Building Safer Communities by Investing in CVI Programs

By Sen. Cristina Castro (IL)

Download the 2025 Fall Edition here.

There are countless examples of innocent lives being lost to weapons of war. In 2024 alone, there were 41,029 deaths caused by gun violence, over 1,400 of which were children, as well as 503 mass shootings and 1,276 unintentional incidents, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Furthermore, and most horrifyingly, according to the CDC, firearms are the number one cause of death for children in the United States, including homicide, suicide and accidental shootings.

These numbers are not just statistics, they represent lives lost, families shattered, and communities traumatized. The ripple effects of gun violence go far beyond the immediate victims, impacting mental health, economic stability, and public trust in safety systems. The urgency to act is not only political, it is moral as well.

Latinos are affected at a disproportionate rate than their non-Hispanic counterparts. This disparity stems from a multitude of systemic factors: concentrated poverty, underinvestment in urban infrastructure, limited access to mental health services, and higher exposure to community violence. Every year, thousands of Latinos lose their lives to gun violence, with over 36% of those deaths resulting from suicide. Hispanic people are also two times more likely to die by gun homicide and four times more likely to be wounded in an assault involving firearms. Gun violence in Latino communities is often concentrated in urban areas where cycles of poverty and underinvestment persist, leaving families vulnerable and unsupported.

To tackle this issue as comprehensively as possible, in recent years, our Caucus has taken a strong and consistent stance on reducing gun-violence through common-sense legislation. In Res. 2018-10 Common Sense Gun Safety to Prevent Terrorism and School Massacres, we called for a range of reforms, including raising the minimum age to purchase firearms, banning dangerous weapon modifications, and implementing comprehensive background checks. We expanded on this commitment in Res. 2021-19 Targeting the Data Gaps in Gun Violence and Police Use of Force, urging states to invest in data infrastructure and research. In Res. 2024-16 Secure Weapons Storage, where we advocated for secure firearm storage laws and public awareness campaigns.

Most recently, we passed Emergency Res. 2025-06 Enacting and Funding Community Violence Intervention and Firearm Dealer Accountability Programs to Prevent Gun Violence and Calling on Congress to Restore Successful Grants and Reorganize and Strengthen Gun Violence Prevention and Enforcement, because while it has proven difficult for Congress to agree on other forms of gun control, such as assault weapons bans, targeted, culturally informed policy solutions like Community violence intervention are less politically co-opted and essential to reversing these trends.

Community violence intervention (CVI) programs focus on individuals who are most at risk for gun violence, offering support through trusted community members, mental-health services, and conflict mediation. These programs operate through models such as street outreach, where trained violence interrupters mediate conflicts and prevent retaliation, and hospital-based violence intervention programs, which engage victims of violence while they are still in the hospital to offer trauma-informed care and wraparound services. CVI programs have demonstrated measurable success across the country. In Baltimore, the Safe Streets initiative led to a 16-23% reduction in homicides and non-fatal shootings, while New York’s Save Our Streets program saw a 63% drop in gun victimization. According to the Urban Institute, targeted CVI efforts have been associated with a 32% reduction of shooting victimization and a 23% reduction in overall shooting patterns among participating groups. These programs are proactive, community-led solutions that build trust, promote healing, and offer alternatives to violence. By investing in CVI programs and following data driven strategies, we can reduce trauma, save lives, and build safer communities.

Building on this momentum, NHCSL Emergency Resolution 2025-06 calls for urgent federal and state action to prevent gun violence. The resolution demands:

• Funding for Community Violence Intervention programs, which provide trauma-informed support, conflict mediation, and mental health services.
• Accountability for firearm dealers, including stricter oversight and penalties for illegal sales.
• Restoration of successful federal grants that support local violence prevention efforts.
• Reorganization and strengthening of gun violence prevention infrastructure, including the reinstatement of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
• The creation of new funding streams through excise taxes on firearm and ammunition sales, with proceeds dedicated to prevention efforts.

With a stark shift in administrations, gun violence is currently placed at the backburner. Despite his tough stance on crime, the Trump administration has dismantled the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, cut funding for community-based violence prevention programs, and rolled back on regulations that require background checks. These thoughtless actions have left vulnerable communities without any safeguards or critical support. The dismantling of the White House Office of Gun Violence prevention is a signal of a troubling shift towards reactive based approaches rather than evidence-based solutions, ignoring the root causes of gun violence.

Our Caucus remains committed to advancing policies that protect our communities and prevent the needless loss of life. We urge Congress to adopt, fund and restore policies focused on secure firearm storage, comprehensive background checks, and data driven prevention strategies. Gun violence is not inevitable; it is preventable. By working together, we can create safer spaces for our children, families, and neighborhoods. The time to act is now, not when we are confronted with another headline.