The Regional Wrap
A wrap-up of local gun violence prevention news and stories from across the U.S.
Given the Trump administration’s goal to roll back the gun violence prevention advances we’ve made, the most productive 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:
Alabama enacts stricter gun law to curb violence, enhancing felony classifications
“Under the new law, it will be classified as a Class C felony for individuals to possess a firearm if they have been convicted of any felony offense within the past five years or have three felony convictions at any time. Additionally, possessing a firearm while out on bail awaiting trial for certain prescribed offenses, such as violent crimes, will also be considered a Class C felony.”
Anti-gun violence event in Talladega aims to empower community
“The event is a part of ASAP’S Barbers and Ballers Against Bullets initiative, launched in 2023 after a community survey found that Anniston and Talladega area youth, ages 16-23, were the primary victims of gun violence.”
COLORADO:
DPS will bring gun-sniffing dogs to school sporting events
“Canine weapon and drug detection programs have spread nationally. In Dallas-Forth Worth schools, the dogs found 30 guns on campuses in one year and were used in 1,500 drug seizures, NBC 5 reported.”
ENOUGH! Plays Plays to End Gun Violence
On Monday, October 6, young people around the country performed six plays that were chosen from the annual ENOUGH! initiative. Below are reports from just some of those performances.
California: ENOUGH! PLAYS TO END GUN VIOLENCE Comes To UC Santa Barbara’s Hatlen Theater
Connecticut: ‘Enough!’: Teens across CT to read plays confronting gun violence written by their peers
Florida: ThinkTank Theatre to Join ENOUGH! Plays To End Gun Violence
Hawaiʻi: Theater production tackling gun violence hits the UH Mānoa stage
Illinois: VIDEO: Rockford University teen-written plays address gun violence
Minnesota: Abundant Life student’s play criticizes how media and public responded to school shooting; Local teens perform series of plays aiming to prevent gun violence
New Mexico: Creative Crossroads reading nationwide plays focused on ending gun violence
New York: “Enough: Plays to End Gun Violence” comes to Rochester; Niagara University Theatre hosts impactful plays to end gun violence
U.S. Virgin Islands: ‘Enough!’: Plays to End Gun Violence – Written by Local Students – Performance at SCEC
Wisconsin: Local students perform ‘ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence’
FLORIDA:
Can Sarasota businesses ban guns? What to know about Florida’s open carry law
“Business owners, however, can still prohibit firearms on their premises by posting signs or directly telling customers, and deputies can treat refusals to comply as trespassing. The ruling broadens where guns can be carried in public, but it doesn’t strip businesses of control over their own spaces.”
ILLINOIS:
New Student Organization Brings Gun Violence Prevention to Campus
“Students Demand Action (SDA) completed its first year of establishment and held its inaugural meeting Sept. 24, marking the beginning of what organizers hope will become a significant voice in campus safety advocacy.”
The new organization held its inaugural meeting Sept. 24. (Grace May | The Phoenix)
KENTUCKY:
VIDEO: Lexington organizations work to keep gun violence numbers down
“Not just addressing the symptoms but the actual sickness, right, so really focusing on the root causes of gun violence, which is poverty, food insecurity, economic disparities, stuff like that….”
MARYLAND:
A new mural in the fight against gun violence — painted where blood once spilled in Maryland
“Before the Civil War, disputes among Congress members were settled with pistol-drawing duels. In Maryland, the land on which some of those duels happened is now covered with art projecting a different message of peace.”
A 124-foot-long anti-gun violence street mural, titled “Streets of Solidarity,” in Colmar Manor, Maryland (WTOP/Kyle Cooper)
As ghost guns decrease in Baltimore, so does juvenile gun violence
“While there is no readily available data on people who were arrested with ghost guns prior to 2023, police data shows that over 40% of people arrested in the state in possession of ghost guns between the beginning of 2023 and the middle of 2024 were under 21, the minimum age to purchase a handgun in Maryland.”
Baltimore Mayor’s Community Approach to Gun Violence Seems to Be Working
“[Baltimore Mayor Brandon] Scott attributes the success to the collaboration between violence interrupters, the city’s police department, attorney’s office, and the community.”
MICHIGAN:
Schools will teach parents about safe storage under new Michigan laws
“Under the Safe Homes, Safe Schools package of laws, school districts must educate parents about the safe storage of firearms by posting information on their website and distributing it to parents.”
MINNESOTA:
Minnesota can lead on gun violence — if we stop arguing past the evidence
“While lawmakers at the Minnesota Senate’s Gun Violence Prevention Working Group fell into familiar gridlock last week, Minnesotans outside the Capitol are united in one thing: exhaustion with the violence. Political leaders assassinated in their homes or on campuses, children killed in classrooms and churches — people are tired of living with these tragedies.”
Students who walked out of school lean on each other while rallying for an end to gun violence outside the Minnesota State Capitol on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (Ellen Schmidt / MinnPost / Catch)
NEW JERSEY:
Trenton native helps combat violence through community intervention work
“Established in June 2022, the team is a community-based violence intervention and prevention initiative created to help break the cycle of violence in the city through in-person interventions, health education, safety resources, community walks, and youth and adult workshops.”
NEW YORK:
City of Buffalo names first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention executive director
“… [Adrienne Garr] will lead the City of Buffalo’s efforts to expand community-based violence prevention initiatives, strengthen victim support services and advance data-driven strategies to reduce gun violence.”
NORTH CAROLINA:
How Southport is finding unity through tragedy after a mass shooting
“You can’t let the evil people take over your life in which you’re afraid now to go out. Businesses have to run and life has to go on because there are a whole lot more good people than there are evil people.”
A memorial to victims of the Sept. 27 mass shooting at the American Fish Company in Southport (Bob Liepa; Star News)
OKLAHOMA:
VIDEO: Oklahoma City forms committee to tackle youth violence
“Just being DA for the past three years, and seeing what I think is for me an alarming use of guns by very, very young people, and I’m talking 14, 15, 16, and 17….”
PENNSYLVANIA:
VIDEO: “Peace Mobile” hitting Philadelphia streets this fall to help prevent gun violence
“The mobile unit will deliver trauma counseling and violence prevention services directly into neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.”
SOUTH CAROLINA:
VIDEO: Georgetown residents, police join forces to address gun violence
“Residents say police can’t solve the problem alone. They’re urging neighbors, parents, and even churches to get more involved.”
TENNESSEE:
Memphis community works to end gun violence by addressing root problems
“Here’s how the Memphis community is working to reduce gun violence in the city.”
Memphis violence intervention group fights for funding after federal grant cut
“Violence prevention programs have infiltrated Memphis’ most dangerous streets over the past few years, and city leaders say it’s helped de-escalate conflict and save lives. So if it’s working, why is there now a fight for funding?”
TEXAS:
Gun violence has Austin firefighters and paramedics getting upgraded bulletproof vests
“First responders used to be seen as playing a more neutral role at crime scenes, but AFD Captain Russ Howard says those days are gone.”
VIRGINIA:
UVA hosting gun violence prevention panel discussion in Charlottesville on Oct. 10
“The panel discussion will bring together local leaders and public health experts alongside representatives from Baltimore’s Gun Violence Reduction Strategy to share ideas and potential solutions.”
WASHINGTON:
Seattle puts $14.7 million on the table to break youth gun violence trends
“The goal of the available funding is to decrease people’s involvement in gun violence, and make schools safer for students. Both youth and adults up to 35 years old are the priority population for the Human Services Department, as well as the city’s Black community members…”