ONE Lexington brings community together to discuss gun violence prevention, gun safety

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Lexington leaders and community members came together for a first-of-its-kind forum focused on gun safety and the city’s expanding approach to addressing gun violence.

ONE Lexington Director, Devine Carama, said conversations with people directly affected by violence are critical to finding solutions.

“If you want to see gains in anything where substance use disorder, income inequality, violence, whatever, you have to go to the community,” Carama said. “You have to go to those that are impacted, and then you also have to have conversations like this.”

Carama said hearing from community members about issues including self-harm, suicide, and accidental shootings can help organizations such as ONE Lexington better understand how to approach those conversations and provide needed resources.

“We want to take the same model we took with conflict-based violence prevention,” Carama said. “We want to listen and learn first, and then once we get all of that information, that’ll inform what we do as an organization moving forward.”

Monica Terry, owner of Keeping It Fresh at Monica’s, attended the forum and said hearing perspectives from law enforcement, health officials, and other community members was valuable.

Terry said she believes conversations about gun violence also need to examine what may happen before violence occurs, including mental health struggles, trauma, and grief.

“What happens before the gun play?” Terry said. “Like mental health, back in the day with people having PTSD. You know, trauma, grief. All of this stuff happens before the guns come about.”

Carama said finding common ground and bringing people with different perspectives together could help make Lexington and communities across Kentucky safer.

“Find common ground, and I think we could make our entire state safer,” Carama said. “We can make sure our laws represent us in a better way if we bridge that gap and start having conversations together.”

Carama acknowledged that meaningful change will take time, but said the goal is to use community feedback to help shape the city’s approach moving forward.

Terry said she hopes compassion remains at the center of that effort.

“Just care. Let’s bring back humanity,” Terry said. “Let’s care, let’s share, let’s love. Be somebody who wants to help somebody.”

Gun locks were also handed out for free at the end of the forum. Those are also available at the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Carama says he wants to continue these conversations and to keep listening to the community about what they need for local leaders to be there for them.

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