GVPanorama - As Research Grows into How to Stop Gun Violence, One City Looks to Science for Help
GVPanorama - As Research Grows into How to Stop Gun Violence, One City Looks to Science for Help
Knoxville, TN is one of a growing number of cities teaming with researchers to develop an evidence-based plan to fight gun violence.
While on the search for recent gun violence prevention news for our weekly "Friday Finds” feature, we often come across editorials, personal stories, or wider-lens articles that don’t necessarily fit into a “current events” window. With “GVPanorama” we will highlight some of these thought-provoking pieces.
In this intriguing Associated Press article, local activists in Knoxville, TN explain how — since their state’s government is blocking any attempt at gun violence prevention legislation — they’ve instead looked to increased scientific research and work on the ground level with a street outreach program, churches, and other local groups to come at the gun epidemic from a more pragmatic level.
“The effort involves church leaders and a range of community organizations. There were also changes at the police department, including a new police chief, a detective unit focused only on homicides and shootings, and officers dedicated to patrolling in areas with many shootings. A goal is to increase public trust in law enforcement, which had been low and sometimes abysmal.”