National Gun Violence Awareness Month has begun amid several mass shootings across the country. On this episode of In Focus, Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson, a longtime advocate against gun violence, joins the show to discuss how we can keep our communities safe in upstate New York. Hudson, who lost her stepson to gun violence, co-founded the group Mothers Against Gun Violence in 2003. She tells JoDee Kenney about the toll she has seen gun violence take on so many families over the years. Hudson also discusses the future of gun violence legislation, and how we can enact change at a community level.

You can watch the full interview with Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson in the video player above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting Upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.