Rowhani-Rahbar Quoted in The Trace on Why Mass Shootings Happen Even in States With Strict Gun Laws
Posted: 2026-11-06 12:40:32 (CSDE in the News)
CSDE Affiliate Ali Rowhani-Rahbar (Center for Firearm Injury Prevention and Epidemiology) was quoted in The Trace article, “Why Mass Shootings Happen Even in States With Strict Gun Laws,”. Prompted by the October 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, the piece asks whether such incidents undermine the case for strong gun laws, given that Oregon has universal background checks, a red flag law, and a ghost gun ban. Dr. Rowhani-Rahbar, director of the Center for Firearm Injury Prevention at the University of Washington, explained that while certain gun laws can reduce gun deaths, no single law can fully eliminate the risk of school shootings, and that laws should be judged by their overall impact rather than by individual incidents. Other experts quoted in the article point to the patchwork of state laws, the large number of guns in civilian hands, weak penalties for unsafe storage, and the time it takes for laws to become fully effective as reasons such incidents still occur in states with strong gun laws. To read the full article, visit this link. Congratulations Dr. Rowhani-Rahbar!
Date: 11/04/2026