In 2000, nearly 29,000 people in the U.S. died from firearm injury. The vast majority of these people died from suicide (58%) or homicide (38%). And for every person who died, at least two others were shot and survived, often with permanent disability. The Firearm Injury Center at Penn (FICAP), founded in 1997, is a unique collaboration among health professionals, researchers and communities to address the magnitude and impact of firearm injury and violence. In this Issue Brief, FICAP presents an overview of firearm violence, and discusses public health approaches to reducing the toll of violent injury.