Occasional Reflections

Timely updates on our work and progress towards firearm injury prevention.

7/11/2026 Looking Back, Looking Ahead: One Year of Ceasefire Northwest

This is an exciting time for firearm injury prevention education.

This summer marks the completion of our first year as Ceasefire Northwest. Although our organization is new, our work builds on nearly a decade of classroom teaching, curriculum development, research, and partnerships across Washington State. Over the past year, we have taken that foundation and expanded our efforts to bring evidence based, public health informed firearm injury prevention education to students, educators, healthcare professionals, and communities.

It has been a remarkable year.

We have presented our work at state and national conferences, shared our findings with educators and healthcare professionals, and expanded collaborations with health organizations and partners throughout Washington and across the country. We published what we believe is the first academic paper documenting comprehensive firearm injury prevention education in schools, helping establish Ceasefire Northwest as a leader in this emerging field.

We have also had the opportunity to speak with community groups, provide education and training for physicians and other healthcare professionals, and work with educators who recognize the importance of giving students accurate information and practical tools to help prevent injury.

Our advocacy efforts have grown as well. The two sentence statement on our website supporting age appropriate, public health informed firearm injury prevention education for high school students in Washington State has been endorsed by two dozen public officials, many of Washington’s  healthcare provider organizations, and prominent educators around the state. This broad support reflects a growing recognition that education has an important role to play in preventing firearm injury.

But perhaps our greatest source of pride remains our work directly with students.

During the 2025–2026 academic year, we reached more than 6,000 students in over two dozen high schools across 10 Washington school districts. The students we met were engaged, intelligent, curious, and deeply concerned about firearm violence in their communities. They asked thoughtful questions, challenged assumptions, and wanted practical information they could use to help keep themselves, their friends, and their families safe.

After presenting to more than 17000 students over the past decade, we have still not received a single complaint from a parent, teacher, student, or school administrator that our presentations reflected either a pro firearm owner bias or an anti firearm owner bias. We are proud of that record because it reflects our commitment to providing accurate, balanced, evidence based education that respects students, families, both firearm owners and those who choose not to own a firearm. 

One of the year's most exciting milestones was the implementation of the Edmonds School District's firearm injury prevention curriculum throughout the district. Every Edmonds ninth grader  now receives instruction on this important public health issue. To our knowledge, Edmonds is the first school district in Washington, and quite possibly the first in the nation, to provide all students with comprehensive classroom instruction on firearm injury prevention.

The curriculum goes beyond statistics. Students learn about the epidemiology of firearm injury, factors that increase risk, warning signs that someone may be at risk for harming themselves or others, practical steps they can take when they are concerned about a friend, and Washington’s firearm safety laws and safe storage practices. The goal is to provide students with accurate information and practical tools that can help prevent injury and save lives.

Ceasefire Northwest is proud to have partnered with the Edmonds School District in developing this curriculum. This work represents an important step forward, not only for one district but for the future of firearm injury prevention education.

As exciting as this first year has been, it also raises an important question. We have reached thousands of students, but thousands more still need access to this education.

How do we make sure every student has the opportunity to learn these life saving lessons?

The next step, led by the Edmonds teachers, is to develop an open access educational resource that will make these materials available to teachers across Washington State and, ultimately, across the country. We believe every student deserves access to accurate, evidence based, public health informed education about one of the leading causes of death among young people.

The challenge ahead is significant, but so is the opportunity. It will take educators, healthcare professionals, parents, school leaders, researchers, policymakers, and community partners working together.

Thank you to everyone who supported Ceasefire Northwest during our first year. We are proud of what we have accomplished together, and we are excited about what comes next. Join our team!