News & Events
2023
In March 2023 Sarah Peck will speak at a conference hosted by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security for Los Angeles County elected officials on mass shooting preparedness and response.
On 2/16/23 Sarah Peck will speak at a conference hosted by the Association of California Cities of Orange County (ACC-OC) on mass shooting preparedness and response.
On 1/20/23 Sarah Peck will join Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other mayors who have responded to mass shootings at the 91st Winter Meeting on the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, DC.
On 1/20/23 Sarah Peck will join City of Orlando Chief of Staff Heather Fagan and other communications experts in a panel on crisis communications at the Mayors Innovation Project Conference in Washington, DC.
2022
On 12/19/22 Sarah Peck will brief Bay Village, OH, Mayor Paul Koomar on mass shooting preparedness and response.
On 12/14/22 Sarah Peck and Northeastern criminologist James Alan Fox visited the Sandy Hook memorial to honor the 26 victims who were murdered ten years ago. A Northeastern joined us and published this article entitled, "On Sandy Hook Anniversary Shooting Grief Remains But Hope Grows."
On 12/9/22, The Washington Post mentioned the Mass Shooting Playbook in an article about how businesses recover from mass shootings.
On 12/1/22 Sarah Peck briefed federal emergency management and security experts at a National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) conference in San Francisco, CA on the role of city leaders when responding to a mass shooting.
On 11/23/22 UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor Rick West following a shooting at a Walmart that killed six people in Chesapeake, VA.
On 11/20/22 UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor John Suthers following a shooting at a LGBTQ nightclub that killed five people and injured twenty-five others in Colorado Springs, CO.
On 11/14/22 UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor Lloyd Snook following a shooting at the University of Virginia that killed three students and injured two others in Charlottesville, VA.
On 11/10/22 Sarah Peck briefed the staff of Mayor Justin Bibb on mass shooting preparedness and response in Cleveland, OH.
On 11/1/22 Sarah Peck joined Northeastern professor James Alan Fox and former deputy mayor of Los Angeles Eileen Decker at a security conference hosted by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security in Monterey, CA. She briefed officials from state and federal agencies, academics, and researchers on the UnitedOnGuns mass shooting research, and recommended ways government agencies can promote mass shooting preparedness at the local level.
On 10/24/22, UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor Tishaura Jones immediately following a school shooting that killed a teacher and a student and injured seven others in St Louis, MO.
On 10/14/22 UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin following a mass shooting in a neighborhood that killed five people and injured two others in Raleigh, NC.
On 9/30/22 Sarah Peck joined mass shooting expert James Alan Fox and public health experts to brief the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) on mass shooting preparedness and recovery at their conference in Boston, MA.
On 9/30/22 Sarah Peck joined Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, Laguna Woods Mayor Carol Brown, and other officials to brief the Association of California Cities of Orange County (ACC-OC) on mass shooting preparedness.
On 9/19/22 Sarah Peck joined former El Paso mayor Dee Margo, Orlando Chief of Staff Heather Fagan, and Center for Homeland Defense Security Director Dawn Wilson at the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) conference in Columbus, OH. They shared best practices for mass shooting preparedness.
8/12/22 Sarah Peck joined Florida Representative Christine Hunschofsky; Heather Fagan, Chief of Staff for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; and Dawn Wilson, Director of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security to discuss preparing for a mass shooting at the Florida League of Cities (FTC) conference in Hollywood, FL.
8/4/22 Governing Magazine published our op-ed highlighting the response of Mayor Dee Margo three years after the El Paso Walmart shooting, "The outsized, critical role of a mayor after a mass shooting."
8/1/22 Northeastern Law magazine featured an article about UnitedOnGuns featuring Sarah C. Peck and Orlando's city attorney Mayanne Downs.
7/27/22 UnitedOnGuns announced Director Sarah C. Peck is working with the Center for Homeland Defense and Security to provide preparedness training for mayors and city leaders.
7/19/22 The Hill published Sarah Peck's op-ed, "After mall shooting, yet another mayor becomes a member of the club no one wants to join."
On 7/4/22, UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor Nancy Rotering immediately following a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL that killed seven people and injured at least 48 others.
7/1/22 The ICMA published Sarah Peck's article about the important role city leaders have in responding to mass shootings.
7/1/22 The ICMA magazine Public Management published Sarah Peck's article, "Until we find a way to prevent mass shootings, your city will need to prepare," a comprehensive description of the important role city leaders have in responding to mass shootings. The PM issue also has an excellent list of actions city leaders can take to prepare for school shootings. See Letter from the CEO/ED: Priority one is keeping our children safe.
6/10/22 ICMA published a podcast featuring Sarah Peck discussing how city leaders should prepare to respond to a school shooting.
6/9/22 The ICMA interviewed Sarah Peck about what city leaders can do to promote school safety as part of its podcast series. Listen to "What are you doing to keep your school safe?"
6/8/22 NY Times shared best practices from the Mass Shooting Protocol.
6/6/22 Terre Haute Tribute-Star interviewed Sarah Peck about the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook.
6/4/22 Sarah Peck joined Orlando Mayor Buddy Dryer, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Conference in Reno, NV. They discussed the mass shootings in those cities, the role of mayors when responding to these tragedies, and the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook.
5/29/22 Fox News interviewed Sarah Peck about UnitedOnGuns and our resources to help mayors prepare for a mass shooting.
5/26/22 Sarah Peck was interviewed on NPR about the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook following the tragic Uvalde school shooting.
5/21/22 Sarah Peck and former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley discussed the Mass Shooting Protocol and the importance of preparedness on NPR All Things Considered.
On 5/14/22, UnitedOnGuns partners sent the Mass Shooting Protocol to Mayor Byron Brown immediately following a racially motivated mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY that killed ten people and injured at least three others.
2021
12/15/21 Sarah Peck and Emily Nink spoke about the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook on the ICMA Voices in Local Government Podcast. A blog post is available here and the podcast is available here.
11/18/21 Mayors Against Illegal Guns University Webinar: Sarah Peck spoke about the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook at a webinar for elected officials, law enforcement, and municipal staff. Coverage by Channel 11 News available here. Webinar recording available on request (visit Contact Us page).
10/26/21 Press release: UnitedOnGuns announces the availability of the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook, as well as case briefs and other resources, on its website.
10/15/21 UnitedOnGuns Director Sarah Peck introduced the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook to law enforcement officials and elected officials at the 5th Annual North American Active Assailant Conference in Troy, Michigan.
10/01/21 Publication of the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook: A Resource for U.S. Mayors and City Managers.
9/20/21 After Sandy Hook, She Knew She Had To Do Something About Mass Shootings. News@Northeastern piece covering the development of the Mass Shooting Protocol & Playbook.
6/10/21 Pulse shootings’ lingering trauma must be public-health priority | Commentary. Op-ed arguing for sustained funding for long-term mental health and other services for mass shooting survivors and their families.
5/29/21 Opinion: To reduce risk of mass shootings, prevent suicides. Op-ed urging the nation to do more to reduce suicide, not only to save over 25,000 lives lost to firearm-related suicide, but also to reduce the number of public mass shootings.
4/6/21 Sarah Peck and James Alan Fox: Proposed policy would help mayors respond to a mass shooting. Op-ed urging the federal government to offer training and funding for mayors who must respond to a mass shooting.
January 2021 Conference: Public Health Approaches to Protecting Youth from Gun Violence during COVID and Beyond
Conference Part 1: Focus on the increased risk of gun violence in the home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Expert panel: Thea James, MD (BMC), Matt Miller, MD, ScD, MPH (Northeastern University); Margo Lindauer, JD (Director, Domestic Violence Institute, Northeastern University). Recorded 1/14/2021.
Conference Part 2: Focus on the increased risk of gun violence in the public space during the Covid pandemic. Expert panel: James Fox, PhD (Colleges of Social Sciences & Humanities, Northeastern University); Quaniqua Carthan-Love, MSSW, MA (Director of Planning and Programs, Cities United); Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN (School Nurse, Camden, NJ; author of the Relentless School Nurse blog). Recorded 1/21/21.
Conference Part 3: Focus on concrete actions health care providers can take to protect youth from gun violence. Expert panel: Peter Masiakos, MD and Chana Sacks, MD (Mass General Center for Gun Violence Prevention), MaryBeth Miotto, MD, MPH (pediatrician, Vice President MA Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics), Mary Harvey, PhD (Director, Violence Transformed, Northeastern University), and Kendall Bruce and Lauren Cardoso (MA Department of Public Health officials). Recorded 1/28/21
2020
5/15/20 Research Report: Extreme Risk Protection Orders: Implementation in a Social Justice Context. The report makes recommendations for more effective and equitable implementation of state ERPO laws.
2019
11/20/19 Profiting from protecting kids is wrong. Halt active shooter drills in schools. | Opinion. Op-ed advocating against realistic active shooter drills for school children to avoid traumatizing students.
11/17/19 A federal red flag law would save lives … An op-ed urging Congress to pass a national Extreme Risk Protection Law (aka "ERPO" or "Red Flag" law) that would fund state ERPO laws to temporarily remove guns from people in crisis. The Biden administration later drafted a model ERPO law for state legislatures. In June 2022, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The Act allocates $750 million to support states who want to pass ERPO laws. Currently, 19 states and Washington, DC, have passed these laws.
10/20/19 Guns, Crime and Criminal Justice Reform. Forum on public health approaches to reduce gun violence.