~ Herring held roundtables in Roanoke, Norfolk, Fairfax, Petersburg, Newport News, and Richmond to hear from local law enforcement, community leaders, and gun violence prevention advocates about community-based gun violence prevention programs that have been effective in their regions ~

RICHMOND (September 28, 2021) – Attorney General Mark R. Herring has concluded a series of gun violence prevention roundtable discussions that he held in Roanoke, Norfolk, Fairfax, Petersburg, Newport News, and Richmond. Attorney General Herring heard from local law enforcement, community leaders, and gun violence prevention advocates about community-based gun violence prevention programs that have been effective in their regions, how Attorney General Herring and his team can better support initiatives that are already underway and what other programs, and what other programs or initiatives are needed in the areas.

“Hearing from community leaders, advocates, law enforcement, and others about what they are seeing in their communities gave me unparalleled insight into ways we can combat the gun violence crisis in the Commonwealth. The common refrain I heard in every community is that it is still way, way too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a firearm and to use it to commit a crime or hurt themselves or someone else,” said Attorney General Herring. “Every single Virginian has a stake in keeping our communities safe, and I came away from these conversations with many ideas on how my office can help support local programs and initiatives to combat gun violence. I want to thank everyone who joined me at one of my roundtables to share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas – it takes courage to speak candidly about what you are seeing and what you need and I truly appreciate it. Too many Virginians have lost their lives at the end of the gun and too many more have had their lives forever changed because of gun violence, and we must all come together to put a stop to it once and for all.”

During this summer’s special session, the General Assembly passed Attorney General Herring’s funding request that will allow the Office of Attorney General to implement community-based gun violence prevention programs across the Commonwealth in communities that have been most impacted by gun violence. Ahead of the special legislative session, Attorney General Herring proposed that $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan go towards community-based gun violence prevention programs in localities across the Commonwealth. Attorney General Herring and his team will work with local community violence prevention advocates, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to implement these programs that will emphasize outreach, prevention, and intervention, while also promoting evidence-based practices.

Below is a selection of news coverage of meetings during Attorney General Herring’s series of gun violence prevention roundtable discussions:

Roanoke – WDBJ – AG Herring discusses gun violence prevention with Roanoke leaders

Collaboration was the key takeaway as Attorney General Mark Herring sat down with Roanoke leaders for a gun violence prevention roundtable Friday. “All problems are better solved not with just one entity trying to attack the problem, but through a conglomerate of many agencies and entities trying to solve the problem,” said Roanoke Chief of Police Sam Roman. The discussion featured Roanoke government, law enforcement, education and community leaders who are all working together to put a stop to violent crime in the Star City...“I’m sick and tired of seeing young people die,” added NAACP Roanoke Branch President Brenda Hale as she briefed the Attorney General on last weekend’s Groceries Not Guns buyback. $14,000 in gift cards were handed out in exchange for firearms in just 90 minutes. They had to stop when funds ran out. But that’s where Herring steps in. His office was allocated $2.5 million by the General Assembly to fund gun violence reduction programs across the state. “Some of what we need to do will be to address acute issues that come up from time to time, but this is really a long-term approach we want to take,” said Herring. The Democratic Attorney General…brought his own ideas to the table, too, suggesting a public awareness campaign similar to one used in Richmond. “In other places, we have been able to communicate really strong messages about how committing another act of violence in response to an act of violence isn’t helping, it’s only magnifying the trauma in the community,” said Herring. [By Pete DeLuca 8/27/2021]

Norfolk – 13NewsNow – Herring leads gun violence roundtable in Hampton Roads

New legislation in Virginia allows the state's Attorney General to implement new gun violence prevention programs. Mark Herring met with leaders Tuesday morning to talk about what's needed in Hampton Roads. Norfolk and Portsmouth police chiefs got to weigh in on what their communities need to stop violent crime. Community leaders identified root issues that lead to violent crime in Hampton Roads…The discussion follows new legislation passed through the General Assembly. During the summer session, lawmakers passed Attorney General Mark Herring’s funding request to implement community-based gun violence prevention programs. Herring proposed $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan go towards these programs. They will focus on youth engagement, conflict resolution and mediation, neighborhood partnerships and collaborations with religious organizations and other stakeholders. “One act of gun violence is too many,” Herring said. “So we’re going to do everything we can to combat it. We know that these program these community-based efforts, taking a public health approach, taking comprehensive community effort work.” He hopes this will lead to stopping crime across the seven cities. [By Kaicy Baylor 9/7/2021]

Norfolk – WTKR – Community members, law enforcement discuss gun violence prevention

Community leaders, elected officials and law enforcement gathered Tuesday morning in Norfolk for the discussion. “I just feel like if we get a lot of opportunities for these kids, then you'll see the kid in them,” said Swinson. Nationwide and in Hampton Roads, gun violence has been a problem over the summer. Portsmouth Police Chief Renado Prince says it takes more than just arresting people or seizing guns. “We can show you a full table of guns, and then where are we going from there?” asked Prince. Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone says efforts need to be made to stop the flow of illegal guns and also have community members intervene. “I think that's the approach - starting from each end and working yourself to the middle,” said Boone. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring organized the event to hear from the community about how his office can help. “It's very complex. It's going to require a comprehensive community-wide response,” he said. [By Brendan Ponton 9/7/2021]

Fairfax – LocalDVM – Virginia AG Herring meets with law enforcement to discuss community-based gun violence prevention strategies

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring met with law enforcement officials on Tuesday to implement gun violence prevention programs in the region. Herring is hosting a series of round table discussions across the state. “I am here to talk with public safety officials to listen to the ideas that they have, their experiences with what’s worked and what hasn’t,” said Herring. The General Assembly passed AG Herring’s funding request that will allow his office to implement programs across the Commonwealth. Ahead of the special legislative session, Herring proposed spending $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan on community-based gun violence prevention programs. The meeting with Fairfax County Police Department members, as well as the Alexandria Police Department, led to the discussion of the role the pandemic has played in mental health. Officers noted the impact COVID-19 has made on family units and the increase of gun violence. [By Christy Matino 9/14/2021]

Petersburg – The Progress-Index – Petersburg to AG Herring: City’s gun violence is more about personal disrespect than crime

“It's often more painful after the trigger has been pulled,” Dr. George Lyons, pastor at Gillfield Baptist Church, said Friday at a meeting in the Petersburg Public Library. Lyons and other civic leaders in the city were there to tell Attorney General Mark Herring that gun violence in Petersburg is not so much tied to committing a crime as it is resolving a conflict. While the city tries to rectify that, these leaders said, ultimately it comes down to the fact that there are not enough resources available to young people to show there are far more ways to end disputes than someone looking down the barrel of a gun… Following the hourlong meeting, Herring said based upon what he has heard, “we have a lot of work to do.” Herring said similar roundtables around the state have yielded similar reactions, but the one takeaway he got from Petersburg was more need for youthful intervention. “It's a very complex issue,” Herring said. “Sometimes, it's gonna be important to remove some of the most violent within the community to help make it safer. But also, we have to work harder to give young people hope and optimism in their future so that they don't turn to that violence to resolve issues.” Under Democratic control, the Virginia General Assembly has passed laws strengthening gun control in the state, such as one-gun-per-month purchases and red flags going up when someone's actions lead them to be perceived as socially dangerous. [By Bill Atkinson, 9/20/2021]

Newport News – WAVY – Virginia AG Herring hosts roundtable discussion in Newport News, a day after Heritage High shooting

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring hosted a roundtable discussion in Newport News on gun violence. The event took place just a day after two local students were sent to the hospital following a shooting at Heritage High School. The roundtable brought together local law enforcement, community leaders and gun violence prevention advocates on the Virginia Peninsula. “Nobody should be afraid to go to school,” said Herring. “Nobody should be afraid to go to a park and we’re raising a generation of young people who are fearing that they could be a victim of gun violence or a perpetrator.” The conversation quickly turned to discussing ways to minimize youth violence, specifically how to break teens away from the cycles of violence they see around them. Community Resource Liaison MaRhonda Echols from the Newport News Police Department said the first step is about showing kids there’s a better life than the violence they’re used to…One issue discussed was difficulties with interdepartmental communication about individuals needing intervention to prevent them from getting involved in crime… Others also discussed the need for properly funding grassroots organizations who know the community and, most importantly, know what works to prevent crime…The Virginia General Assembly recently passed a request for additional funding that will allow the implementation of the gun violence prevention programs. [By Julius Ayo and Jon Dowding 9/20/2021]

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