Experts highlight multi-tiered approach to gun-violence prevention

Mental health, tighter policy and active shooter scenarios discussed in the wake of recent off-campus shootings

By LILLYANNE DAY contributing writer

With four shootings occurring in off-campus JMU student living complexes since October, gun violence has made itself known to the Harrisonburg community.

Extending outside of the Valley, the state of Virginia averages 1,095 gun related deaths annually, with 63.5% of those deaths being suicide. Guns are the most common means of suicide in Virginia, resulting in 57% of suicides in the state.

Gun violence is also the leading cause of death for children in Virginia. Between 2016-20, 240 children under the age of 18 were killed by a gun in the state; 43.5% of those deaths stemmed from suicide, according to Giffords Law Center’s website, a research organization co-founded by former rep. Gabby Giffords. It aims to bring tighter gun control to all 50 states by offering assistance to public officials and publishing research focused on gun control and gun violence.

Experts across Harrisonburg bring different perspectives on aspects of gun violence they deal with.

Mental health

Maureen Bowler, behavioral health and wellness coordinator at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board (HRCSB), said the group offers a variety of services, including mental health resources and crisis management services. To ensure the highest level of aid, Bowler said HRCSB collaborates with local providers to make its services more accessible to community members.

Among the services HRCSB offers, Bowler focuses on suicide prevention and substance use prevention in addition to mental health and trauma education work in the community.

Bowler said organizations like HRCSB educate the community on ways to help an individual if they’re experiencing suicidal thoughts so the situation doesn’t lead to something dangerous. It works with the community to provide education and resources that can help prevent suicides and potentially equip people with the skills to intervene when they’re concerned about someone who may be contemplating suicide.

Bowler said it could be advantageous for communities to have more access to early care and support for those experiencing a mental health or substance use-related condition to help those at risk overcome potential challenges as early as possible.

Childhood trauma is a primary risk factor for experiencing a mental health condition as an adult, Bowler said. The more robust a community is with its services for youth, the healthier a community may be — whether that’s physical or behavioral health.

“A heavy focus on multidimensional youth services and programming is one way a community, in the long run, can create more resilience through community safety,” Bowler said.

Communities that can offer support for basic needs such as housing, transportation, financial support, literacy support and food access will have a big impact on community strength, Bowler said.

“Not everything that’s related to supporting mental health has to be mental health services directly,” Bowler said. “It’s really indirect care resources that can go a long way for community resiliency.”

Bowler said she works to reduce mental illness stigmas and the idea that individuals with a mental illness are somehow a larger threat than any other member of the community. Bowler said through community outreach at the local farmer’s market and education programs at local schools, HRCSB is working to inform the Harrisonburg community about how to respectfully help someone who may be struggling.

“In general, folks will use mental health as the scapegoat or the umbrella for why certain tragedies or events happen when we know it’s more complex socially than that,” Bowler said. “It can be harmful to folks who experience mental health conditions to be looked at as inherently violent people, or people who are more capable of violence than other people.”

Tighter policy

In terms of prevention, Rockingham County-Harrisonburg Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson said implementing tighter gun laws will do very little to counteract gun violence because, if someone wants to carry out an illegal act, they'll find a way to do so — a “harsh reality,” Hutcheson added.

“If I can’t get a gun, well, I’ll make an explosive device,” Hutcheson said. “I’ll stab someone, I can get a knife if I you’re saying, ‘If this person couldn’t have gotten a gun, they wouldn’t have done it.’”

Hutcheson said, when reporting potential gun violence, a relationship with the perpetrator cannot be prioritized over the safety of others that that individual may jeopardize.

“If you have information or observations that you are privy to because of a close relationship with someone — it’s the hardest thing to do, but you’re the person that has the best ability to call 911,” Hutcheson said.

He said he understands people are hesitant to call 911, but the sheriff’s department would rather be informed of irrational behavior that results in something minor than have to handle a situation that risks lives.

In the aftermath of a shooting, Hutcheson said the focus should be on what prompted somebody to hurt someone else, and why they’ve found themselves in a situation where the only option they can think of is violence.

“When you’re talking about gun violence, there’s the response, and then prevention,” Hutcheson said. “So on the front end of it, it’s pretty heavily focused on mental health and substance abuse. We’re very, very close partners with the HRCSB community.”

Hutcheson said the sheriff’s department works professionally with HRCSB, which is on call 24/7. He said working with mental health professionals may get to the root of why an individual may resort to violence and help prevent it from happening in the future.

After the sheriff’s department is notified of an individual who may be harmful to themselves or others, a deputy and a mental health professional will check in on the individual to evaluate the situation and determine what the next steps are, Hutcheson said. He said those in charge of a situation will identify its cause.

Active shooter scenario

The Harrisonburg Community has a variety of resources at its disposal, but the question remains: “What do I do if I find myself in a situation with an active shooter?”

Harrisonburg Police Department (HPD) Lieutenant Chris Monahan said, when faced with an active shooter, someone can either find a way to escape or a safe place to hide, but if they confront the perpetrator, they must assess the situation and determine what the rational choice looks like.

Monahan warned against “a common reaction to a shooter situation,” which is getting overwhelmed. He said clouded judgment “is not what you want when your life is on the line.”

In these confrontations, Monahan said people should make themself a hard target by knowing what to do in a shooter situation. To be proactive and prepare for a shooter situation as best as one can, Monahan recommends signing up for local training programs, like the virtual class offered by American Firearms Training in Harrisonburg.

“It’s easier said than done, but try and remain calm,” Monahan said. “If you’re able to decide between hiding, running or fighting, choose the one that makes the most sense.”

CONTACT LillyAnne Day at daymillm@dukes. jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on Twitter @BreezeNewsJMU.