MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Martinsburg Mayor Kevin Knowles says ‘nothing exemplifies the senselessness of gun violence like the incident that put thousands of innocent folks in unnecessary harm’s way adjacent to Cobourn Field at Martinsburg High School.’
The mayor issued a statement this week following Friday night’s shooting near Martinsburg High School that saw one person struck by a bullet and two others injured by shrapnel.
In his statement, Mayor Knowles acknowledged what he called ‘an unsettling increase’ in incidents of targeted violence.
He says that while none of the incidents have been random or mass shootings, they show the community is not immune to gun violence.
Knowles also decried what he called society’s ‘desensitization’ of gun violence.
The mayor says he is a gun owner and respects the Second Amendment. He says the city will review its safety protocols.
He also says he wants to work with community and national partners to come up with solutions and asks residents to reach out to him to be part of the conversation.
The statement from Mayor Knowles:
Martinsburg Mayor Kevin Knowles
“In recent months, our community has experienced an unsettling increase in incidents of targeted gun violence – often related to domestic violence and/or personal disputes and several times involving folks that do not live here. While, thankfully, none of these events have been random, widespread or mass in nature, they show that our community is not immune to the epidemic of gun violence. More important and concerning is the growing desensitization to the violence and the sense that it is acceptable, and we should move on like it’s the new normal. It shouldn’t be and simply can’t! I truly believe that lots of great things are happening in Martinsburg and our community, but the incidents of targeted gun and domestic violence is something we cannot ignore.
Nothing exemplifies the senselessness of gun violence like the incident that put thousands of innocent folks in unnecessary harm’s way adjacent to Cobourn Field at Martinsburg High School. As it’s still under investigation, I will not go into details, but we do know that the incident was a result of a personal dispute targeting a specific individual. Cobourn Field was not a target. This past Friday, the #1 ranked and 10-time state championship defending Martinsburg Bulldogs football team beat the #2 Huntington Highlanders played by student-athletes full of skill and talent as a result of hard-work, dedication and practice. It was an exciting game. Cheering these young men on were cheerleaders, band members, the dance team – all entertaining thousands of spectators and displaying their own hard work, skill and talent. This should have been the story, period.
Gun violence is plaguing our nation and our own community has experienced it in recent months. Simply, our society becoming desensitized to gun violence and it’s a problem. Acts of violence committed with the use of firearms have become a daily occurrence in large and small towns across our country. It’s unacceptable and has been for quite some time. It’s also become an almost impossible problem to solve because talking about guns immediately becomes a political hot potato. I would hope, however, that we can all agree that it’s not acceptable to settle disagreements by pulling out a gun and shooting. We can debate and disagree about how to solve the problem – but, let’s at least agree that there is a problem.
On Friday, our youngest and one of the brightest generations ever experienced gun violence firsthand- the same generation who believes that the reduction of gun violence and mass shootings is one of the most important issues to their generation according to multiple surveys.
I fully respect the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution, and I am a gun owner, but I do not respect the solving of our personal issues, domestic arguments, disputes and arguments with gun violence. Sensible and responsible gun ownership is a must – and the overwhelming number of gun owners are responsible. What we experienced on Friday is not sensible gun ownership and the pervasiveness of guns ending up in the wrong hands – especially our youth and young adults – is causing devastating consequences. We now seem to be in a phase where a segment of our society tries to solve disputes by pulling out a gun – almost, the 21st century version of the dual, but with more serious consequences. Gun violence not only affects the victims, but it affects our community, our first responders and innocent bystanders – and responsible gun owners. I do not believe we can sit back and just accept and become desensitized to gun violence affecting our communities.
We cannot solve the pervasiveness of gun violence alone. It will take the partnership from federal and state policymakers, our community organizations, non-profits, parents and guardians and all of us as individuals to step up, mentor and stress that gun violence is not the answer. I look forward to having these conversations with our state and federal policymakers, our community and most importantly our youth.
Actions to Address Gun Violence and its Desensitization:
Community Engagement: We encourage an open dialogue within our community to discuss the effects of violence and strategies to maintain sensitivity and responsiveness – and, more importantly, how to stop it. I look forward to start having more of these community conversations.
Educational Initiatives: We must continue to partner, implement and support educational programs to increase awareness about the impacts of violence. And, we must never stop talking to or engaging with our youth.
Support Systems: We look forward to working with our partners to continue providing enhanced support systems for those affected by violence. We have been expanding access to mental health resources, recovery from addiction, and counseling services to help residents cope with the emotional impact of just struggling in daily life through our partnership with the Martinsburg Initiative with the addition of social workers.
Safety Protocols: We will be reviewing safety protocols to ensure they meet current needs and effectively address emerging threats – especially in our schools. Community involvement in safety planning will be encouraged to foster a sense of collective responsibility.
Policies: We encourage our state and federal policy makers to discuss and implement policies to adopt sensible anti-gun violence policies.
Crime Intervention, Community Policing and Partnerships: We will continue community policing and continue providing the tools necessary to keep the public safe. We have made substantial investments in drug interdiction, violent crime deterrence and have added increased technological surveillance around the City. We will continue partnerships with the Martinsburg Initiative, downtown businesses, the Eastern Panhandle Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force, the Berkeley County Domestic Violence Reduction Initiative, the Berkeley County Commission and so many other partnerships that we currently have to address issues in our City.
Your participation is crucial in addressing this issue. I invite all residents to engage, provide feedback, and utilize available resources to support one another. Together, we need to foster a community that stands united against gun violence, domestic violence and senseless violence.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Let us work together to ensure that Martinsburg remains a safe and compassionate place for all. I look forward to having this conversation with you. If you want to be part of this conversation or have any proposed solutions or ideas, feel free to email me at [email protected] call me at 304-264-2140 or come up to me when you see me out and about and let’s talk.”
