A recent anti-gun violence summit in Milwaukee, WI, highlighted two key aspects—that 50 percent of the 456 non-fatal shooting victims in 2013 were under 23 years old and that gun violence in the area is often linked to unemployment.

Gun violence has become so common that even while last month’s citywide summit aimed at educating Milwaukee youth about gun violence, there was a potential shooting at Children’s Hospital just miles away from where the summit was being held.

The summit, which was led by John Rakowski, program coordinator for the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Violence Prevention Initiative, was organized after a particularly violent summer in the city. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, non-fatal gun violence was up 19 percent in June and July 2013 from the same months in 2012.

Rakowski told the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that “utilizing a public health approach to gun violence is not a new concept, but one that is not yet commonly understood or implemented. It focuses on prevention and invites a broader collaboration beyond law enforcement and the criminal justice system to address the issue.”

Andrew Minten, 23, lives in Milwaukee attending Marquette University’s Law School, and Minten has noticed an increase in gun violence.

“There have been some recent stickups near my place which has been surprising,” Minten said. “I thought those intersections were pretty safe. We had someone pull a gun at the Taco Bell near my place so that was also pretty alarming.”

Minten said the presence of violence has caused him to change his own behavior.

“I don’t like having to have someone to walk with at night,” Minten said. “But I guess that’s what is required here.”