New research has found that heavy drinking and being near off-premise alcohol outlets,such as take-out establishments and delis,can increase the risk of gun violence. Reducing the density of off-premise alcohol outlets and better training of servers in these outlets, may help to reduce gun violence, according to a new study published in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and currently available at Early View. Strategies to reduce gun violence often focus on the guns themselves,” said Charles C. Branas, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and corresponding author for the study. “While most Americans agree that gun violence is something we need to reduce, there is less certainty as to how we should intervene while striking a balance between gun owners’ rights and public safety.”

Read the journal's news release at

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/ace-rgv030309.php

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