Report finds Tennessee cities failing to address the root causes of gun violence, compounded by federal cuts

Marianna BacallaoWPLN News

Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga have some of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation, but the cities are not tackling the underlying causes, according to a report from the nonprofit Community Justice.

In it’s annual Violence Prevention Index, Community Justice assesses 100 cities by three categories — programs for intervention and risk reduction, resources for addressing underlying factors that contribute to violence like housing and food insecurity, and whether the city has a dedicated office of violence prevention.

Community Justice argues it’s more important than ever to assess what cities are doing to address violence, as the Trump administration has slashed funding for violence intervention programs. The administration canceled $145 million of federal grants under the Department of Justice’s Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative just this year. And it is uncommon for states to dedicate funding to violence intervention efforts.

Tennessee’s cities also face more barriers to implementing changes. Last year, the governor signed a law that prohibits municipalities from creating their own extreme risk protection order measures that would have removed guns from dangerous hands.

Memphis is the only city that made significant gains since last year’s index, with Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga’s scores remaining about the same. In 2024 Memphis established an office of neighborhood safety to work on non-traditional criminal justice responses. The city also improved victims services, and school-based violence prevention programs. As a result of these changes, Memphis more than doubled their score.

Nashville was able to score points for their violence intervention programs and victim services, as well as restorative justice programming and transitional housing assistance. According to the report, Nashville’s health department lacks a violence prevention strategy, trauma recovery centers, and efforts to improve EMS response times in impacted communities. In the past, the city has struggled to distribute funds that are available to community-based groups in a timely manner.

While violent crime rates have fallen across the country since the pandemic spike, crime rates in both Memphis and Nashville remain some of the highest rates in the nation according to FBI data.

According to the report, Knoxville scored poorly for failing to address root causes of violence like resources for youth and families and school-based intervention efforts, while Chattanooga lagged for having an Office of Violence Prevention that lacks a strategic plan.