To Find Solutions to Violent Crime, D.C. Consults People Behind Bars
Incarcerated people suggested asking the National Rifle Association to build a shooting range for underserved communities to teach residents how to legally obtain and safely operate a gun.
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Local officials and academics involved in anti-violence work in D.C. have started conversations with incarcerated people at the Correctional Treatment Facility in Southeast D.C. as part of an educational program called LEAD Up!, where the men are prompted to consider what resources could help keep D.C. residents safe, reports the Washington Post. One group of incarcerated men said the District needs an entirely new agency to “treat gun violence as a public health emergency” called the Department of Violence Prevention and Firearm Education.
The men also suggested asking the National Rifle Association to build a shooting range for underserved communities to teach residents how to legally obtain and safely operate a gun. However, the District has already implemented many of the ideas that they have proposed, with most wanting to see more mentorship opportunities and others more investment in activities for young people. “There is a communication breakdown that we need to work on,” said D.C. Director of Gun Violence Prevention Linda K. Harllee Harper.
