From the Publisher

A quarter-century ago, 12 teenagers were killed in a shooting at Columbine High School in Aurora, Colorado. Since then, episodes of mass gun violence have scarred the American landscape with increasing and sickening frequency. The causes and context of such incidents are both various and hard to fathom. But we do know that family breakdowns and a spiking incidence of untreated mental illness, against a cultural backdrop of the glorification of violence in gaming and mass media, play a role.

That said, there is no denying the ubiquity and lethality of modern guns contribute hugely to this toxic brew. And part of the heartbreak and shock of gun violence is that we seem to be in a cycle from which there is no escape. Yet we must find one.

For our part, the Milken Institute is working to identify ways to reduce the bloodshed. Last year, we hosted an Innovation Forum on Preventing Gun Violence, which brought together philanthropists, policy advocates, researchers and public health professionals, along with leaders of corporations and financial institutions, to develop breakthrough approaches to containing gun violence. While all the participants shared that goal, many had not partnered with counterparts from such a diversity of backgrounds. Participants left the meeting with a renewed realization that a truly broad coalition must be mobilized to meet the challenge.

Soon after this issue of the Review appears – perhaps by the time you read this – the Institute is publishing a special report, Activating Philanthropic and Business Capital: Strategies to Advance Gun Violence Prevention in the U.S., in partnership with the Joyce Foundation. Drawing on conversations with more than 100 experts, including both gun owners and individuals who have experienced gun violence, the report lays out principles for both philanthropists and the private sector to consider.

The report’s express purpose is to inspire broader engagement from audiences that have not been part of the gun violence prevention community. With our credibility and connections within business and finance, we believe we can be especially valuable in enlisting resources to advance the cause. We hope you will read the report – and that it can spur you and your organizations to help.

As I write this, news has arrived of yet another school shooting, this time leaving two students and two teachers dead in Apalachee, Georgia. Though the steps we take may seem small, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., the “fierce urgency of now” demands that we press forward.

Conrad Kiechel, Publisher