RICHMOND, Va. -- Central Virginians are expressing fears over gun violence and calling for a change in the wake of a mass shooting at Walmart in Chesapeake Tuesday night.
“Every day, it’s something going on and I’m just tired. I’m hurting," said Chesterfield resident Shanda Gaston. “It’s becoming the norm.”
Waking up to the devastating headlines Wednesday morning left Gaston feeling exhausted and fearful. She became even more concerned when she saw a video posted by a friend who lives in Hampton Roads.
He was inside the store when shots rang out and filmed the chaos that followed in the parking lot. In the video, he described seeing employees run out to safety and asked people for prayers.
“I asked him what took place, and he was like, 'I was in Walmart shopping, and I heard gunshots and I just ran up out of there.' On the story posts, you could see all the commotion, you can see the yellow tape, the police officers. I'm just like, nowhere is safe no more. Nowhere," Gaston said.
Gaston said her friend is doing okay. However, six other victims lost their lives and at least six others were injured.
Serena Custalow, who was shopping around Carytown Wednesday afternoon, said she felt a heightened sense of anxiety in light of a recent string of tragedies including the Walmart shooting, a deadly shooting on UVA's campus, and a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado.
“I don’t like to go places out in public by myself anymore," said Serena Custalow. "It's kind of scary. It's really scary just to be afraid of going out in the world now."
Custalow and Gaston alike are desperate to see action and solutions that could help curb gun violence. According to the Virginia Department of Health, guns were among the top three leading causes of unnatural death in the Commonwealth in 2021 with 1,250 firearms-related deaths recorded.
“A lot of it is mental health. People are going undiagnosed, people not seeking treatment due to various reasons," Custalow said.
In the same sentiment, she also called for stricter gun laws, saying, “I don't necessarily think that all guns should be banned. I do think that we need stricter background checks, more restrictions in general."
Custalow said she feels government leaders are too divided when it comes to addressing gun violence, and she wants to see a willingness to set aside political differences.
"In the U.S., we have such a one side versus the other mentality that we don't focus on what's really important. A lot of the times we get so focused on who's in control, who's got power that we aren't focusing on what's really needed in our local communities," she said.
Gaston said she believes many of the problems that lead to violence oftentimes start at home and within families.
“We need to figure out what the root cause is, so that way we can start providing resources to these communities and helping these communities to figure out why they are doing the things that they're doing," she said.
Gaston has organized a group of about 40 people called "Stop the Violence RVA" to start advocating at local levels for further investment in youth, education, families, parenting, mentorship, home stability, and mental health support.
She said they want to first take their mission to local city councils, boards of supervisors, school boards, mayors, police departments and other local entities before going to state legislators.
"If we can see change in helping our city, we can take it to whoever we need to take it to, even if it has to go to a higher level than the state," she said. "Because I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of hearing about what's happening to our kids."
Following the Walmart shooting, Governor Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Governor Winsome Sears stated they wanted to address mental health but have not mentioned addressing gun control.
"It is a horrific moment, where we see again in the Commonwealth and in Colorado and in Idaho, these just stark reminders of senseless violent crime," Governor Youngkin said Wednesday. "And so much of it is really a moment to reflect on the state of mind of America and Virginia and this mental health crisis that we know we are in the middle of."
Virginia Democratic leaders have since released statements saying they will tackle both gun restrictions and mental health in an effort to reduce violence.
"House Democrats will raise this issue again in our new session — it is past time for the other side to stand with us and protect Virginians. During next year's session we plan to support legislation that works to increase industry accountability and put age restrictions on certain weapons, we will also propose bills to ban the use of ghost guns and create limits on high-capacity magazines. Finally, we will work to address the issue by empowering communities and community-based organizations to deal with the crippling effects of poverty, our lack of mental health resources, and to create more youth engagement programs," Virginia House Democrats said in a statement.
