“That’s where I got shot,” said Rashaad Woods, pointing toward a small store in the city of Knoxville in the state of Tennessee. Nearby are a nightclub where some people were shot and killed and a church with bullet holes in the walls. “There was a point in time I wasn’t comfortable standing here,” said Kodi Mills. “But that time is passing.” The two men work for Turn Up Knox, a community-based organization that began operating in July of 2022. It mentors children and teenagers on how to prevent conflicts from becoming violent. The project is a central part of city efforts to use research-based methods to reduce gun violence. Turn Up Knox began operating after a sharp rise in shooting deaths in Knoxville. The larger city effort to reduce gun violence includes policy changes in policing and other action. However, it does not depend on restrictions to gun ownership. That was important, since Tennessee has repeatedly moved to loosen gun restrictions. In 2021, Tennessee started letting people carry handguns in the open or hidden, without a permit. This year, the minimum age for carrying handguns dropped to 18.
