A new report shows that gun violence is significantly affecting some communities and children across Virginia.
The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) found that although gun violence rates are declining statewide and align with the national average, gun-related injuries remain a leading cause of death among youths and young adults in Virginia.
“In talking with law enforcement and others, we heard over and over that most of the gun violence they see results from interpersonal disputes. That could be two acquaintances or even strangers getting in an argument, and someone pulls a gun, suddenly escalating that situation to violence,” JLARC’s Chief Legislative Analyst, Mark Gribbin, told lawmakers on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
JLARC reported that nine localities—Petersburg, Portsmouth, the city of Richmond, Hopewell, Norfolk, the city of Roanoke, Hampton, Newport News and Danville—account for more than 50% of Virginia’s gun-related homicides.
“Looking at those nine localities, we found that 65% of gun homicides took place in public areas compared to 38% in the rest of the state,” Gribbin said.
JLARC said communities with high levels of gun violence see negative impacts on business activity, property values, test scores, graduation rates and teacher vacancy rates.
“Schools in the nine higher gun violence localities have higher chronic absentee rates, and students are more likely to report feeling unsafe traveling to school and while on school property,” Gribbin said.
Leave a Reply