Statement on
Gun Violence

Clay Middleton, Candidate for Mayor of Charleston, said

Gun violence is back in the national spotlight. This isn’t an issue that we can sit back and only offer commentary on. This is a local concern that needs action. In the past five years, aggravated assaults involving guns have more than doubled in Charleston. 

We talk about the mass shootings happening all over the country, but the violence that took place on the Eastside over Memorial Day shows we need to seriously examine how we protect our loved ones right here at home. And seven years removed from our own tragedy at Mother Emanuel AME Church, our city’s efforts to prevent more harm have given us little more than a name for the loophole around background checks.

The fact is that there is no single solution to the problem. But just as we all live with the consequences of gun violence on our streets, we can all work together to develop a holistic approach to creating a city that is safe for everyone.

First and foremost, the mayor’s office cannot do this alone. The mayor should leverage the  office to establish a transparent and honest dialogue that will lead us to tangible solutions. We have to bring together neighborhood council leaders, the police department, school leaders, state elected officials, business leaders, mental health professionals, faith leaders, and others. From there, we can implement evidence-based and sustainable plans to address the underlying factors that lead people to violent crimes.

No one suddenly wakes up and decides to kill. We can prevent a great deal of violence if we think about the gaps in community-based needs that cause stress on many of our neighbors.

Post-pandemic job loss, lack of affordable housing, food insecurity, mental health issues, lack of economic mobility, and neglect of public spaces are all factors that contribute to increased violent crime. We need to recognize that there are many opportunities to intervene before a person gets to the point of firing a gun, especially an assault weapon. Targeted action plans that make Charleston a more livable city for everyone will go a long way toward stopping gun violence before it even becomes an idea.

Whether it is legally obtained or not, a gun in the wrong hands produces the same tragic result. We need to make it harder for the wrong people to get and keep their guns. One solution is a secure storage education program. In the military, we are trained thoroughly to handle and store weapons safely before we even fire at a range. Adults can normalize conversations about gun safety and model good behavior as being responsible gun owners to further instill discipline and personal responsibility in securing a weapon and ammunition. These measures are in place to save lives, not take away anyone’s rights.

We need to increase our efforts to remove illegal guns from the streets and in homes where domestic violence occurs. We need to explore intervention initiatives in addition to background checks that identify people who are at risk of hurting themselves and others. And we need to build and maintain trust in the police department in every Charleston neighborhood so that no one thinks they need to take the law into their own hands. 

Having a strong community policing relationship, street outreach programs, violence reduction fellowship programs, safe passage programs, and intentional environmental design activities are all actionable items that make a difference. These long-term prevention and intervention programs build trust, promote healthy dialogue, strengthen collaboration, establish accountability, and create safer environments for residents and visitors alike. 

In the unfortunate situations where gun violence does occur, let’s be diligent in tracking. We can complete thorough investigations of each incident in order to learn and share as much as we can so that we can work smarter at preventing another shooting from taking place. 

Just as the mayor’s office cannot do this alone, the city cannot do this alone. The City of Charleston is part of a bipartisan coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. However, we have not made the investments locally and fostered the partnerships shared in that network of more than 1,000 mayors across the country. It makes no sense to be part of a coalition if you’re not going to examine and implement the best practices that work and leverage the relationship to do better. 

No one is in favor of gun violence. No one wants the rate of preventable injuries and deaths to go up. But without clear and common goals and objectives, there can be no accountability and thus no real impact. The last thing we want to do is have meetings just to meet, go back to our corners, offer our thoughts and prayers, and breathe a sigh of relief that it didn’t happen to you.  But, if we work together, and stay together, we can make every corner of Charleston safer for all of us.