July of 2018 was a particular violent month in the city of Albany. In just two weeks, neighborhoods saw six shootings.

"It's personal violence. It is violence that has happened because of disputes between people who know one another, and who have chosen to unfortunately resolve those disputes by getting out a gun,” says Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

And while police presence is part of the solution, it isn’t the only one.

"We can't be everywhere. This is not going to work if what we have to do is put a police officer at every corner,” Sheehan says.

• How gun violence impacted one Albany family

Pastor Charlie Muller has been helping struggling Albany communities for almost 20 years.

"We're feeding kids, we're trying to educate kids, we're trying to keep them busy. We're trying to give them experiences they wouldn't experience on First Street,” says Muller, the pastor at Victory Christian Church in Albany.

Many inner-city children are introduced to street life as early as 14 years old, and that can lead to a life of crime and violence.

Muller says he believes it's important to speak face to face with those living in these challenged neighborhoods to better understand how to help.

But there is a steep challenge in front of city and faith leaders.

"It's the people and the way they're brought up with guns around here. They think that's a solution,” says Albany resident Joseph Ward.

"They think they own this block. Nobody from uptown can go downtown, nobody from downtown can go across town,” says Dana Berkley, another Albany resident. “We're all one — we're supposed to be all one. So we all have to work together."

Spectrum News explores gun violence in Albany and those impacted most by it in the past decade. Watch the full story, Under the Gun, Thursday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m., exclusively on Spectrum News.