Meet the Minnesota researchers working to prevent another mass shooting

New information is still surfacing surrounding Wednesday’s armed standoff in Minnetonka that injured two Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies.

Gun violence is an American epidemic, killing tens of thousands of people across the country each year in their homes, churches, schools and malls.

There’s a lot we don’t know about what motivates a person to kill a stranger, or even someone they love.

MPR News host Angela Davis talked to the researchers studying why gun violence happens, hoping to prevent it before it starts. They’re based right here in Minnesota.

Guests: 

• James Densley, Ph.D., is a professor and department chair of criminal justice at Metro State University, and deputy director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University.

• Jillian Peterson, Ph.D., is a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University, director of their forensic psychology program and executive director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University.

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.