Gun violence in Tennessee called ‘public health crisis’

Gun violence is a major problem in Tennessee.

A report recently put Tennessee at No. 4 in the country for gun-related deaths of people 19 and under.

One group came together to talk about ways to fix the problem this week.

Safe Tennessee Project said it’s time to talk. The organization was behind a roundtable discussion, even inviting those who have been impacted.

The group, along with state Rep. John Ray Clemmons and other lawmakers, health professionals and dozens of Nashvillians took a deeper dive into shocking numbers on gun violence in the state, like how nearly 3.5 Tennesseans are killed every day by gun violence.

In Nashville, 279 people have been shot this year.

The goal on Tuesday was to keep the conversation going about evidence-based policies and programs to reduce those numbers, including expanding background checks, adding safe storage laws and funding more research.

Two points Safe Tennessee Project made in a research book it created:

The need for mental health care to reduce suicide rates and people who shouldn’t have access to guns Reduce gun thefts from cars. More than 500 guns have been stolen from cars in Nashville this year.