VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Governor Lee Signs New State Budget, Including $100 Million for Violent Crime Intervention Fund

The Tennessee chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the new state budget, which includes $100 million for the creation of a Violent Crime Intervention Fund. The funding will be available to law enforcement agencies across the state to invest in evidence-based programming and resources, including Community Violence Intervention Programs.  This funding is more critical than ever as the nation continues to reel from the recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo and gun violence continues to devastate Tennessee communities every day.

“This win couldn’t come at a more critical time,” said Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action. “As gun violence continues to rock the nation and our state, action on gun safety is more necessary than ever. This funding can and should be used to provide critical resources for community-based organizations already doing the work to save lives across the state — our communities are depending on it.”

Tennessee is in the midst of a gun violence crisis, and part of the solution must come from local organizations and partnerships already doing critical work to save lives throughout the state. To make Tennessee communities safer, this funding can and should be invested in community-based violence intervention programs already doing the work to help interrupt gun violence across Tennessee, including Hospital Violence Intervention Programs, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, Street Outreach, and more. 

Community Violence Intervention Programs use a localized approach and public health model to help keep communities safe. Research shows that these programs are effective at reducing gun injuries and deaths in some of the most heavily-impacted neighborhoods. 

More information about gun violence in Tennessee is available here.