The League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads believes that firearm injuries and deaths are preventable. The critical challenge of firearm violence prevention is to address the cause of gun violence in the first place–the widespread access to firearms. Gun violence prevention must also include strategies to educate the public and policy makers that gun violence prevention is not just a mental health issue.

Equating gun violence to mental illness leads to the continued stigma, prejudice and fear, which may prevent some individuals from seeking the help they need. Instead, policies, laws and public information related to gun violence prevention must address risk factors for violence and unfettered access to guns.

We recognize that gun violence in America is a public health crisis, marked by deaths, injuries and related trauma that can and must be addressed through increased research and other information that is made available to the public.

We support funding and resources to raise awareness and educate the public regarding the public health impact and policy implications of ongoing gun violence in our country.

We support secure firearm storage to decrease the number of gun deaths – accidental, suicidal or homicidal, as well as decrease the number of injuries, crimes and violent assaults. By secure storage we mean that guns are stored unloaded and locked, and ammunition is locked up separately. Not only will children be safer, but the overall population, especially those at higher risk, will benefit.

We support red flag laws (Emergency Substantial Risk Orders), which use law enforcement and due process to seize and hold firearms out of the possession of those who have threatened to use them to do harm to themselves or others. These laws prevent gun suicides and injury, intimate partner violence and mass shootings.

We support prohibiting firearms in schools, public parks, public buildings, medical facilities, places of worship, and establishments serving intoxicants.

We support universal background checks and licensing for all purchasers of firearms with such licensing to require proof of training in firearm safety and proficiency.

We support the registration, using the latest technology, of all firearms and regulations requiring the immediate reporting of stolen firearms.

We support banning high-capacity magazines, auto sears and any devices that make guns more lethal and regulation of any new technology that circumvents firearms laws.

We support funding for Community Policing as a collaborative effort between the police and the community with the focus on building trust, to identify and solve community problems and reduce gun violence.