‘Break the cycle’: Delaware creates gun violence prevention office amid federal cuts to grants meant to avert school shootings

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Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer established the state Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump announced $1 billion in cuts to school mental health grants.

The cuts will impact 14,000 mental health workers, psychologists and counselors intended to help youth in schools nationwide, with an impact on Delaware of 36 providers, said Greg Jackson, former deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

“We know that the way to prevent violence is to prevent that conflict from occurring in the first place, way before a gun is picked up, and these school-based mental health professionals were a huge part of that solution,” he said. “So the fact that it was defunded so haphazardly is not only dangerous, but it’s extremely irresponsible, and it’s another reminder that the current administration is completely out of touch.”

The $1 billion came from a sweeping gun violence bill signed by former President Joe Biden in 2022 after it passed in Congress with bipartisan support. It was spurred by the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were murdered. The White House Office of Gun Violence Protection, created by Biden in 2023, administered the dollars.

“Lives will be saved,” Biden said at the time.

The loss of federal funding for more school-based counselors means the state is more reliant on its own resources to produce positive results.

Meyer’s administration said Delaware’s gun violence office will perform several functions, including coordinating existing state and local programs, promoting cross-agency collaboration and working with state lawmakers on developing gun control legislation.

A news release said the office’s first year will focus on assessing existing programs, identifying gaps and building a road map for integrated prevention efforts.

“Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Delaware and this is unacceptable and demands immediate attention,” Meyer said. “And here’s the thing, gun violence not only claims lives, but also imposes a significant economic impact on Delaware taxpayers.”

The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention considers gun violence a public health problem. Delaware’s office is placed under the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, not the Department of Health and Social Services. Meyer said the office will include safety and health aspects.

CDC data shows that in 2022, there were 124 gun deaths in Delaware, an increase of 16% over 10 years. Of those deaths, 48 were murders and 74 were suicides.

According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, young Black males in Delaware ages 15–34 make up 6% of the state’s population but accounted for 46% of all gun homicide deaths in 2022. White males over age 34 accounted for more than half of all gun suicide deaths that year.

After a rise in killings in Wilmington, the state’s largest city was dubbed “Murder Town, USA” more than a decade ago. A study published last year found that some young Black men living in Wilmington need a gun to feel safe. Researchers interviewed 100 young men between the ages of 15 and 24 who either owned or recently owned a firearm. They described the city as “murder town” and a “war zone.”

Cierra Hall-Hipkins, co-founder of the nonprofit Network Connect, said significant strides to decrease violence have been made in the past decade. She said local and state agencies need to address root causes like poverty and create youth activities and career apprenticeship opportunities for Wilmington teens.

“I don’t believe we’re still Murder Town, USA,” she said. “I think that we have done a great job of decreasing violence and at least getting information out into the community, but it’s going to take all of us, and things like today, where the governor is committing to the work, not just on the legislative level, but on a grassroot approach level as well.”

Delaware has passed a series of gun control laws over the past several years. Current restrictions include universal background checks, a ban on bump stocks, permits required to purchase a handgun and a ban on large capacity magazines. The Giffords Law Center gives the state an “A-“ for its efforts.

Greg Jackson said he’s excited to see what the state gun violence prevention office can also accomplish for victims.

“We always talk about how hurt people hurt people, but we also know that healed people heal people, and the faster we can help those heal who have been traumatized, the quicker we can disrupt and really break the cycle of violence.”

This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.