Report: Over 75 percent of gun-related deaths in our area are suicides

Gun suicides get a fraction of the attention that shots fired incidents and homicides do, but they are the most deadly form of gun violence in our area.

While community concern about gun violence continues, especially after a July 4th shootout on Orangedale Avenue in Charlottesville’s Fifeville neighborhood, which left five bystanders wounded, including a 9-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, I think its important to recognize a little publicized project from UVA’s Center for Community Partnerships (formerly known as The Equity Center), which offers data-driven research on gun violence in our area.

First published in 2024 as part of UVA’s Gun Violence Solutions Project, the report includes policy briefs that continue to be updated as new data is collected.

“The goal is to create a foundation for informed discussion, shared understanding, and stronger decision-making,” says Samantha Toet, the project’s data manager. So far, Toet says, the information has only been shared at smaller, community events like th…