BUFFALO, NY-  The man killed in a double shooting on East Amherst Street marked the 40th homicide in Buffalo this year. That's four less than in 2016.

Back to Basics Outreach Ministries president Pastor James Giles believes that decrease is a sign the City is making headway in the fight against gun violence.     

"The community agencies that are actively  involved in violence reduction, they have been working very diligently to get some of the players out of the way. On the other hand law enforcement has done a tremendous job in pulling some of the major players out of the way, putting them behind bars. So, that combination has done greatly to reduce crime particularly shootings and gang violence," said pastor James Giles.

And it's not just the police that are stepping up. Murray Holman of the Stop the Violence Coalition says the word is also getting out on the streets.

"Being on the corners every day, going to special events in the community, talking to parents who call us on probation, Buffalo Police Department calls to go on notifications. Now, a kid might be on the radar, but now we get to go visit that kid and tell him he needs to change his lifestyle," said Holman.

While Holman and Giles say it appears the overall number of shootings are down, one number appears to be static - closure rates. According to the latest figures on the BPD website just eight cases were cleared this year. Holman say that's because people are still afraid to come forward with information about these shootings.

"I get calls from guys who've been shot. Most of these reports don't come out. But there are some that have been shot that want to give up information but don't know how to give it up. So, we have to find ways so they can give up information without being retaliated against," said Holman.

Giles says the other major challenge is getting guns off the streets.

"I talked to young kids and it’s a shame, and I asked them, I'm talking about 14 and 15 years old, 'If something happens and you need to get a gun, how soon could you get one?' And out of 30 kids you're gonna have about 20 raise their hands and say, yes I can get my hands on a gun," said Giles.      

Even with the challenges Giles and Holman say they'll take the small victories of the past year and hopefully continue to chip away at the city's gun violence problem in the year ahead.