The Indiana Violence Prevention Partnership (IVPP), along with the Indianapolis community is very saddened
by the recent death of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's Officer David Moore. Officer Moore
was shot twice in the head while making a routine traffic on January 23. We extend our deepest sympathy
to his family, friends, and fellow officers at IMPD.
This tragedy reminds all of us of the risks that our police officers face each day while protecting our
streets and cities. National data indicated a 50-year low in police job-related deaths in 2009, but sadly,
in 2010, nationwide fatalities increased by 40%, with a 24% increase in firearm-related deaths. In
Indianapolis and across the nation, police departments are reviewing these shootings and discussing strategies
to enhance the safety of officers on the job.
While all law enforcement officers realize the risks inherent in their jobs, many officers also feel
that they are simply "outarmed" by people on the street. Although it’s sometimes easy to feel that
criminals will always be able to get guns regardless of strict gun laws, the Indiana Violence Prevention
Partnership encourages Indiana citizens to resist the apathy this idea engenders. As a community, we can
demand that our legislators pass laws that truly protect our citizens and police officers.
In the wake of yet another firearm-related tragedy, IVPP asks each of you as citizens to examine
Indiana’s gun laws, which are some of the most lenient laws in the nation in regard to gun purchase,
ownership, and sales. As you become more informed about these laws, consider whether they can be
tightened or revised to better protect the health and safety of the public, including our police officers.
Please ensure that our legislators are held accountable for their decisions regarding these laws.
Are the current laws and enforcement measures truly meeting the needs of the public?
As a program of the Indiana University School of Medicine, the IVPP cannot and does not
lobby for specific laws; however we can and do suggest that all Hoosiers become more educated
about the laws that affect each of us.
For more information on Indiana’s firearm statues, follow the links below:
Firearms Licensing [94 KB PDF file] >>
Public Use of Natural and Recreational Areas [159 KB PDF file] >>
Regulation of Deadly Weapons and Devices [92 KB PDF file] >>
The Indiana Violence Prevention Partnership, along with the nation at large, is horrified and saddened
by the recent shooting event and senseless deaths in Tucson. The loss of life and injuries resulting from
this event will haunt the affected families and community for years to come. But while this event is truly
tragic, it is, discouragingly, not the first mass killing in our country in recent months or years. These
types of events continue to sadden, but no longer seem to alarm us enough to really work together to find
solutions that will prevent or reduce these types of violent injuries and deaths.
As an organization that views gun violence as a public health problem, the Indiana Violence Prevention
Partnership once again stresses the dire need for collaboration across our entire community in finding
sensible solutions to firearm injuries and deaths. There is no easy answer to this type of gun violence.
However, we believe people of conscience can agree on the need for open and frank discussions about the ease
with which high-powered, highly lethal types of firearms (such as the ones used in the Tucson shooting) can
be acquired. It is important that Hoosiers become educated about current Indiana law regarding the purchase,
sale, and safe ownership and operation of firearms. As citizens, we must ensure that our laws promote
community safety and are truly in the best interests of the people. It is our sincere hope that Indiana
residents take this opportunity - provided as is it by a terribly tragedy - to educate themselves about
Indiana's gun laws, to talk with their families and neighbors about safe and responsible gun ownership,
and to ask Indiana’s legislators to be accountable for passing laws that will help reduce or ultimately
prevent these types of senseless tragedies.
For more information on Indiana’s firearm statues, follow the links below:
Firearms Licensing [94 KB PDF file] >>
Public Use of Natural and Recreational Areas [159 KB PDF file] >>
Regulation of Deadly Weapons and Devices [92 KB PDF file] >>
If you were looking for the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Violent Injury and Death—don’t worry,
you’ve come to the right place. The Partnership has recently changed both its name and its look, and
we’ve revamped our website to bring you more information on violence prevention data, resources and
programs. The Partnership is fortunate to be celebrating these new developments at the same moment
we’re marking our 10-year anniversary.
The famous educator Margaret Mead once said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” This
philosophy has informed the whole of the Partnership’s 10-year history. In 1999, a small
group of physicians, concerned about Indiana’s rising tide of firearm violence, joined forces
with local law enforcement agencies and hospitals, convinced that a public health approach for
addressing violence held more potential for success than any political strategy. They set out to
discover the facts about firearm injuries and deaths in Marion County, Indiana, calling themselves
the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence. They established a research-based surveillance
system and developed multiple education and advocacy projects based on the research and data they
collected—and have continued to do so to this very day.
In 2005, in recognition of the expanding scope of the work, the organization changed its name to
the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Violent Injury and Death, and this fall, we changed it again—to
the Indiana Violence Prevention Partnership. Though, truth be told, no matter what we’ve ever called
ourselves, the people who know us have always just called us: the Partnership. And we like it that way.
Because, although in 10 years we’ve grown a little and changed a little and added some new partners, we
remain, essentially, a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens who believe we can change the world.
Together.
Click on the link below to watch a short video about the Partnership’s first decade, or contact us for
more information about how you can become involved. We’d love to count you as a partner!
-Angela Plank
Partnership History Video [12 minutes] >>
In a radio interview on WFYI's Sound Medicine program Marilyn Bull M.D.,
Indiana University professor of clinical pediatrics (Riley Children's Hospital) and
co-medical director of the Partnership, gives
a Pediatrician's perspective on Bullying. As many as 30% of American children are involved in bullying, as either
the bullier or the bullied. Children have a right to be protected from bullying and there are specific
steps that parents, school personnel and physicians can take to identify and respond to bullying.
Listen to the interview >>
Download the interview [4.1 MB MP3 file] >>
Order the American Academy of Pediatrics brochure about bullying >>
