Late October, Sunsaara Shergill (Advanced LEAP Scholar, Class of 2024) hosted The Public Health Impact of Gun Violence: A Perspective from the United Kingdom after the Dunblane Primary School Tragedy with the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) LEAP program of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and non-profit Americans Against Gun Violence. Sunsaara welcomed Dr. Michael North for a discussion regarding the impact of gun violence on MCAH populations. Dr. North lost his five year-old daughter in the 1996 mass shooting at the elementary school in Dunblane, Scotland, where fifteen fellow students and their teacher were also killed. During the speaker event, Dr. North shared his personal experience that policy reform work in Great Britain has contributed to the rate of gun-related deaths in Britain being 1/70th the rate in the United States.
Sunsaara’s exposure to gun violence issues drives her passion to speak out on the topic. On August 5, 2012, a gunman opened fire on the Wisconsin Sikh Temple murdering seven. Sunsaara’s grandparents regularly attended the Temple and were just minutes away when the shooting occurred. Active shooter lockdowns have also shaped Sunsaara’s educational experience, propelling her to found the first “March For Our Lives” (MFOL) chapter in the Elk Grove Unified School District and speak on the steps of the California State Capitol during the “March For Our Lives” gun-violence prevention rally. At UC Berkeley, Sunsaara was a Research Apprentice, working on “Lethal in Disguise 2: How Crowd-Control Weapons Impact Health and Human Rights” with Dr. Rohini Haar.
Gun violence is a public health issue and there is much to be learned from those around the world that have successfully organized to enact legislation that makes their communities safer.
Sunsaara is passionate about gun violence reform and is honored to share her experiences and organize within the UC Berkeley community. Connect with Sunsaara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunsaara-shergill-84457323b
Pictured below: Sunsaara moderating conversation with Dr. Michael North (Left Photo). Dr. Michael North, Sunsaara Shergill, and Dr. Bill Durston, the Founding President of Americans Against Gun Violence (Right Photo)