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.

Human-rights activists in New Hampshire say the growing number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills at the Statehouse is encouraging right-wing extremists to intimidate and threaten members of the community.

In the weeks leading up to the fatal shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, experts say anti-LGBTQ+ activity surged, including the recent protest of armed white nationalists at an LGBTQ+ family-friendly story hour in Concord.

Linds Jakows, co-founder of the group 603 Equality, said policies demonizing a specific group of people have real-world consequences.

"Everyone -- regardless of their family support or not -- should be able to find these safe spaces within our communities, without constantly looking over our shoulders," Jakows asserted.

Jakows pointed out lawmakers' efforts to ban books containing LGBTQ+ relationships, repeal the ban on conversion therapy or ban transgender people from public restrooms could all return in the next legislative session.

While Jakows noted Granite Staters have typically rallied in support of LGBTQ+ rights, the Colorado shooting should sound an alarm.

Government data show hate crimes have risen to their highest level in a decade, with the U.S. experiencing a record-setting year for mass shootings.

Zandra Rice Hawkins, executive director of Granite State Progress, said anti-LGBTQ+ language and legislation drive people to act.

"We have far too many politicians in New Hampshire who are contributing to some of the anti-LGBTQ+ or anti-Black rhetoric," Rice Hawkins contended. "And when people hear those in elected positions use language that 'others' people, that emboldens them to do the same."

Hawkins emphasized Granite State Progress is working to pass legislation on background checks, waiting periods and extreme risk protections for firearms purchases, policies she said many communities ask for after mass shootings, but are not yet on the books in New Hampshire.

While community activists in some of Boston's south side neighborhoods have declared a state of emergency following a string of fatal shootings, one mother is working to help the grieving families left behind.

Chaplain Clementina Chéry, president and CEO of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, named after her 15-year-old son who was fatally shot in Dorchester in 1993, said a long-term and sustainable public health approach is needed to end the violence.

"Right now, as a culture, we're still investing in the aftermath," Chéry observed. "We're still investing in prisons, police and prosecution."

It is estimated for every one homicide victim, at least 10 surviving family members are affected by the trauma. So far this year, 37 people have been killed by homicide in Boston alone.

Chéry noted the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute offers crucial support to families in the first 24 to 72 hours after a homicide, and provides them with a Survivors' Burial and Resource Guide, along with tools needed to manage grief, which she said have not always been readily available.

"You know, you have a baby, you leave with a care package," Chéry pointed out. "But when your loved one was murdered back then, you're just left empty-handed. You didn't know what to do."

Families are also supported through the police investigation and any court proceedings. Chéry added the goal is to change the public's response to homicide by changing the narratives surrounding homicide victims.

When Chéry's son Louis was killed, news reports speculated whether his murder was a gang or drug-related crime. But public opinion changed when reports showed he was, in fact, an honor student, killed walking to an anti-gang violence meeting.

Chéry remembered help and resources soon poured in, making her question how other families of murder victims were being treated.

"I wanted to pay it forward, and I wanted to show if the city can respond to me, then they can respond to anybody whose child is murdered, regardless of the circumstances."

And cities beyond Boston are responding, with police, district attorneys and community activists in places like Hartford, Philadelphia and San Francisco taking a cue from Chéry's decades of work to support homicide victims' families, and spread her son's message that peace is possible.

Though its campuses have not experienced serious gun violence to date, the Cherokee Community School Board is now the second in Iowa to allow school staff members to carry guns on campus and in classrooms.

Kimberly Lingenfelter, superintendent at the school, described the board's approach to keeping kids safe as "very measured and serious."

"No one wants guns in school," Lingenfelter acknowledged. "But we want bad guys with a gun even less."

Connie Ryan, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, said she understands there is a public-health crisis in American schools, which includes firearms. But her organization thinks "adding guns to the hips of educators" is a leap, not just a step, in the wrong direction.

"I think it's a dangerous proposition to have staff -- in the hallways, on the playground -- possess and carry firearms in the midst of a school day," Ryan contended.

Ryan pointed out teachers and administrators are there to educate students, and should focus on moving to safety in the event of a crisis and calling 911, rather than trying to do the work of law enforcement.

Ryan is opposed to having guns in schools under any circumstances, and believes there are always better alternatives than countering guns with more guns. She thinks the solution lies in keeping perpetrators off campus in the first place, with enhanced security, locked doors and other safety protocols.

"It's a scary idea that we're going to then have a shootout in the middle of a school building, with children nearby, rather than calling 911," Ryan remarked.

Cherokee Community Schools join Spirit Lake schools, where the board voted in August to allow 10 staff members to carry firearms and receive training on how and when to use them.

The Iowa Firearms Coalition has endorsed the decision, and Spirit Lake schools have encouraged other districts in Iowa to follow suit, as long as the educators carrying weapons are properly trained.