By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
The Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive public policy think tank, held its 11th National Gun Violence Prevention Summit on Dec. 10 in Washington, D.C. The event brought together advocates, survivors, policymakers and more from across the nation and abroad.
The summit aimed to foster new partnerships, empower attendees and highlight what more can be done to help end gun violence in the U.S. It featured panels and discussions with top voices in the gun violence prevention movement, including New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D).
Nick Wilson, senior director of gun violence prevention at CAP, highlighted how the event was designed to focus on progress rather than setbacks such as disappearing grants dedicated to tackling gun violence.
“Today is about hope and about progress and about our successes,” said Wilson. “When we zoom out and look at the trajectory of the past decade, something remarkable becomes clear. We’re winning, we’re saving lives, we’re reshaping what is possible in this country and we need to savor each and every victory.”
Wilson emphasized that gun violence is declining in cities that have invested in prevention and stronger gun laws.
“Gun violence is falling in communities across the country, and some of the largest declines are in cities that have invested in prevention, have stronger gun laws that are holding the gun industry accountable,” he said.
One of those cities is Baltimore.
“Gun violence is the reason at six or seven years old, I decided I wanted to be the mayor of Baltimore,” said Scott.
Baltimore City experienced eight consecutive years of 300 homicides annually from 2015 to 2022. Under Scott’s administration, homicides have reached a 50-year low, with an approximately 30 percent decrease this year and a 60 percent drop since 2021.
Scott credited the city’s distinct improvement in public safety to the group violence reduction strategy (GVRS), which reduces gun violence by helping individuals at highest risk of committing violent crimes while delivering certain consequences for violent acts. He also cited their all-of-government approach that does not overly rely on a single funding source, such as federal dollars, to keep the initiative effective.
“We have to make sure that the numbers continue to go down,” said Scott. “To me, those numbers are people. They are lives saved, families not being impacted, communities that still have people that are able to grow into the best version of themselves.”
New Jersey has seen similar progress.
“Every year I’ve been in office as I sit here today, over 800 fewer people have been shot in New Jersey than the same time the year before I took office,” said Platkin. “One of the reasons is the affirmative lawsuits that we brought to hold bad actors and the firearms industry accountable.”
According to the Public Rights Project, a national organization providing litigation support, affirmative lawsuits are cases that enforce laws that protect the people’s rights as individuals and community members. Under affirmative lawsuits, government lawyers file cases that confront violations that harm residents at a local, state or federal level.
Breakout sessions and networking opportunities during the summit allowed attendees to exchange information and build alliances within the movement.
Sylvia Stitt Smith, executive director of the Samuel Harrison Stitt Foundation, named after her son who died of gun violence on Aug. 9, 2019, shared the topics she found most pressing at the summit.
“There is a distinct difference between violence in a community and a mass shooting,” said Sylvia Stitt Smith, executive director of the Samuel Harrison Stitt Foundation, named after her son who died of gun violence on Aug. 9, 2019. “A lot of the violence in the community happens in Black and Brown neighborhoods.”
Smith praised CAP for elevating survivor voices beyond mass shooting narratives.
“Stories create awareness,” she said. “Hearing stories from those who have the moral authority to share how it has impacted our lives, our families, our communities at large will give people a sense of awareness that this issue impacts all of us.”
Hudson Munoz, executive director of Guns Down America, emphasized consumer advocacy and economic pressure as tools for gun violence prevention.
“The accountability process in gun violence prevention can open a wider aperture to look at the role of business regulation,” said Munoz.
Munoz said financial incentives shape corporate conduct and consumer behavior, influencing public safety outcomes.
“I think there’s an opportunity for us to lay down our own standards for how these businesses operate in our communities,” he said. “That is where we are looking outside of the gun law space and looking at the role of shareholders and consumers.”
As the summit concluded, attendees were encouraged to bring what they learned back to their communities and press forward despite federal challenges. They were also urged to stay connected with new networks to continue making a difference nationwide.