The Push to Combat Gun Violence

How organizations throughout the United States are fighting to save lives

By Chloe Langerman

Anews alert that another gunman has terrorized a school, a supermarket, a nightclub. Another life that has been lost to a gun-related accident or suicide. These incidents are no longer shocking to many in the United States, but they continue to destroy the lives of countless people.

The Giffords Law Center reported that the United States has the highest number of gun-related deaths of any high-income country, with over 45,000 in 2021. This epidemic affects every state and countless communities throughout the country, including Syracuse, New York.

In March 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced an expansion of the Syracuse Cure Violence (SNUG) program. Newly hired employees were deployed to 11 sites throughout New York State. This came as a response to Syracuse’s gun violence crime, the rate of which increased by 59% in 2020, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice. The program treats gun violence as a health crisis, focusing on conflict mediation, youth mentorship, and strong communitybuilding.

This rebrand included 29 outreach employees, all of whom had to go through a rigorous training process that ensured their ability to handle conflict. An $8.2 million grant from NY State made the extension of the SNUG program and investments in gun violence prevention possible.

According to an article from WKBW, Niagara Falls is the most recent addition to the New York communities that have implemented SNUG. The community introduced the program because gun violence rates in areas that have utilized the SNUG program– including Syracuse – have seen violent crime decrease.

Surrounding states face similar gun violence issues, and organizations are working to make a difference by building programs like SNUG in their areas. Josh Fleitman is a Western Pennsylvania Manager at CeaseFire

PA, an organization created in 2002 that is dedicated to ending gun violence in the state. Fleitman explained his organization has had great success in combating the issue in recent years.

“Last year, we were able to get $105 million put into a grant program,” Fleitman said. “That money supports community-based prevention programs that are addressing the root causes of gun violence, and helping to de-escalate conflict and make our community safer.”

In Massachusetts, the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence (MACOPGV) has a four-step model that incorporates similar objectives as the SNUG Program: educate, advocate, organize, and engage. Community Engagement Organizer Angelica Fontes, who has worked for social justice causes her entire career, emphasized that an important facet in stopping gun violence is changing the narrative.

“Seeing gun violence as a public health issue is a newer lens that folks are taking on. It has become widespread in the advocacy community, but that is why it’s so important to continue educating,” Fontes said. “When I talk to young people, they are often so surprised by the complexities of the issue.”

This emphasis on young people is also taking shape in Syracuse. Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration announced a plan this past

March to provide a weekly stipend to highrisk individuals between the ages of 18-24 in order to avoid violence and criminal activity. Community outreach, like that being achieved in Mayor Walsh’s plan, is a

“We want to set a universal basic income and improve the foster care system. We also have a community council, who tell us if our legislation goals are what the community will support.” common thread through most gun violence organizations, including MACOPGV. But, they also place a heavy focus on legislation that addresses the systemic problems that increase violence.

As community programs are set in place across the country and are working to address the systemic factors that impact gun violence, there is still much work to be done in preventing further incidents.

Fleitman says to make a difference, individuals must go out and support these organizations, and anti-gun policies.

“We work so more people are out of the justice system to begin with,” Fontes said.

“Vote for gun safety candidates, join an organization,” Fleitman said. “Show decision makers and your community and your neighbors, that you are not going to sit back and do nothing while people die, you’re going to use your voice, your power as a citizen in our democracy.”