Q. If shootings have been on the rise for 20 years, how can we turn the tide?

A. First responders are better prepared today than they have ever been to get to the shooters and save lives. Hospitals are better prepared to care for the injured. Emergency management personnel are better prepared to help recovery efforts when violence occurs.

Seventy percent of these incidents end in five minutes or less.

The missing pieces to the puzzle are citizen participation and a good resource that leads policy makers and planners to current data, research, and best practices.

The information is out there. Let’s use it.