Home
Programs
Center for Healthy Communities
Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Control
Injury and Violence Prevention
California Public Health Roadmap for Firearm Violence Prevention Report

Injury and Violence PRevention (IVP) Branch

California Public Health Roadmap for Firearm Violence Prevention

Local Strategies to Reduce and Prevent Firearm Violence

Despite California leading the nation in efforts to reduce firearm violence, firearm injuries and deaths continue to significantly impact the health and well-being of Californians, and its impacts are not evenly distributed across communities. For example:

Black Californians experience the highest rates of death by firearm, more than twice the rates of any other group.[1]
California veterans account for 22% of all firearm suicides.[1]
Firearm-related deaths are also the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.[2]

In response, on August 29, 2025, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI), in partnership with the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at California State University, Sacramento, released the California Public Health Roadmap for Firearm Violence Prevention: Local Strategies to Reduce and Prevent Firearm Violence (PDF, 6.8 MB).

The Roadmap draws on extensive formative research conducted between 2023–2024 with California community members, experts, key informants, local health and behavioral health departments, and other state and local violence prevention leaders. It highlights key contributors to firearm violence and provides actionable, evidence-based prevention strategies primarily focused on primary prevention, while recognizing that strategies often intersect across the prevention spectrum as part of a comprehensive approach to firearm violence—and all forms of violence.

Cover of the California Public Health Roadmap for Firearm Violence Prevention report

Visit the California Public Health Roadmap for Firearm Violence Prevention Report (PDF, 6.8 MB) to learn more.

The Roadmap serves as a catalyst for California's public health practitioners, community leaders, and state and local decision-makers to elevate firearm violence prevention through evidence-base and evidence-informed strategies that align with the specific needs and resources within local communities. Rather than prescribing a single path, the Roadmap provides a framework of firearm violence prevention strategies for public health leaders, in partnership with their communities, to consider when making meaningful steps towards a healthier, safer and more equitable California:

Address Racism
Elevate Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) and Reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Change Social Norms
Strengthen Household Financial Security
Strengthen Social Supports
Improve Neighborhood Conditions
Improve Firearm Safety Practices
Implement Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Programs

The Roadmap demonstrates CDPH's commitment to prevent violence in our state by providing a valuable tool for state decision-makers and local communities as they continue to work towards reducing firearm injury and death, as well as all forms of violence.

Please reach out to the Violence Prevention Initative at Violence.Prevention@cdph.ca.gov for more information.

References

[1] California Department of Public Health. EpiCenter: California Injury Data Online (skylab4.cdph.ca.gov/epicenter/) May 1, 2025. Accessed May 6, 2025.

[2] Panchal N. The impact of gun violence on children and adolescents (KFF. kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-children-and-adolescents/). February 22, 2024. Accessed May 2, 2025.‍