'We need to save lives.' Gun violence collaborative begins work on action plan

Gun violence has been an ongoing concern for Springfield law enforcement and city residents alike and a recent string of fatal shootings has heightened calls from the community to take action.

Now, a new group of community leaders and decision-makers has formed to examine local solutions to the problem. Formed in February, the Community Partnership of the Ozarks's Gun Safety and Violence Collaborative aims to assess, prevent and address gun violence in Springfield and promote safe firearm ownership.

Long-time community advocate Francine Pratt, along with Clay Goddard, president of Burrell Behavioral Health's southwest region, co-chair the 17-person collaborative. Pratt said the collaborative recognizes the importance of focusing on what is possible in the local community, rather than things outside of local control.

"(A) legislative approach is not what we need right now," she said. "We don't want to have anyone feel or think we're coming at this in any way to do with gun control, that's not our focus, our focus is reducing the number of suicides and deaths by gun."

Planning for action

The collaborative is in the process of creating an action plan for addressing the issue, with a focus on accumulating existing resources and filling in the gaps with new best practices.

"We can't keep doing what we've done before and getting no results," Pratt said. "I don't believe we have accumulation of everything that we've tried before, because it's never been brought together as a community initiative as a collaborative."

Among the existing resources are free safety kits and education to promote gun safety created by the Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Responsible gun ownership is key to preventing suicide and crime, Pratt said.

The action plan will be created within six months, she said. The recent fatalities from firearms have further amplified the urgency for a plan for change.

"We need to save lives," Pratt said. "That's why we're not meeting just to be meeting, we're actually doing work in the background."

The action plan and collaborative are examining solutions for four categories of gun violence — youth, suicide, crime and outreach.

The subcategory focusing on youth is on those ages 13-18 because gun access and violence in this population is trending up. Pratt said families need to be listened to and empowered in order to create spaces for all populations of young people to go.

Community involvement

While the collaborative itself is made up of decision-makers from various entities around town, Pratt said they will be working closely with and seeking out those who have experienced gun violence in their own life or the lives of loved ones.

More: 'As a community, we are hurting.' Recent Springfield gun violence causes growing concern

She said the collaborative will identify and connect with community leaders who already have established trust and relationships with people to be able to meet them in the community to listen to their experiences, concerns and feedback. Then, members of those groups will be invited to join the collaborative to ensure that all voices are represented in the development of the action plan. Springfield NAACP President Kai Sutton, who spoke in front of Springfield City Council Monday night, has been invited to be part of the action plan conversation, Pratt said.

"The emotions, the stories, the lived experiences, the understanding of some of the things that are going on in the community, that has to be heard and felt, but that's only going to happen in a setting where folks feel comfortable and trusted that they can do that. That's not going to be in a boardroom somewhere," Pratt said. "So, that's why it's important for those that are in the boardroom to go to where others feel comfortable, to hear, understand, feel, have empathy and then go back and build."

If you, or someone you know, are experiencing thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for support by calling or texting 988 or chatting at 988lifeline.org/chat.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Contact her with tips at mmieze@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield gun violence collaborative examines solutions, prevention