N.J. Center on Gun Violence Research wants ‘all hands on deck’ approach to stem shootings

“There are only two people in the world that can tell you the difference between what a handgun or an AR-15 does to someone’s liver. And it’s me and the coroner,” said Newark trauma surgeon Stephanie Bonne to a room full of researchers and gun-control advocates at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick Campus.

Bonne was making the case Tuesday that medical professionals should be at the table for discussions of gun violence. Historically, she said, the issue has been looked at through a criminal justice lens.

Bonne, director of data surveillance for the newly established New Jersey’s Center on Gun Violence Research, said she’s looking to collect better data on nonlethal shootings.  

One of the first of its kind in the country, the Rutgers University-based center was allotted $2 million in November by the state. It wants to pull people from different disciplines — including psychology, sociology and social work from Rutgers and beyond— to get a better idea of who is being shot and why.

This way, she said, the state can better inform its prevention efforts and direct resources to the communities that need the most help.