COLUMBIA, S.C. — Efforts to address gun violence continued Saturday in Richland County as advocates gathered to discuss possible solutions.
Since the start of the year, Columbia police and Richland County sheriff's deputies say they've seen an increase in violent crime.
At the Richland County Library, a group of panelists including local law enforcement and faith leaders shared what their organizations have been doing to make a difference with the goal of creating better crime prevention strategies and allowing the community to help.
Zenethia Brown leads the Mid-Carolina branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, advocating for better wellness and quality of life resources.
"You might feel angry and not know how to calm that," Brown said. "What outlets to use to dissipate that and our job is to go in there, hopefully, and to teach them."
Other groups like Mom's Demand Action have been lobbying politicians for stricter gun laws, while police say they've been utilizing ShotSpotter technology to find criminals.
"Actively patrol areas where we get a lot of reports of gunfire," Columbia Police Sgt. George Simpson said. "Try to be more aggressive and more proactive to prevent that from happening in the future."
Panelists are hoping to see more affordable housing and improved educational opportunities along with stricter laws to keep offenders behind bars.
They'd also like to see parents take more of a leading role with their children.
"The pandemic has taken the cover off of some of our injustices. I think, at the end of the day, it's going to continue to take community involvement and community engagement amongst diverse organizations and groups to get at the root cause of gun violence," Rev. Carey Grady of Reid Chapel AME Church, who was a panelist, said.
Law enforcement adds they've also ramped up community outreach efforts to try to build trust and better serve the community.