Research is growing into how best to stop gun violence. One city looks to science for help
MIKE STOBBE
Associated Press
Updated
Knoxville has became one of a growing number of cities to team with researchers to develop an evidence-based plan to stop gun violence. It is a centerpiece of Knoxville's attempt to follow a science-based playbook in fighting a surge in shootings. Only recently have research reviews begun to…
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — “That’s where I got shot,” said Rashaad Woods, nodding toward a convenience store in Knoxville's “gun zone.” There were bullet holes in a church’s walls. Nearby was a shuttered nightclub where some people were killed.
Chloe Isom, left, with Rashaad Woods and Denzel Grant, right, of Turn Up Knox gather Aug. 3 in Knoxville, Tenn. Isom lost two sons to gun violence in 2022. Her son Jabari, 16, was shot to death last September and her son Stephen, 20, was killed two weeks later.
Quientest Vinson, right, of Turn Up Knox hands out candy to children Aug. 5 during the Lonsdale Neighborhood Homecoming celebration in Knoxville, Tenn. The organization is a centerpiece of Knoxville's attempt to follow a science-based playbook to fight a surge in fatal and non-fatal shootings.
Knoxville, Tenn., Deputy Police Chief Tony Willis talks with Terry Walker-Smith after an Aug. 3 meeting of the Violence Reduction Leadership Committee. The city saw a spike in gun deaths in 2020 and 2021, with a gun homicide rate that at one point in 2021 rivaled Chicago's.
Chloe Isom, left, with Rashaad Woods and Denzel Grant, right, of Turn Up Knox gather Aug. 3 in Knoxville, Tenn. Isom lost two sons to gun violence in 2022. Her son Jabari, 16, was shot to death last September and her son Stephen, 20, was killed two weeks later.
Knoxville, Tenn., Deputy Police Chief Tony Willis talks with Terry Walker-Smith after an Aug. 3 meeting of the Violence Reduction Leadership Committee. The city saw a spike in gun deaths in 2020 and 2021, with a gun homicide rate that at one point in 2021 rivaled Chicago's.
Quientest Vinson, right, of Turn Up Knox hands out candy to children Aug. 5 during the Lonsdale Neighborhood Homecoming celebration in Knoxville, Tenn. The organization is a centerpiece of Knoxville's attempt to follow a science-based playbook to fight a surge in fatal and non-fatal shootings.
