Gun-violence prevention in Minnesota is likely to see some different approaches in 2022. That's according to a statewide group, which says one priority involves firearm fatalities that don't garner as many headlines.

The group Protect Minnesota says when deadly shootings in cities such Minneapolis get a lot of attention, it's easy to forget that suicide by firearm still accounts for nearly 70% of gun deaths across the state.

Executive director Rashmi Seneviratne said it's especially a problem in rural areas. This year, her group hopes to work closely with communities in safely getting firearms out of the hands of those dealing with mental-health issues such as depression.

"Is there a way we can create conversations with family members and friends, just to say - 'Hey, I know you're not in a good place. Let me hold onto your firearm for you,'" said Seneviratne.

She said this can be done with the involvement of churches because of their close connections with local residents.

The group adds this type of approach can get around the thorny issue of Extreme Risk Protection Orders.

As for urban areas, Protect Minnesota hopes to see legislation adopted that would boost funding for violence-intervention groups and after-school programs.

Seneviratne said no matter the type of gun violence a city or town is dealing with, lack of resources is a problem. When it comes to some of the waves of shootings that surface in larger cities, she said it's important to get to the root of the problem, as opposed to focusing on tougher punishments.

"I very much understand people's need to be safe and to have that immediate action, right?" said Seneviratne. "Like, 'Oh, let's just lock them up and now we're safe.' But you're not safe."

Seneviratne also has worked as a lawyer in the criminal-defense world and said a body of research suggests longer prison sentences can be counterproductive.

She said those who are incarcerated are still surrounded by violence and criminal activity, putting them at risk to commit another offense after they're released.

Some police leaders in Hennepin County recently called for more aggressive prosecution in light of violent-crime concerns.

With firearm deaths in Connecticut and across the country on the rise, a new initiative in Hartford aims to interrupt gun violence through a partnership between community organizations and hospitals.

Through the collaboration, Saint Francis Hospital, Connecticut Children's and Hartford Hospital will work with community organizations to provide mental-health and other services to hospitalized individuals and families impacted by gun violence.

Andrew Woods is the executive director of Hartford Communities That Care, one of the organizations partnering with the hospitals. He said supporting victims in the immediate aftermath of their injuries can help keep people safe in the long term.

"These programs are vitally important," said Woods, "to really get families and individuals who have been impacted to take a look at, one, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma - how it's impacting their lives, how it's undermining their social-emotional well-being - and therefore put themselves at greater risks of being revictimized or perpetrating violence against another person."

Hartford Communities That Care has been running a hospital-based violence-intervention program with Saint Francis since 2004. Since then, they've connected more than 1,900 people who are victims of gun violence to wraparound and medical services.

Kevin Borrup is the executive director of the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children's. He said this kind of initiative, which already is in place in cities across the country, is about treating gun violence as a public health crisis.

"We are not going to be able to solve this, as an example, with law enforcement alone," said Borrup. "And so part of the intervention is working with that family to ensure that violence doesn't happen to them again and to figure out in their own life, what can we do to ensure that?"

The initiative is supported through $2 million in American Rescue Plan funds. The hospitals are in the process of hiring an intervention specialist who will work with organizations to connect survivors with services, including mentoring and home visits.

Illinois has a new law banning the sale and possession of "ghost guns," essentially untraceable firearms that are sold in kit-form online or at gun shows and then assembled at home.

According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the kits lack a serial number and can therefore skirt traditional gun-tracing methods used by law enforcement.

At a news conference yesterday, Gov J.B. Pritzker said the new policy will require folks to register their ghost guns in the next six months to make tracing possible - a policy he pointed out already is standard practice for any other firearm.

"A convicted domestic abuser should not be able to evade scrutiny by using a 3D printer to make a gun," said Pritzker. "This law will ban those ghost guns and others, and will help keep families and communities safe."

Illinois' ban comes the month after President Joe Biden announced new regulations on ghost guns.

That measure would only permit kits produced by federally licensed manufacturers, require dealers and gunsmiths to add tracking numbers to ghost guns already in circulation, and require anyone purchasing a gun kit from a licensed seller to pass a background check.

State Sen. Jackie Collins is one of the measure's lead sponsors. The Chicago Democrat said Biden's new policies don't go far enough and Illinois' new law will place the responsibility for registering ghost guns in the hands of individual citizens, not manufacturers and sellers.

"Without this provision," said Collins, "ghost guns will continue to find their way into the hands of those who seek to harm others."

At least ten other states and Washington, D.C, already have enacted bans on ghost guns, and cities and local governments across the country have their own policies on the firearms.

According to the White House, approximately 20,000 suspected ghost guns were recovered by U.S. law enforcement last year, up ten-fold from 2016.

Pennsylvania stands ready to implement a new Biden administration federal rule on ghost-gun regulations at the state level.

Ghost guns are unserialized firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home, making them untraceable. The Biden regulation will ensure partially manufactured frames and receivers require a background check at the point of sale, along with requiring dealers and gunsmiths in the state to serialize and inventory any unregistered firearms coming into their businesses.

Gov. Tom Wolf said ghost guns are fueling the gun-violence crisis in Pennsylvania.

"The numbers don't lie," Wolf asserted. "Ghost guns are being seized and recovered from crime scenes at an alarming rate. Combined, the Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia Police have recorded 147 seizures of ghost guns already this year."

The federal regulation will take effect 120 days from April 26, the date it was published in the
Federal Register. Gun deaths in the United States hit an all-time high in 2020, with more than 45,000 people killed from firearm-related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michael Muldrow, police commissioner of York, said they have already confiscated 10 ghost guns in the first four months of the year. He added ghost guns have made it more challenging to solve violent crimes and hold those responsible accountable.

"Gun violence is the number one threat our communities are facing throughout this county, across this state and around this country," Muldrow stated. "And the one thing I hope we can all agree on, no matter what side of the line you may fall, is doing the things that we need to do to stop the flow of illegal guns into our neighborhoods."

In 2019, Pennsylvania began classifying "80% receivers," mostly-assembled frames often used to make ghost guns, as firearms, requiring a serial number and background check to purchase.