Healing the Hurt on Both Sides of the Gun: Lived Experiences of Gun Violence in Denver, CO

Virginia McCarthy, DrPH mDIV, Johnnie Williams, Benjamin Li, MD MSc, Quintin W.O. Myers, PhD and Catherine G. Velopulos, MD MHS present on the lived experiences of gun violence within an urban setting. In this talk, the presenters discuss interviews conducted and analyzed by Violence Prevention Professionals (VPPs) with the At-Risk Intervention and Mentoring (AIM) program. These interviews focused on the landscape of gun violence in an urban setting by asking individuals who have experienced gun violence and perpetrated it. We will highlight the challenges, solutions, and healing at the personal, environmental, and systems-level. These findings will demonstrate the complexity of gun violence beyond what is noted in traditional academic research. We will also discuss the importance of community-led research to provide depth to difficult to study topics. This event was co-hosted by the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, Denver Youth Program, REACH Clinic, and the University of Colorado Injury and Violence Prevention Center.