Common Council

Gun Violence is a community problem

On June 29th we experienced another incident of gun violence in our community. Two teenagers were shot around 5:20 p.m. in the 2900 block of Dryden Drive, near the McDonalds. As I have stated in the past, everyone in Madison deserves to live in a neighborhood that is safe and free from the violence that takes lives, destabilizes neighborhoods, and undermines the future we want to build for our community. We must continue to view and address gun violence as a community issue and generate solutions to address it.

Both Public Health Madison and Dane County and Madison Police Department continue to use data-driven approaches to preventing violence. Public Health convenes the Community Safety Intervention Team (CSIT), which uses data to identify individuals who are at-risk, or who are currently engaging in violence to provide support, services, and follow up by partnering with community agencies.

Madison Police Department continues to use data to identify patterns of shots fired incidents, apprehend perpetrators and hold them accountable.

Both of the agencies support the public health approach to violence prevention which uses data to inform strategies and solution to community gun violence, but more is needed.

The landmark legislation passed by Congress this past week is a start. It incrementally toughens requirements for young people to buy guns, denies firearms from more domestic abusers and helps local authorities temporarily take weapons from people deemed to be dangerous. Funding from the legislation will also support mental health programs and increase funding for school safety.

We know that in order to keep this momentum, we need to continue to invest in our communities and the services that support us in thriving. To learn more about our efforts surrounding community violence, and other issues impacting the safety and health of our community, I am working with Public Health Madison and Dane County, as well as other partners, to convene a community meeting designed to help inform and bring awareness to the supports and services available for us. We need to come together to get the facts, share ideas, learn what we can do, and take steps forward to make District 18 safe for every resident. I'll share the date and time of that meeting as soon as I can.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have questions or to discuss public safety or any other issue that is on your mind.