Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin says gun violence tied to ‘culture problem’

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Birmingham Police Department reported 18 murder investigations this month, making July the deadliest month of 2024 so far.

Mayor Randall Woodfin took questions from the media Tuesday morning during a press conference to address Birmingham’s safety.

“America has a gun culture problem, we need to say it out loud,” he said.

There have still been no arrests in the triple homicide of two adults and a five-year-old as well as a mass shooting during a birthday party on July 13.

As police continue to investigate, Mayor Woodfin said there’s also a cultural challenge that needs to be addressed and parents have a role to play.

“It’s embedded in the music, it’s embedded in the video games, it’s literally in our face all the time,” he said. “The biggest influence is parents. It cannot just be the mayor of a city the only person talking about what are we doing to prevent gun violence.”

The mayor also said that in the Southeast, where the gun culture is at its height, he also sees the opposite of laws being passed to address this crisis.

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