Toward a Safer 2040: Key Actions from the JAMA Summit on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms

Introduction and Context

Since 2000 the United States has endured more than 800,000 firearm deaths and over 2 million firearm injuries, exacting lifelong costs on individuals, families, and communities. The JAMA Summit on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms convened 60 multidisciplinary leaders to translate evidence, ethics, technology, and policy into a practical roadmap intended to cut firearm harms substantially by 2040 while respecting constitutional protections for lawful firearm ownership (Rivara et al., JAMA 2025). This consensus statement does not prescribe a single policy but rather aligns a multisectoral strategy centered on equity, accountability, and shared civic responsibility.

Why this consensus matters now: progress in reducing firearm harms has been limited and uneven across communities. New data, implementation science, and technology options — combined with growing clinician and public engagement — make a coordinated national effort both timely and achievable.