Sadness filled the air yet there was an overwhelming sense of unity. Microphones amplified the voices of men and women who felt passionate about the issue of gun violence. Anita Knopov, BU medical student, not only organized the BU walk out for gun violence on March 14, 2018, she also took part in a full year of research about firearm use and the racial prejudice it involves.
As a member of the 7-year pre-med program at Boston University, Anita Knopov has had her mind set on being a doctor since she was 18. She began her career at Sargent College and is now studying at BU Medical School. However, she learned quickly that neglecting to understand public policy, particularly gun violence and how it relates to race, was naĂŻve and would only hurt her as a future doctor.
“I learned pretty quickly when I started medical school that it’s really hard not to think about policy when meeting with patients,” Knopov said. “I started realizing that there were many patients who have had a history of being shot and I didn’t know what questions I could ask them that both wouldn’t be intrusive and wouldn’t make them reveal traumatic information if there was nothing I could do to help.”
Knopov is on the far left.
Picture Credit: David Keough, BUSM Communications
In response, between her third and fourth year, Knopov decided to do research on firearm use and the racial prejudice it involves. During her year of research, Knopov worked closely with Michael Siegel, a professor in the School of Public Health at BU. “We looked at the racial disparity in firearm homicide between the black and white population,” Siegel said. “We are doing this at the state level and trying to show differences within the states in firearm death and explain why there are differences.”
As Knopov and Siegel discerned from their research, in today’s society, there is not only a massive increase in gun violence but also a great amount of racial disparity involved. Knopov explained that often times, laws within certain states are created with the benefit of white people in mind. According to both Knopov and Siegel, the more structural racism in a state, the higher amount of gun violence there is, particularly among African-Americans.
 “The way I see it, gun violence is a public health issue and we should know how to tackle them in the same way we tackled other public health issues such as opioid use,” Knopov said. “There is just a lack of research about gun violence and the effect it has on all citizens, especially those of color.”
Gun violence is still a significant issue, but people like Knopov along with thousands of students at various schools are working to increase awareness and create a better way of handling these situations.
“Students are not only bringing a whole new perspective to this issue but also making adults and policymakers really listen,” said Knopov. “It is a shame to think that students who are 15 and 16 have to be literally fighting for their lives in an educational setting,”
Picture of participants in the Walk Out for Gun Violence, organized by Knopov.
Picture Credit: David Keough, BUSM Communications
Knopov is now working with an organization called Affirm whose objective is to increase general awareness of firearm violence since the CDC and NHH are not doing so. Affirm is a group solely comprised of physicians in order to provide information that is well researched and can be trusted by everyday citizens. When I asked what the everyday citizen could do to help end gun violence and particularly mass shootings, both Knopov and Siegel expressed that we must not forget. With so many school shootings, the press is on it for a week or two and then it just falls off a cliff. So long as students, teachers, adults, and any other citizen that is aware of the violence keeps the conversation going, we will get closer to a solution.
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