Violence: a challenge to the public health community

In the past 2 years, cities have reported skyrocketing rates of violence, crime, and abusive behavior including intrafamilial homicides. Of the 1838 homicide deaths last year among teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19, 71% involved the use of a firearm. Among black males in the same age group, 82% of the deaths were associated with guns. Since 1968, homicide has been among the leading causes of death for black teenagers. These and large volumes of other data clearly indicate that violence and abusive behavior is a compelling public health problem.