City of Houston Mayor’s Commission Against Gun Violence

In March of 2018, former Mayor Sylvester Turner announced plans to establish the Mayor’s Commission Against Gun Violence (MCAGV). The announcement, made at a downtown Houston rally and march that drew thousands of people, was made in solidarity with March for Our Lives, the national student-led gun violence prevention movement.

The mayor, who has a lengthy legislative record advocating for schools and for responsible gun use, is inspired by young people who have organized to educate elected officials and the public about the need to improve school safety and effectively address gun violence issues on school campuses.

In May of 2018, he announced the names of 37 individuals who represent a cross-section of the Houston community to serve on his new Mayor’s Commission Against Gun Violence. The diverse group includes students, parents, physicians, law enforcement officials, gun-rights advocates, gun violence victims and members of faith-based and civil rights organizations, and is currently chaired by Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria.

Dr. Naik-Mathuria is the Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), where she holds the Granville T. Hall Chair in General Surgery. Dr. Naik-Mathuria is triple board certified in Pediatric Surgery, General Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care. She sees the first hand the impact gun violence has on children and advocates for policies specifically designed for the Houston community.

In 2023, the commissioners reviewed several initiatives created by members of the MCAGV, including the new Firearm Injury Dashboard from the Houston Health Department, a Gun Violence Report from the Houston Area Women’s Center, and a new Hospital Violence Intervention Program from UT-Health Science Center at Memorial Hermann. The MCAGV report is available under the “Supporting Documents” below.

The purpose of this website is to provide information to Houstonians, lawmakers, and the media about the MCAGV along with projects underway that are reducing gun violence in the City of Houston.

A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) study reviewed over 1,500 ATF investigations and determined that approximately 26,000 firearms have been diverted from legal to illegal commerce at gun shows, and that gun shows are a “major trafficking channel.”

States requiring background checks on all handgun sales experience significantly fewer firearm deaths:

47% fewer women were shot to death by their intimate partner;

47% fewer individuals took their own lives with a firearm;

53% fewer police officers shot and killed in the line of duty;

48% fewer guns trafficked intrastate.