On January 2, 2024, the first homicide of the year occurred in Jackson, Mississippi. Eugene Kelly, a 14-year-old middle schooler, sadly passed away due to gun violence. He was found in his front yard with a single gunshot. The Jackson Police found and took him to the Mississippi Medical Center, where he died.

The chief of the Jackson Police, Joseph Wade, found that the shooting was the result of a drive-by shooting by someone in a red vehicle. A 17-year-old has been charged with the murder, but their identity has not been revealed.

Since the victim was 14 years old, his death could have easily been due to a school shooting. In 2023, there were 37 school shootings across the United States. In Jackson, Mississippi alone, there were 142 shootings in 2023, resulting in 85 deaths and 97 injuries. “That is not the bar I’m looking to set. I want to cut those numbers in half this year, and we’re going to do it by putting several plans in place” said Chief Wade when asked about the homicides of 2023. Across the United States, there were over 630 mass shootings, with 39,939 deaths, and 34,087 injuries. Though these numbers are high, there has been a decrease in gun deaths by 8% since 2022, which is an improvement.

To reduce gun violence even more, some states have banned “ghost guns” which are creating your own guns with 3d printers and materials found online. Oregon will ban it in September of 2024. 13 states have implemented this so far, including; California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington are also enforcing new laws to reduce gun violence. Many people hope more states will do the same if they work well.