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Incidents of gun violence across the country started increasing last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the surge shows few signs of letting up.  

Close to 290 people have been killed or wounded by gunshots in Minneapolis in the first half of 2021. That’s about double the number of people hit by bullets in the first six months of each of the previous four years. Homicides jumped from 22 to 40 

deaths of two children hit the Twin Cities especially hard

, including 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith who was shot while jumping on a trampoline at a birthday party and Aniya Allen, 6, who was riding in the back seat of her mother’s car eating a Happy Meal when she was fatally struck. LaDavionne Garrett Jr., 10, is still in critical condition after being shot in the head when the car he was in was sprayed with gunfire. 

Host Angela Davis explores some of the reasons for the national jump in violent crime, and some possible ways to prevent it, with a criminologist and the director of the Office of Violence Prevention for the city of Minneapolis. 

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Gun violence is on the rise in the Twin Cities and across the country. Host Angela Davis talks with a criminologist and the director of the Office of Violence Prevention for the city of Minneapolis about what might be driving the dramatic rise and how to stop it. 

MPR News with Angela Davis - Gun violence is on the rise in the Twin Cities and across the country. Host Angela Davis talks with a criminologist and the director of the Office of Violence Prevention for the city of Minneapolis about what might be driving the dramatic rise and how to stop it. 

What causes gun violence and how can we stop it? 

Family members of children hit by gunfire

What causes gun violence and how can we stop it?

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