR operations director Eric Marsh, Sr., has been named among 2026 Sulzberger Fellows at the Columbia Journalism School, a global cohort of newsroom leaders committed to building a more resilient and sustainable future for journalism. journalism.columbia.edu/news/sulzber...

Proud to report that PCGVR operations director Eric Marsh, Sr., has been named among 2026 Sulzberger Fellows at the Columbia Journalism School, a global cohort of newsroom leaders committed to building a more resilient and sustainable future for journalism. journalism.columbia.edu/news/sulzber...

"For the program coordinators, this initiative illustrated what is possible when people come together to learn from each other, centering the voices of community members, rather than forcing them to assimilate to one standard."

"Attributing America’s gun violence crisis primarily to mental illness oversimplifies the issue and overlooks other significant contributing factors–such as easy firearm access, neighborhood disadvantages, and systematic inequality–often overshadowed."

“To address gun violence, focus on fear and trust:” source.washu.edu/2025/10/wash...

"This was the sacred place. It was extended home. By closing schools, you leave a hole in the neighborhood.”

A team of volunteers from Action Tank reached out and helped staff our first national conference: the Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit in 2019. Our resources were minimal back then and their support was critical.

The number of permit applications submitted per month has risen nearly tenfold in the past three years:

This week: Billy Penn checks in on PCGVR... Catch our team at two free events this week... Plus all the news: mailchi.mp/ibgvr/101819...

‪@pcgvr.org‬ · 6d We collaborate with @billy-penn.bsky.social to produce the Weekly Brief on gun violence prevention, delivered via their daily newsletter every Wednesday. Here's this week's edition: mailchi.mp/billypenn/we...

By changing the way gun violence is covered, reporters can take an active role in minimizing harm to injured people, communities, and society—and even make an important contribution toward preventing gun violence.

We're still working on the final report but here is a first glance and extensive slide show from our What Now national conference and gun violence prevention reporting certification workshop last month: Nearly 120 attended and almost half got certified: www.pcgvr.org/whatnow/

AGVR helps reporters tell more nuanced, solutions-forward stories about gun violence in hopes of minimizing harm to survivors while advancing public health-informed, trauma-aware and community-centered journalism.

Philadelphia journalists are invited to access this directory of local community experts who feel willing and prepared to share their stories. Each community participant has taken part in our introductory workshop on trauma, media literacy and public health responses to gun violence.

"Pennsylvania’s two most populous cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, both have tried to legislate gun control on a local level. However..."

Now you can direct your support to specific programs: • The Association of Gun Violence Reporters • Better Gun Violence Reporting journalist training programs • PCGVR Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative • The Survivor Connection

Thanks so much to our friends at The Trace for sharing our work yesterday in The Bulletin: mailchi.mp/thetrace/one...

Last month: 65 shooting victims were recorded in Philadelphia. During the same month five years earlier: 259. City data: data.phila.gov/visualizatio...

"Authors found that pregnant and postpartum women experienced a 37% higher firearm homicide rate compared with nonpregnant women and that every 1% increase in the estimated state-level firearm ownership prevalence was associated with... an 8% increase in firearm homicide."

"Some groups directly addressed gun violence, others confronted the secondary impacts."

"We document statistically significant racial disparities in claim approvals, even after controlling for gender, state, and application year... Patterns suggest that discretionary and potentially racially biased judgments embedded in the compensation process can exacerbate structural inequalities.."

From our archive of past media coverage: pcgvr.org/in-the-news

PCGVR research director Dr. @jessicabeard.bsky.social will present and our team will staff a resource table at a free symposium this Friday here in Philadelphia. Next Monday, we are partnering on a free webinar with @pccd.bsky.social and Pa. Lt. Gov. lgaustindavis.bsky.social. Links: www.pcgvr.org

PCGVR Director of Research Dr. Jessica Beard is speaking at "Health Systems in Action: Our Role in Gun Violence Response and Prevention" on 11/14 at Temple Health. This free symposium is not focused on the role of the media but includes many good friends of PCGVR. www.eventbrite.com/e/health-sys...

Here's an overdue update to our many media mentions:

We asked our team and some of our friends to talk about our impact.

We inform journalistic practices to prevent harm and illuminate programs and policies that prevent gun violence. But we need your help.

Names and ages of those who were killed, plus when and where. But we know they are not just names. Family members are invited to contact the Philadelphia Obituary Project to properly memorialize them. Use the email address at the bottom of this post:

We've been busy but just brought our home page more up to date.

Researchers found that weapons, especially guns, are a critical factor determining whether relationship breakups turn deadly.

Sammy Caiola of AGVR.org and Eric Marsh, Sr. of PCGVR.org introduced our rapidly-emerging Association of Gun Violence Reporters yesterday to attendees at the annual Klein Camp news innovation un-conference at Temple University. Photo by Kriston Jae Bethel for PCGVR. AGVR.org

"Many fear these efforts by the Trump administration—which has prioritized a tough-on-crime approach heavily dependent on law enforcement—will both undo the progress they helped create and leave communities with fewer options for reducing crime."

Popular AR-15 ammunition made at an Army-owned facility was far more likely than any other to turn up in a government database tracking evidence from gun crimes, new data shows.

Still getting great feedback on our national conference. Full report coming soon. Slide show on our home page now: PCGVR.org

"The partnership has failed to reduce gun suicide, an epidemic that has considerably worsened over time, rising from less than 23,000 deaths a year at the collaboration’s start to more than 27,000 nearly a decade later."

Empowering responsible reporting on gun violence

This morning at 10am: AGVR.org co-director Sammy Caiola of and PCGVR's Eric Marsh, Sr., will discuss the rapidly-growing Association of Gun Violence Reporters at Klein News Innovation Camp 2025 at Temple University. It's a great brilliant at a bargain price: www.eventbrite.com/e/16th-annua...

We inform journalistic practices to prevent harm and illuminate programs and policies that prevent gun violence. But we need your help.

"Many suicide prevention organizations have compiled recommendations, guidelines and best practices for how to responsibly report about the topic:"

"In 2023, firearms were the leading cause of death for children ages 1–17, taking more lives than car crashes, overdoses, or cancer. Policy solutions that can keep kids safe include Child Access Prevention laws, which ensure safe, secure storage, and Extreme Risk Protection Orders."

“Restoration policy must take adequate account of both risk reduction and rights protection... Balancing liberty with justice in a manner that strengthens public trust while avoiding unwarranted risks of firearm harms.”

"To examine widespread myths about guns, firearm safety, self-defense, and gun laws, and to share what the data actually shows. We will explore where common assumptions go wrong and what research tells us about the risks and realities of gun violence."