For nearly 35 years I have lived, worked and fought for safer communities across Virginia. I am proud to call this commonwealth home. I have spent much of my life helping to build a public health approach to firearm violence prevention in Virginia. I’m driven by my deep sorrow and anger after a friend died from gun violence and I’ve spent countless hours working with family members who have lost loved ones, and individuals who still suffer the physical and emotional scars of a bullet wound. But I’m also focused on this issue because gun violence is not inevitable. There are solutions that work, and we need to enact them in Virginia. Together with partners in the Governor’s Mansion and the General Assembly, a wide coalition of community groups, faith leaders, health care providers and others, in 2020 and 2021, came together to make progress on a slate of evidence-based gun violence prevention policies. Virginians enacted laws aimed at strengthening background checks, establishing a red flag law, prohibiting firearms in polling places, providing funding for community violence intervention programs and more. Unfortunately, during Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration, progress stalled, life-saving bills passed by the General Assembly were vetoed, and federal money meant for community safety was left on the table. While the administration refused to act, thousands of Virginians died by firearm homicide and suicide. The data paint a stark picture of the stalled progress. The most recent data show a Virginian lost their life to a gunshot every seven hours in 2023. Firearms were also the leading cause of death among young people ages 1-17 in 2023. Inaction from the Youngkin administration means Virginia has been heading in the wrong direction. The overall state gun death rate increased by 19% from 2015 to 2024 according to U. S. Centers for Disease Control of Prevention data. Now state leaders have an opportunity to do more. With a new governor and commanding majority of gun violence prevention champions in the General Assembly, now is the time to turn commitment into action. We cannot allow another generation to pay the price. This is our moment for change. No more political hedging. Every delay is a life lost. Here’s what the new trifecta must do to follow the research, and pass policies to save lives in Virginia. First, it’s time to pass firearm purchaser licensing, also known as permit-to-purchase. This policy is the cornerstone of a strong state firearm regulation framework. It creates a process of accountability for purchasing a firearm, closing loopholes in the background check process, ensuring every new firearm purchaser goes through safety training, and shutting down straw purchases for criminals. The data show that firearm purchaser licensing lowers firearm suicides, homicides, mass shootings and shootings of and by police officers. Second, make sure the public health approach to combating gun violence is baked into state policy. Start with safe storage laws that put time and distance between firearms and those at risk of committing violence or harm. Then, create an office of gun violence prevention to coordinate efforts across Virginia. This creates a centralized hub to prioritize funding for community programs, data collection, research and implementation. Finally, make meaningful investments in community-led prevention efforts. Ensure community partners, gutted by federal funding cuts, have the resources to continue their pivotal work. Community violence intervention programs can be some of the most effective in lowering rates of gun violence. In Maryland, programs such as Safe Streets Baltimore have been associated with a 32% decrease in homicides in some of the neighborhoods hit hardest by shootings. I’ve spent much of my professional life working in Virginia both because it is home, and I know we can do better. We have evidence from research and community practice about what works. Now we have the momentum and a political window of opportunity. To the governor, legislature and every Virginian: Now is the time. We must not squander this moment. The cost of delay is lives. The benefit of action is immeasurable: safer families, thriving neighborhoods and a Virginia that leads the nation in gun violence prevention. Josh Horwitz, J. D., of Arlington is the co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/22/column-seize-this-moment-to-tackle-gun-violence-with-real-solutions/
Column: Seize this moment to tackle gun violence with real solutions
