Roy S. Johnson: More Community Solutions to Gun Violence and an Eerie Elvis Reminder

No one can say that you don't care. While some people in and around Birmingham may believe that the city's gun violence epidemic isn't their problem, there are many who refuse to look the other way.

It’s easy to ignore in our divided region, especially when most homicides don’t directly affect you. When they occur in places far removed from your daily life—areas you’ve likely never even visited—it’s tempting to put on blinders. But that doesn’t make it acceptable.

Last year, out of the 123 homicides—a 6.25% decrease from 2022—66 percent (81 deaths) occurred in the West and North precincts, according to my colleague Carol Robinson’s report. Ignoring this reality isn’t acceptable. When a life is taken senselessly and violently, it should affect all of us. Our collective grief should be palpable, and our anger should be ignited.

Thankfully, many of you do care. This was evident from the responses to my column last Sunday, where I shared citizen-proposed solutions to gun violence—ideas from regular people, not elected officials.

Gun violence persists in 2024, with 103 homicides recorded so far.

The solutions I shared were responses to a question I posed: If you were Birmingham’s king or queen for a day, with the power to make almost anything happen by royal decree, what would you do to stop gun violence?

The suggestions (some of which are already in progress) generally fell into six categories: police/law enforcement, youth/parenting, jobs/economic development, guns, infrastructure/neighborhoods, and faith.

I asked for more ideas, and a new wave of proposals emerged.

Here are a few of the new suggestions, including some drastic ones, along with my thoughts:

• Stop the sale and service of alcohol at midnight. (This seems naïve and would likely be too late to be effective.)
• Require anyone over 21 to take a gun safety course and mandate open carry for firearms (Uhhh...), followed by mandatory life sentences for crimes committed with guns. (And after that, oh king, what’s the plan for prison overcrowding?)
• Introduce the "Leader in Me" program to elementary schools. According to its website, the program provides "a model and process that addresses common challenges unique to students during these formative years." One reader shared their experience: “I participated in this program as a teacher. The school documented fewer behavior issues and improved test scores. However, the program was removed when some teachers who didn’t want to work so hard lobbied the school board to remove the principal and the program. These lazy teachers were successful, resulting in lower test scores and increased behavior problems.” (Ouch.) The reader continued, “It’s an expensive program, but less costly than funerals and incarceration.” (That’s the truth.)