Jan 12, 2022

Weekly Brief on Gun Violence Prevention in Philadelphia

By The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting • Issue #27 • View online

Each Wednesday morning we share news, research, data, opinions and community responses related to gun violence and prevention in Philadelphia.

New 2022 map from the Philadelphia Office of the Controller displays 53 nonfatal and 11 fatal shooting victims recorded in the city through the first eight days of the new year.

Analyzing open data

A hard look at the numbers behind 2021's record gun violence in Philly, and an overview of what's being done

• Fatal shootings have nearly doubled since 2016 in Philadelphia and the majority of victims were people of color, especially Black and Hispanic men. [Billy Penn/PCGVR]

billypenn.com • Share

More than numbers

• We hope that data and information we provide may prove useful but we never forget that we are talking about real people. Learn about the individuals lost to gun violence in Philadelphia and opportunities to remember someone you loved. [PCGVR]

Opinion

“The great failure of policy and programming on this issue to date is that the solutions have not been as big as the problems they seek to solve.” – Caterina G. Roman and John K. Roman

New year outbreak

• Five people were killed and 32 more were wounded in shootings reported during the first three days of 2022 in Philadelphia. News reports showed another seven people shot Monday night and six more last night. [PCGVR/6ABC/Fox29]

Solution of the Week

“Social media platforms need substantially more involved moderators and AI programs that aren’t just hunting for nascent terrorists and school shooters, but attempting to locate and report local violence.” – Quinn O’Callaghan

Walking the walk

• Activist Jamal Johnson is planning a 90-mile, 14-day march beginning next Tuesday to meet Governor Wolf and demand results in response to violence in Philadelphia. [Facebook]

Recognition

It is clearer to us than ever that people who have experienced violence, or who live in general fear of violence that occurs in their communities, know what they need in order to be safe, and that government at all levels has failed to hear or honor them for too long. – Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner

MLK Day

• Peace Day Philly, the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters and the United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia are coming together for a Zoom session Monday morning to examine the roots of community gun violence. [@peacedayphilly]

Finding help

• Last week we shared that the Philadelphia Eagles are launching an anti-gun violence initiative but then we learned that the effort also includes this web page mapping helpful resources. [philadelphiaeagles.com]

By the numbers

• 64: People shot during the first eight days of 2022 in Philadelphia.

[Open Data Philly via @pcgvr]

• 17: Total 2022 homicides in Philadelphia through Monday night, representing a 31 percent increase vs. 2021.

[PhillyPolice.com]

• 45,000: U.S. gunfire death landmark surpassed in 2020.

• 81,654: Estimated gun sales in Pennsylvania last month.

• 18,900,00: Guns sold in the U.S. during 2021.

[The Trace/The Trace/The Trace]

City response

Philly looks to expand initiative offering support to potential shooters before they pick up a gun

• Officials said they are trying to expand the Group Violence Intervention program to two more police districts and cover the entire city.

whyy.org • Share

• Philadelphia City Council members shared their goals for 2022, including plans to make the city safer. [The Philadelphia Tribune]

• Police announced the previously-rumored plan to establish a new non-fatal shooting unit to improve clearance rates. [WHYY]

Community voices

“Pray, and pray, and pray some more, because you’re going to need it.” - Katrina Burrell

Violence against women

• Gender-based violence in the United States is fueled by unmitigated access to firearms, a lack of services for survivors, and dangerous narratives spread by the gun lobby. [Center for American Progress]

Killing more kids

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the rate of gun deaths of children 14 and younger rose by roughly 50 percent from the end of 2019 to the end of 2020. [New York Times]

More findings

More Gun Sales May Have Contributed to America's Murder Spike

• The number of traced guns whose time to crime was a year or more increased by less than 1 percent in 2020 compared with 2019, but the number of guns whose time to crime was six months or less increased by 90 percent.

www.theatlantic.com • Share

• Shooting at moving vehicles is a dangerous and ineffective tactic that presents overwhelming risks to innocent parties. [Delaware Attorney General via WHYY]

• During 2018–2019, firearm injuries were the underlying cause of death in 75% of all homicides and in 91% of youth homicides. [CDC]

• Over 40% of male firearm owners at least occasionally store a firearm in a vehicle; 15% of those who store a firearm in a vehicle do so unlocked and loaded. Historical suicidal behaviors were related to storing a firearm in a vehicle. [Archives of Suicide Research]

Guidance

• Here’s how to practice gun safety around your children, according to public safety officials, pediatric health experts and firearms groups. [Charlotte Observer]

Technology

Smart guns finally arriving in U.S.

Personalized smart guns, which can be fired only by verified users, may finally become available. They could also reduce suicides, render lost or stolen guns useless, and offer safety for police officers and jail guards.

www.reuters.com • Share

Trauma-informed

• N.J. Gov. Murphy signed legislation prohibiting the use of fake blood, real or prop firearms or the simulations of gun shots or explosions during school security drills. [NJ.gov]

• Crisis responders at Temple University Hospital help the victims of violence and their families make it through their worst days. They can also take the trauma home at times. [6ABC]

Promises unfulfilled

• Many gun reform advocates say they are disappointed by how little President Biden has accomplished. His record pales in comparison to the expansive agenda he ran on in 2020. [The Trace]

On reporting

“The people I speak with, especially parents, want the world to know their sons and daughters weren’t stereotypes. … Each one emphatically tells me their relative didn’t deserve what happened to them.” – Abené Clayton

• Journalists continued heavily citing police officers in local crime reports following the racial justice protests of 2020. [asc.upenn.edu]

In memoriam

Antoine Coleman, Jr., 17, Aspiring Mechanic Who Treasured Connecting With Family

“He was a king in the making. … We just didn’t have enough time to see all of those possibilities.”

www.phillyobitproject.com • Share

Make a difference - Support the Center

At The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, we’re on a mission to find out if changing the narratives associated with community gun violence can prevent shootings and save lives.

Even while the shooting continued to increase both locally and nationally throughout 2021, we made good progress developing Center and we expect to demonstrate more positive impact with each following year.

Here are some of the projects for which we are presently seeking support, prioritized according to urgency: Make a difference: Support the Center.

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By The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting

Reporting on gun violence comes with exceptional challenges, responsibilities and opportunities. The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting wants to help.

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