Regional Wrap
A wrap-up of local gun violence prevention news and stories from across the U.S.
Given the Trump administration’s rollback of recent gun violence prevention advances, the most productive GVP action has moved to the local level. Every other week we bring you the Regional Wrap to get you caught up on gun violence prevention news that might be happening right in your town.
ALABAMA:
VIDEO: Deadly shooting at Baptist Health Brookwood shines light on hospital security protocols
“Howard said there are no security mandates for hospitals in Alabama, but of course, that could change.”
Mothers United Against Gun Violence to host third Youth Violence Prevention Forum
“The forum will include youth testimonies, moderated panel discussions, audience questions and answers, and a community resource spotlight focused on prevention strategies and support for young people and families.”
Where does Alabama rank in 2024 gun death rates?
“According to newly released 2024 data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alabama had the fourth-highest firearm death rate in the nation last year…. Only Mississippi, New Mexico and Alaska ranked higher.”
COLORADO:
Two Pueblo organizations receive grants to help reduce gun violence
“Community grant recipients were selected based on detailed descriptions of how local organizations would approach the problem of gun violence in the community….”
Kirsten Taylor serves as executive director for Juniper Colorado (via The Pueblo Chieftain).
FLORIDA:
Florida bill to arm college professors, staff faces opposition
“A dozen student and faculty organizations joined forces in a letter to the Florida Legislature in mid-February, urging it to ‘Vote NO’ on HB 757 and SB 896, titled ‘School Safety.’ The legislation would extend what is called the ‘Guardian Program’ to the state’s public colleges and universities to allow trained staff and faculty to carry loaded firearms on the campuses, acting as armed guards.”
ILLINOIS:
Chicago’s Violence Interrupters Hail Drops In Gun Violence, Call For Steadier Funding
“Advocates say establishing community violence intervention as a legitimate profession has been a key factor in Chicago’s years-long decreases in shootings and homicides.”
KENTUCKY:
How a Hip-Hop Artist and Five Crisis Mediators Cut Lexington’s Gun Violence by 60 Percent
“In 2011, the city created a task force to fight a rash of shootings. In 2017, a mayor proposed something different — a program that would wrap its arms around the neighborhoods doing the shooting. By 2025, gun violence had dropped to its lowest level in a decade.”
MARYLAND:
New Policies to Reduce Gun Violence in Maryland
“The report produced by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in collaboration with Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence shares data-informed steps for Maryland policymakers to reduce firearm deaths.”
MICHIGAN:
Holding Gun Owners Accountable: An Early Look at Prosecutions Under Michigan’s Firearm Storage Law
“In April 2023…, Michigan enacted legislation providing prosecutors with a criminal statute to hold adults accountable when a child accesses an unsecured firearm.”
VIDEO: Lansing sees sharp drop in gun violence to start 2026, community groups aim to keep momentum
“Gun violence is down significantly from last year where we are 55 percent reduction in non fatal year to date and we are 100 percent down in fatal shootings….”
MINNESOTA:
Meet the Annunciation parents mobilizing to end gun violence in Minnesota
“All of us are navigating both a really strong desire to do something and to see change and a sense of urgency around that change, but we’re also navigating living through the aftermath and the ongoing experience of having children who have survived gun violence….”
An installation of empty desks, each representing a student who was killed by gun violence in Minnesota since 2021, stands outside the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on Monday. (Photo: Ben Hovland, MPR News).
MISSOURI:
VIDEO: ‘We really need to find peaceful ways’: local non-profits meet on Valentine’s Day to spread awareness of gun violence
“February 14 is known as Valentine’s Day, but the local nonprofit Peace Economy Project is hoping to reframe the day not as a commercial holiday, but as a public act of care and a demand for accountability.”
NEW YORK:
The Bronx is bleeding: Gun violence surge in February leads cops to deploy additional resources ahead of reorganization
“… an NYPD spokesperson told amNewYork that police have deployed additional resources to the Bronx, but cautioned that the year is still young, and it is too early to suggest a broader, upward trend in gun violence.”
PENNSYLVANIA:
A Contemporary New Opera on Gun Violence Has Roots in Pittsburgh
“Crystal Manich started writing the opera Time to Act in 2018, shortly after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The Mt. Lebanon native talked with young people about the tragedy, channeling a torrent of emotions into words that, when paired with composer Laura Kaminsky’s music, are meant to uplift, unify and heal.”
‘The hallways are quiet’: Trauma-informed school model uses calm to prevent conflict in Philly
“The PHASeS team from Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine also provides regular staff training. It helps teachers better understand the chronic trauma students see at home and in the neighborhood, often related to housing insecurity, gun violence, and domestic abuse.”
TENNESSEE:
Nashville’s Grassroots Leaders Continue the Work of Gun Violence Prevention
“As the city emphasizes violence prevention, longtime groups like Gideon’s Army and Nashville Peacemakers carry forward.”
TEXAS:
Guns, Texas history explored at library author talk
“You can find academic studies that say that the 10 years in Texas after the Civil War was probably the most violent decade for civilian violence in American history….”
VIRGINIA:
Organizations work to prevent gun violence amid recent shootings in Roanoke
“While Roanoke officials are calling 2023 the deadliest year on record, 2026 may be coming close as six deadly shootings have occurred since the beginning of the year.”
WISCONSIN:
Violence Prevention Programs in Milwaukee Face Uncertainty — and Rising Homicides
“The violence bucked a regional and national trend of post-pandemic declines, and residents said what happened along Hampton Avenue reflects a broader strain in Milwaukee’s response to violence.”