By Jason Drewes | Opinion
Oct. 24 – A seventeen-year-old girl is fatally shot outside her apartment.
Oct. 26 – Two men were injured in two separate shootings.
Oct. 29 – Eight injured, one dead in a mass shooting.
These three recent incidents occurred in one week in Tallahassee. So far this year, there have been 100 shootings that have resulted in a total of 17 people dead and 81 injured, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Over the past decade, Tallahassee has become a hot spot for criminal activity involving firearms. Violent crimes involving firearms in Tallahassee have increased 83 percent since 2018, according to an article on TallahasseeReports.com,
In the counties of Leon, Jefferson, Gadsden, and Wakulla, the crime rate is more than 140 percent above the national average. Lives are being taken by the week, and not enough is being done to put a stop to it. We need to come together as a community to take a step in the right direction and put a stop to this unnecessary violence.
We often see or hear about gun violence on the news or on social media, but we may not think about it affecting someone we know or care about.
A few years ago, a close friend of mine, a former TCC student, became a victim of the gun violence epidemic in Tallahassee.
It was a cold night in April 2020 when my friend was getting some cash from an ATM near the corner of Ocala Road and West Tennessee Street. He was walking back to his car when a kid, who looked to be no older than 16, approached him with a gun and asked for his money.
After my friend refused to give up the cash, he was shot. Thankfully, he survived with no permanent injuries, but he is forever on the lookout for danger.
“Leaving my apartment by myself, I’m always in that fight or flight mode because of what happened,” he said recently. “And I’m constantly thinking of worst-case scenarios that might happen when they are pretty unlikely.”
Having someone I am close with become a victim of gun violence really helped open my eyes. It’s a prevalent crisis, not just in Tallahassee, but across the nation.
Angela Green, public information officer for the Leon County Sheriff’s Department, said gun violence is a public health issue that takes its toll on cities all across the nation.
Green said the safety of the Tallahassee community is the department’s number one priority, and the Sheriff’s Department will continue to work together with the Tallahassee Police Department not only to stop the violence but to find the roots and causes of it as well.
Recently, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office released the Anatomy of a Homicide report, which shows the findings of an investigative evaluation of homicides in Leon County from 2015 to 2020. Based on the findings, the LCSO concluded that the violence cannot be solved by law enforcement alone, and advocated for “additional research, improved data collection, and analysis, increased collaboration, and information sharing between agencies, providers, and the community, as well as evidence-based solutions that are community informed.”
LCSO’s recommendations received support from the community and local government. With this support, the city was able to create the Council of the Status of Men and Boys, which will help bring all stakeholders and resources together to implement a unified operational strategy for violence prevention and intervention.
Green also said residents can help prevent gun violence by locking car doors at night. Many guns used in crimes are stolen from unlocked vehicles.
The department has a social media application called NextXDoor. Every night at 9 pm, the app sends out a notification that reminds users to lock their doors, bring valuables inside and turn exterior lights on. These messages act as a public service reminder to help prevent crimes of opportunity. The LCSO’s Neighborhood Watch also helps in the fight against crime.
Other steps residents can take not only include reducing firearm access from the youth but reducing access to other adults who shouldn’t be allowed to have one.
The community can also establish a “culture of gun safety” by creating policies that ensure everyone who purchases a firearm is required to do mandatory training, as well as renew their licenses on a constant basis. Other measures include required safe and secure storage for firearms, and “holding the gun industry accountable to ensure there is adequate oversight over the marketing and sales of guns and ammunition.” according to an article on PreventionInstitute.org.
Our nation has been plagued by gun violence for too long, and it’s time that we made some changes.
To make a change, we must stop talking about the issues, and start creating solutions, right here in our community, one day at a time.
