Sharon Stevens
St. Louis (KSDK) - With the exception of murder, there's been a sharp increase in crimes involving guns in St. Louis.
During the first three months of 2012 robbery with a gun was up 15 percent and aggravated assault with a gun was up 20 percent.
Local religious and civic leaders are working to change that.
The St. Louis Clergy Coalition and the St. Louis County NAACP hosted the summit at the New Horizon Christian Church.
The meeting included information about cities such as Baltimore, which have implemented strategies to reduce gun crime.
Urban League President James Buford and St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom were among those calling for more community support.
"This one we can blame on us. No white man is coming in shooting these kids; we're shooting ourselves," said Buford.
"I don't think it's simply gangs and it's not simply drugs and it's not simply guns. We have to look at the culture in these communities that is causing this violence," said Isom.
The Urban League will host a teen summit on stopping the violence Thursday at Normandy Middle School.
KSDK