What People Are Saying

“All study participants (14/14) described fear as the top concern in the narratives of clients as survivors, client family members, and clients living in communities affected by community gun violence. Descriptions of fear included feeling unsafe, safety concerns, inability to navigate/access neighborhood, danger, threat, threatening behavior, and brutality.”

— Dr. Lauren Wolf

“I think, fundamentally people have a right to live to feel safe in their communities. And that, at its core, is a social justice issue…If you don't feel safe in your own community, what are we doing? It's so foundational to people's mental health and people's ability to grow, and thrive, and have a functioning healthy community, country, all of the above..”

— 2023 Study Participant Arya*

“[What]…might be effective is if we can somehow educate social workers better on this subject. I really feel like we need to do that first. Then if there's any sort of intervention that seems to be effective, working in small groups in communities in neighborhoods, first. I think on a macro level…people have been trying to get that done for a long time…”

— 2023 Study Participant Bellamy*

*Pseudonyms used for all study participants

Question posed at a Chicago CEU presentation presented to social workers:

How would you briefly define community gun violence?

Participants responses included:

“Guns negatively impacting community safety”

“People being threatened by gunpoint or violent acts occurring where guns are used against others and you are a witness”

“Use of guns in the community causing distress, violence and deaths unnecessarily in the community”

“Shootings in communities - by their community”

“Individual who actively engage or are passively involved with weapons”

“Causes generational trauma and pain for communities and families. With repeated gun violence, there is a lack of space to heal and process trauma”

“Any gun violence that happens outside of war or police duty”

“Living amongst the fear of being a victim , or knowing someone who is, of fun violence”

“Gun activity at another person”

“Gun violence that impacts those directly impacted as well as those who live within that community”

“Harm caused by threat of and access to firearms”

“Aggressive occurrences with use of firearms within our own community”

“Act of violence by a fire arm demonstrated in a neighborhood where it impacts the community at large”

“Gun related incidences in areas that are resource limited. Heavily populated and higher crimes”

“Harm caused from threat of and access to firearms”

“Personal experiences with direct impact or witnessing an event”

“The presence and threat of guns out in the community. Too easy access to guns”

“Personal injury that occurs as a result of firearm use within public spaces &/or private residences”

“A community where accidents resulting in gun violence is highly prevalent”

“Occurrences of aggression with use of guns by members of your own community”

“Personal injury as a result of firearm use within public spaces &/or private residences”