This week, Health Affairs published a new health policy brief about mass shootings in the United States.

Although mass shootings account for less than 1 percent of all firearm deaths annually, they evoke significant public alarm.

These tragedies have detrimental effects that extend way beyond the harm to the direct victims and their families to include those who witness these events, those who live in the communities surrounding them, and those who identify with the demographic groups targeted.

In the brief, authors Aparna Soni and Erdal Tekin review research about mass shootings and their effect on population health and discuss policy interventions that may reduce the harms inflicted by mass shootings.

Soni and Tekin categorize policy responses to mass shootings into several buckets: physical security measures, social media monitoring, mental health supports, and gun control policies.

They note, however, that there is little credible evidence on the causal effects of policies on the frequency and lethality of mass shootings.

A supplement to the brief provides a synopsis of studies to date on the effects of mass shootings on health outcomes.

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