Wednesday's Kansas City Chiefs' victory parade turned fatal, prompting gun-law activists to call for reform.

One person died and three people are in custody following what was supposed to be a celebration parade for the Chiefs.

Valentyna Usyk attended the parade.

"On our way home, we heard, like, pop, pop, pop, pop, and I was like, I think those are gunshots," Usyk recounted. "Things just can't go without being addressed. Something should be done. We can't just let things continue like this."

Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived being shot more than a decade ago, released a statement saying, "The celebration has turned into a nightmare again. Americans should not have to live in constant fear of gun violence, not at a Super Bowl victory parade or anywhere else."

Tara Bennett, spokesperson for the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action, said Missouri has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, and lobbyists are even now working to give more access to guns in places of worship, around transit and other sensitive places in the state.

"It's awful. It's terrible. And it's devastating," Bennett stressed. "More guns don't make us safer. And we have a proliferation of guns in Missouri, and we just had a shooting at one of the happiest days in our state."

The Chiefs put out a statement shortly after the shooting and said all team players were safe. Gov. Mike Parson and his wife attended the parade and have reported they are safe as well.

Support for Governor Tony Evers's first statewide Office of Violence Prevention is gaining momentum, as some safety experts and advocates say they're hopeful it'll save lives. Reggie Moore heads community safety at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He formerly led Milwaukee's violence prevention office during a critical period following a 70-percent increase in homicides in 2015. He believes people understand the intent and potential for offices like these.

"The fact that cities are getting smarter on crime and the impact that these types of interventions can have in addressing violence before it happens, I think is something that people understand that we should be doing."

He says that starts with a public health approach to preventing gun violence. It's that approach, he adds, that contributed to Milwaukee's four-year decline in homicides and nonfatal shootings beginning in 2016. He adds that was one of the biggest declines in the country at the time.

While violence prevention offices are not new, larger investments in them are. Moore says in 2016, when he started leading the Milwaukee office, few existed. Now, he says there are more than seventy across the country. Moore says the historic levels of federal investments is promising, since law enforcement can't and shouldn't do this work alone.


"For hundreds of years the country has taken a criminal justice approach solely to this issue, but understanding the fact that this is also a public health crisis, and hearing the governor declare this the year of the kid, I think it's timely given the fact that since 2020 gun violence has become the leading cause of death of children."

Earlier this month, Governor Evers announced he's directing 10-million dollars to the Office of Violence Prevention. The funds are from the American Rescue Plan Act and will provide grants to school districts, law enforcement agencies and nonprofits to help reduce gun violence. It's still unclear whether the Trump administration will impact federal funds for programs like these.





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President Donald Trump has been busy signing executive orders since his inauguration.

Gun violence prevention advocates in Minnesota hope he isn't aggressive in undoing recent work to keep communities safer.

The White House website for the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, created under the Biden administration, recently went dark.

Staffers insist sudden online changes are a formality as they retool under new leadership, hinting that landing pages for key topics will be restored.

But Maggiy Emery, executive director of the group Protect Minnesota, said she doesn't feel reassured much of the office's mission will be maintained.

"We were finally seeing some of those rates of gun violence go down," said Emery, "you know, especially here in Minnesota."

Gun violence deaths in Minnesota were down 5% in 2023, the last year for available numbers.

And the national Brady organization credits the Office of Gun Violence Prevention for supporting the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms in shutting down more than 800 rogue gun dealers in the U.S.

While the future is uncertain for this White House initiative, Trump has dismantled a new school safety committee that included parents of school shooting victims.

Trump administration officials say they want to prioritize national security matters.

But Emery said despite recent progress, gun violence is still a public health crisis in the U.S.

She added that the initiative under President Joe Biden was bringing to light how rural areas affected.

"We know that the Office of Violence Prevention on the federal level was looking at what can we do to reduce rates of gun violence," said Emery, "not only in urban areas, but in rural areas where folks are really the most impacted in Minnesota. You know, guidances and legislation around safe storage is now looking more unlikely."

More than 70% of gun deaths in Minnesota are from suicides, and Emery said most are in rural areas.

If federal solutions fall by the wayside, she said she hopes Minnesota lawmakers pass a state law for safe gun storage this year.

In Trump's first term, bump stocks - the rapid-fire gun accessories - were banned. However, the U.S. Supreme Court later struck down that order.




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In Mississippi's capital, once dubbed "America's Deadliest City," a new initiative in Jackson seeks to turn the tide on violence through collaboration and a public health approach. The Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery was introduced in 2022 as a response to surging crime rates, with Jackson recording 156 homicides in 2021.

Keisha Coleman, executive director of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, is using her 25 years of experience in violence prevention and intervention to help the office take a broader approach, rather than focusing solely on traditional policing.

"The main goal was to change the narrative of public safety to let people know that it's not just about policing and prosecution, but it's also about community engagement, community strengthening and rebuilding the community through a lens of public health," she said.

The office is relatively new and plans to ramp up rapidly. It emphasizes a "Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem," bringing together organizations that tackle mental health, substance abuse, workforce development and re-entry programs.

The office is also forming partnerships with Jackson Public Schools and Child Protective Services to address the needs of children in state custody who are at higher risk of involvement with the justice system. Coleman said these collaborations aim to close systemic gaps and create a more supportive environment for youth.

"We can't just say, hey, you know, that's a bad idea, don't shoot," she explained. "Take the gun, but leave them with no other options no other services, no other resources. So the office of violence prevention wants to make sure that there are services for individuals who are likely to shoot guns or be victims of gun shootings."

One of the office's most promising partnerships is with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state's only Level 1 trauma hospital. Together, they are developing a hospital-based intervention program. According to Coleman, the medical center will fund community-based case management for gunshot victims and their families, helping them transition from trauma care to resources that address the root causes of violence.


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