RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a series of gun violence awareness events in June.

The first event was on Saturday at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh.

“We truly believe that it’s all about private, public, nonprofit, faith-based partnership that’s going to end gun violence,” Sheriff Willie Rowe said.

The sheriff said it’s an opportunity to educate people on gun safety and create a better bond with the community.

“Letting people know we are in it together. It’s not us versus them. But truly we are one community, one mission,” Sheriff Rowe said.

Gerald Givens with Raleigh Boots on the Ground was part of the event.

“Our goal is to work inside the communities to reduce gun violence,” Givens said.

The director of trauma at Wake Med calls gun violence a public health crisis. He said gun injuries are up at Wake Med by five percent, with a good number of those incidents involving young people.

“It’s not just the victims, it’s their families, it’s the health care providers as well, who have to take care of them,” Osi Udekwu, Director of Trauma at Wake Med said.

 Givens said it’s going to take a whole village to solve this issue.

“There is no other issue that’s more important to me right now than public safety,” Givens said.

The sheriff said people are not locking their cars and securing their guns at night, and others are stealing the weapons and using them to commit crimes.

That’s why the sheriff’s office is offering gun locks and demonstrating gun lock safety at these events.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office’s next gun violence awareness event is on June 17. The location is Fuquay Gun on North Main Street in Fuquay-Varina. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.