I just hope we can keep the conversation going about gun violence. Our nation appears to be blinded by selfish individualism. If it's not in my backyard, why worry? These crimes will eventually spread like an epidemic unless something is done to curtail gun violence.

I am not an advocate of more tough sentencing programs or more prisons. These two have not worked, nor will they solve or deter gun violence. There are many unanswered questions about the accessibility of guns in inner-city neighborhoods. The question is: How are guns getting into the hands of teens and criminals? Can't 21st-century technology stop or slow the flow of guns into inner-city neighborhoods?

In 2011, there were 1,668 African-Americans killed in our country due to gun violence. An average of eight children were killed each day in 2011. Let's work together to stop the killing by concentrating on removing the guns from the hands of adolescents and criminals.

We as a civilized, progressive nation should not tolerate such killings regardless of the neighborhood in which they occur. The cost to taxpayers of gun violence is estimated at $12 billion per year. The cost in human suffering, after gun violence, is immeasurable.

Willie Brown

Spotsylvania