Resource library

How was the resource library developed?

This compilation of resources was developed by a team of researchers at the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, with extensive background and experience in the prevention of injury and death involving firearms.

This selection of resources comes from a wide range of settings and perspectives and will serve as a tool for anyone interested in learning more about the prevention of firearm-related harms, including researchers, lawmakers, community organizations, health care workers, nonprofit groups, firearm businesses, and the public.

Resource selection

The team regularly identifies potential resources and materials through literature reviews and interviews with subject matter experts. Each resource identified is then rigorously reviewed to ensure it meets the following criteria:

Representation of relevant viewpoints
- Does this resource represent various viewpoints relevant to the Colorado Gun Violence Prevention Resource Bank?
Quality research and credible sources
- Does this resource provide information supported by quality research?
Timeliness of information
- Is the information included in the resource from the past 10 years?
Publicly accessible
- Is this resource free and open to the public?

A Blueprint for a U.S. Firearms Data Infrastructure (PDF) from NORC at the University of Chicago provides recommendations for improving the availability of firearms-related data at federal, state, and local levels.
A Guide for Parents: Understanding Youth Mental Health and Preventing Unauthorized Access to Firearms (PDF) from Project ChildSafe, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention helps parents identify warning signs that their child may be struggling with their mental health, understand how to respond to those signs, and create safe environments that reduce access to lethal means.
A Guide to Responsible Gun Ownership, Safe Handling and Secure Storage (PDF) from Project ChildSafe and the National Shooting Sports Foundation provides tips on handling firearms safely and reviews secure firearm storage options.
Agree to Agree, an Ad Council Initiative, offers several conversation guides and resources for discussing firearm-related harms with various audiences.
A Roadmap for Using a Public Health Approach to Prevent Firearm Injury (PDF) from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials proposes ways to address the underlying factors that lead to firearm-related harms.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is an annual survey conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and includes questions related to household firearm access and storage practices.
Best Practices and Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide provides tips for the media when discussing suicide, including examples of language that can be used in order to minimize any further harm to individuals and communities. This resource was developed by experts in suicide prevention in collaboration with several international suicide prevention and public health organizations, schools of journalism, media organizations and journalists as well as Internet safety experts.
Better Gun Violence Reporting: A Toolkit for Minimizing Harm from Frameworks Institute, the Stoneleigh Foundation, and the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting is a free toolkit that provides tips for the media when reporting on firearm-related harms.
CALM for Pediatric Providers: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means to Prevent Youth Suicide from American Academy of Pediatrics is a free online course for pediatric health care providers to learn how to talk to their patients and their patients’ families/guardians about firearm safety.
Community Violence Prevention: A Compilation of the Best Available Evidence for Youth and Young Adults (PDF) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviews the research on preventing violence among young people.
The Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Survey is an annual survey conducted by the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative that asks questions about firearms culture, firearm safety practices, and opinions on policies and prevention efforts to reduce firearm-related harms.
The Colorado Gun Storage Map from the Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition shows the locations in Colorado that are open to temporarily storing firearms for their customers.
The Colorado Homicide Statistics data dashboard from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment shows circumstances related to homicides in Colorado, including whether or not a firearm was involved.
The Colorado Revised Statutes of the Colorado General Assembly contain all Colorado policies and regulations, including those related to firearms, that are currently in effect.
The Colorado Suicide Statistics data dashboard from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment shows circumstances related to suicides in Colorado, including whether or not a firearm was involved.
The Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem from the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, the Community-Based Public Safety Collective, and Cities United offers technical assistance and resources for anyone looking to implement or expand community violence intervention initiatives.
Counseling on Access to Lethal Means from Zero Suicide is a free online course that teaches health care and social service providers how to talk with patients about reducing access to lethal means, including firearms.
Extreme Risk Protection Order: A Tool to Save Lives from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health explains Extreme Risk Protection Orders, how they can prevent firearm-related harms, and the processes for filing an Extreme Risk Protection Order.
Science of Firearm Injury Prevention Among Children and Teens from the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention is a free online course for practitioners, educators, and parents to learn about the prevention of firearm-related harms.
The Firearm Injury Prevention Data Repository from the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention is an archive where researchers can search for or add their own data on firearm-related harms.
The Firearm Life Plan from the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative is a toolkit that anyone can use to start conversations about firearms, aging, and planning for the future together.
Firearm Safety from the Safety in Dementia website is a webpage that helps families plan for and discuss access to firearms when someone in the home has dementia.
Firearm Safety and Patient Health: A Proactive Guide to Protecting Patients and Their Families from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma is a PDF that provides an overview of safe firearm handling and secure firearm storage to improve health care providers’ confidence around discussing firearms with their patients.
Firearms Storage for Your Lifestyle from Project ChildSafe and the National Shooting Sports Foundation lists in-home secure firearm storage options.
The Gun Friendly Therapist Directory from Walk the Talk America lists mental health therapists who understand concerns specific to firearm owners.
Gun Safety and Your Health: A Proactive Guide to Protect You and Those Around You (PDF) from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma discusses safe firearm handling, secure firearm storage, and what to do if you believe someone around you is at risk of harming themselves or others and has access to firearms.
The Gun Policy Research Review from RAND is a systematic review of available evidence on firearm-related policies and how they affect different outcomes.
Guns 101 from the BulletPoints Project explains different types of firearms and ammunition.
The Gun Storage Check Module from Project ChildSafe and the National Shooting Sports Foundation offers firearm owners a free way to learn about the different types of storage options available and determine which secure storage devices meet the needs of their household.
The Gun Violence Archive is an online database of firearm-related incidents in the United States compiled from law enforcement, media, government, and commercial sources.
The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey is an annual survey conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and includes questions related to adolescent access to firearms.
How to Counsel from the BulletPoints Project is a webpage for health care providers looking to learn more about how to discuss lethal means safety and access to firearms with their patients.
Hunt S.A.F.E. from Project ChildSafe and the National Shooting Sports Foundation helps hunters learn how to use, transport, and store their firearms safely and help prevent accidents.
Juvenile Gun Safety from the Larimer County Juvenile Gun Safety Coalition provides resources for suicide prevention, secure firearm storage tips, downloadable toolkits, and a form to request free firearm locks.
Let’s Talk Guns Colorado, a campaign from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment raises awareness of ways to reduce firearm-related harms.
Lock to Live from the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative is a toolkit and decision aid that helps individuals, or clinicians and their patients, talk through ways to improve secure firearm storage and reduce access to lethal means, particularly in times of crisis.
The Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence Dashboard from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides data on deaths from drug overdoses, suicide, and homicide that can be filtered by state and involvement of firearms.
Means Matter from Harvard University integrates lethal means safety into suicide prevention efforts and provides resources for health care providers, firearm owners, and non-firearm owners, and answers to commonly asked questions about suicide and firearms.
The Mental Illness and Violence Fact Sheet (PDF) from the BulletPoints Project addresses commonly asked questions about mental health and firearm-related harms, including mass shootings.
Pause to Protect from the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative provides materials and resources for firearm businesses to provide on-site secure storage to their customers and includes a map of firearm businesses that provide temporary storage of firearms.
Preventing Black Male Suicides: A Roadmap for Action (PDF) from Cities United explains the burden of suicide among young Black men and details several prevention strategies that local leaders can take part in.
Preventing Firearm Injury and Death from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides quick facts about firearm-related harms and ways to prevent them from happening in communities.
Prevention of Suicide by Firearm: A Communication Guide for Military Leaders and Support Providers (PDF) from the U.S. Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office is for military personnel with roles in suicide outreach or prevention that dispels myths around suicide prevention and explains ways to talk about lethal means access with active-duty service members.
The Racial Equity Impact Assessment Tool for Gun Violence Prevention from the Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy helps organizations and policymakers consider the impact of a firearm-related policy on racial equity.
Recommendations for Developing State Firearm Surveys and Applying Findings (PDF) from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials is a PDF that details best practices for the development of surveys with questions related to firearms.
Recommendations for Reporting on Mass Shootings (PDF) from Suicide Awareness Voices of Education provides tips for the media for covering mass shootings in a way that minimizes any further harm to individuals and communities.
Reimagining Public Safety (PDF) from Cities United discusses ways to improve the health of communities by interrupting cycles of violence, addressing underlying causes of inequity, and investing in infrastructure.
Safe Storage from the BulletPoints Project provides information on the importance of secure firearm storage and the different locking and storage options available.
Safeguard Your Home: A Guide for Colorado Families When a Loved One is at Risk for Suicide (PDF) from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment helps families learn how to reduce access to lethal means when someone in their household is at risk for suicide.
Secure Their Future from the American Academy of Pediatrics Colorado Chapter is a website where pediatric health care clinics can sign up to receive free firearm cable locks and educational materials to distribute to patients and their families with firearms in the household.
Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s Business: A Toolkit for Safe Firearm Storage in Your Community (PDF) from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and National Shooting Sports Foundation describes the importance of secure firearm storage and ways to create a community coalition for suicide prevention.
The Suicide Prevention Program for Retailers and Ranges from the National Shooting Sports Foundation and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers firearm businesses educational materials to distribute to customers or post in their stores.
The Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Firearms Instructors from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a downloadable slide deck for firearms instructors to include in their safety trainings that discusses ways to prevent suicide involving firearms.
Talking About “Firearm Injury” and “Gun Violence”: Words Matter is an open-access, peer-reviewed publication in the American Journal of Public Health that discusses the importance of language when discussing firearm-related harms.
Talking to a Veteran about Firearm Safety from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a downloadable fact sheet that anyone can use to have a conversation with a Veteran about warning signs of distress and firearm safety.
Talking to Teens When Violence Happens (PDF) from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network is a downloadable PDF for parents and educators that provides tips on talking to adolescents after a violent event in their community.
The Case for More Equitable and Community-Engaged Research to Address Firearm-Related Violence in Black and Brown Communities (PDF) from the Black & Brown Collective for Community Solutions calls for increasing community-based research on firearm-related harms and supporting underrepresented researchers.
The Physician’s Role in Promoting Firearm Safety from the American Medical Association is a free online training aimed at increasing health care providers’ comfort with discussing firearm safety with their patients.
How to Use Common Firearm Locking Devices is a YouTube video tutorial from the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative that demonstrates the correct way to use a variety of locking devices on different types of firearms.
Violence is Preventable: A Best Practices Guide for Launching & Sustaining a Hospital-based Program to Break the Cycle of Violence (PDF) from the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention is a free downloadable PDF that provides information on how to establish a hospital-based violence intervention program.
Voluntary Out-of-Home Firearm Storage: A Toolkit for Creating Maps (PDF) is from the University of Washington Firearm Injury & Policy
WISQARS Injury Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an online dashboard with tables and visualization tools that includes data on firearm-related deaths.

Submit additional resources

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) invites visitors to this site to submit additional resources that can contribute to the usefulness of this resource library.

The submission form allows individuals to suggest relevant resources for the library.

Submissions will be subject to the external resource review and selection process described above.