Your editorial “More measures needed to end gun violence” ironically stated, “None of these measures will end gun violence” (The Columbian, March 9). However, there is a way to end “gun violence.” In 2012, the Giffords Law Center teamed with the city of Oakland to form a coalition of municipal leaders to implement Oakland Ceasefire, which emphasized criminal justice reform and community involvement, detailed in their report “A Case Study in Hope.” From 2012 to 2018, this program reduced homicides by 40 percent, a remarkable achievement.
Then why aren’t programs like Oakland Ceasefire a priority for public safety? Because the most effective program at reducing homicide had nothing to do with gun control. For Giffords to admit this would undermine the gun-control agenda. Sadly, our legislators are more interested in virtue signaling (more gun control) than the hard work necessary to make safer communities.
What’s since happened in Oakland? In 2019, staffing changed, funding was diverted, priorities shifted and as a result, the coalition fragmented and homicides increased. Then in 2020, with pandemic lockdowns and “Defund the Police,” the coalition disintegrated and now homicides have reached what they were before Oakland Ceasefire. So we know what works and what doesn’t work to end “gun violence.”
