By Serenity Armstrong

Howard University News Service

WASHINGTON– As voters prepare to cast their ballots, gun violence remains one of the most pressing issues for communities across the country. In Washington, D.C.– where Black residents are disproportionately affected– voters are weighing candidates’ opposing stances on gun policy.

Since U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis in June, the issue has taken center stage in both national and local discussions.

With Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign pushing for stronger gun control measures and Donald Trump’s embracing a pro-gun stance, the stakes are high for residents seeking meaningful change.

This story explores how gun violence is influencing voter sentiment ahead of the election, focusing on the impact within Black communities and the candidates’ divergent policies.

Through conversations with advocacy groups, residents and community leaders, this piece will highlight how the outcomes of this election could shape efforts to curb gun violence in the district and beyond.

“We are losing an entire generation of people as a result of firearm injury,” said Arnitta Holliman, the director of the Rights and Justice Department’s gun violence prevention team at the Center for American Progress.

Despite provisional gun death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing the overall gun death rate declined last year, the total remained near-record high, with about 47,000 gun deaths.

That number does not include deaths in which gunshot injuries contributed to but were not the primary cause of death.

In addition, firearms remain the leading cause of death for children and teens following a 50% increase in child and teen gun deaths between 2019 and 2021.

“We’re talking about numbers and statistics, but these are not numbers and statistics. These are moms and dads…sisters and brothers…our family,” said Dr. Joseph Sakran, the director of emergency general surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

During a roundtable panel hosted by the Oversight Committee Democrats, Sakran called attention to gun violence disparities affecting Black families.

“There are young black men that are being slaughtered on our streets, and, for a long time, no one talked about those stories,” Sakran said. “It wasn’t until suburban white schools started getting shot up that people started paying attention.”

In fact, Black communities face gun homicide rates that are more than 10 times higher than those in white communities, according to Everytown for Gun Safety Research and Policy.

Although gun violence is recently recognized as the leading cause of death in all U.S. children, it has been the leading cause of death for Black children since 2006.

The gun death rate of Black children and teens is nearly 20 times higher than that of white children, according to a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

In D.C., which has the highest rate of gun homicides and assaults in the U.S., Black people represent less than half of the population.

Still, the CDC’s finalized 2022 data shows more than 90% of victims in the district’s gun homicides are Black.

Residents said gun violence has been an issue for years, especially in Southeast, D.C.

“I was born and raised in D.C.,” Annette Burns said. “We’ve been dealing with this for so long. I’ve lost several family members. My son just lost the fourth friend he’s lost in a two-year timeframe.”

Burns’ two stepsons were killed by firearms in 2021, and a student in her daughter’s classroom at Dunbar High School was shot in May.

“Some guys were shooting, and the bullet came flying in her classroom and grazed one of her classmates in the head while they were in the middle of a subject,” Burns said. 

Like many others, Burns and her family are dealing with mental health issues, including anxiety and insomnia, as a result of their trauma.

Along with physical and mental health, gun violence impacts education, housing, transportation, and more.

“It’s an economic catastrophe that drains resources, shatters families, and cripples communities,” Sakran said.

Gun deaths and injuries cost D.C. $2 billion each year, of which more than $100 million is paid by taxpayers, according to a report by Everytown.

Holliman said businesses are also impacted as some people avoid areas where shootings have occurred.

D.C. resident Madison Johnson is afraid to go back to the Pentagon City Mall after surviving a robbery there earlier this month. 

“I fear all of the time. It’s the fear of it being a gunshot,” Johnson said. “I want someone to be in office that is going to do something about gun violence.”

Residents, such as Johnson, are factoring the presidential candidates’ gun legislation histories and proposed gun policies into their voting decisions.

With the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention overseen by Harris, the Biden-Harris administration passed the first major federal gun safety legislation in nearly three decades. 

Throughout her presidential campaign, Harris has advocated for what she calls “common sense” approaches to gun control policy.

Last week, she spoke at an event in Royal Oak, Michigan with former Republican representative Liz Cheney.

“Both Tim Walz and I are gun owners,” Harris said. “I’m in favor of the Second Amendment. I also believe we need reasonable gun safety laws, assault weapons bans, red flag laws, [and] universal background checks.”

On the other hand, Trump does not support gun control. 

At a town hall hosted by Univision earlier this month, he said people need guns for security, entertainment, sport, and protection.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has endorsed him for three consecutive presidential races, starting in 2016.

Trump, who described himself as “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House,” told attendees at an NRA event in February that he did nothing to restrict guns during his first presidency. 

Instead, Trump rolled back a gun regulation from the Obama administration that aimed to block gun sales to people with certain mental illnesses.

“When I’m back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms,” said Trump, who promised to roll back the Biden administration’s gun regulations at another NRA event in May.

Burns said she is not sold on either presidential candidate.

“I feel like Donald Trump would moreso add to the problem versus Kamala,” Burns said. “I just have my doubts about them both because Kamala is already in office, and these things have been taking place and getting worse.”

Some district residents said they are leaning toward Harris for stricter access to firearms while others said they are leaning toward Trump to protect gun rights. Many said they are considering other issues in addition to gun violence.

Regardless of who wins the election, residents want relief from the gun violence and trauma.

“Violence is a disease, and like any disease, it can spread,” Holliman said. “We have to stop the spread, meaning we have to address the root causes. We cannot arrest or incarcerate our way out.”

D.C. resident Crystal Smith said poverty is one of those root causes.

“It’s a lot of poverty. It’s a lot of homelessness,” Smith said. “It’s easy for people to be like, ‘Oh, stop shooting,” but nobody’s getting to the core. [Gun violence] is making me want to vote even more.”

Holliman said we need an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to address the “uniquely American” problem of gun violence.

Holliman, Smith, and other residents emphasized the need for politicians in and running for office to involve community violence intervention and trauma-informed solutions in their policies.

“I hope the main issues that contribute to gun violence are taken care of…to just show kids it’s more to life than violence,” Smith said.

For voters who want to identify those whose policies support stronger gun laws and gun safety, Moms Demand Action compiled a database of “Gun Sense Candidates” running for federal, state, and local offices across the country.

More information on the presidential candidates’ platforms, including gun control and many other issues, can be found on their official campaign websites: kamalaharris.com and donaldjtrump.com.

Serenity Armstrong is a reporter and managing editor of HUNewsService.com.