Dedicated to ending firearm injuries in the United States through a health-based approach, the American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine (AFFIRM) at the Aspen Institute combines health expertise with the knowledge and traditions of responsible firearm stewardship to achieve consensus recommendations. Founded in 2017 by two emergency physicians, AFFIRM at the Aspen Institute engages both gun owners and non-gun owners who are committed to reducing the rate of firearm injuries and deaths. Its work overcomes partisan divides, engages trusted messengers, and creates actionable plans to reduce the incidence and effects of firearm injury on rural and urban communities alike.

In 2017, Drs. Christopher Barsotti and Megan Ranney founded AFFIRM Research, now AFFIRM at The Aspen Institute, based on their shared commitment to approaching firearm injury as a public health issue rather than a political one, and the progress made in the past five years has worked to change the national conversation surrounding firearm-related injuries.

AFFIRM at The Aspen Institute has led community-driven conversations, bringing together diverse stakeholders to reflect on the real ripple effects of firearm injury and apply prevention evidence in ways that resonate with those who are at risk. Our work overcomes partisan divides, engages trusted messengers, and creates actionable plans to reduce the incidence and effects of firearm injury on rural and urban communities alike. AFFIRM remains committed to reducing the rate of firearm injury in the United States by moving beyond policy-based solutions towards immediate, health-based solutions.

We’ve taken an oath to heal, but we all have a duty to protect. The problem of firearm injury is more than bullet holes. We, as physicians, know how deep the problem runs – but more importantly, we know it doesn’t have to be this way. There are health-based solutions that can make an immediate impact.

— Christopher Barsotti, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Co-Founder and Program Director and Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, FACEP, Co-Founder and Senior Strategic Advisor