AAU Calls for Action on Gun Violence

The Association of American Universities on Thursday issued a statement backing reform of gun laws in the United States. While calling for reform of gun laws, the statement also calls for improvements in the treatment of mental illness and consideration of the "culture of contemporary media" in promoting violence. "We claim no special expertise in these domains," the statement says, but it calls for a comprehensive solution to gun violence, noting the tragedies at Virginia Tech and in Newtown, Conn.