Birmingham leaders want to hear the opinions of residents, faith leaders and educators on what the city can do to reduce the number of people dying in violent crimes.

The newly created Birmingham Crime Commission is asking community members to complete surveys that will provide the reactions needed to tailor new programs aimed at community safety and youth development in the city. It is set to report its initial findings in mid-December.

Mayor Randall Woodfin asked some of those questions in an emotional statement on gun violence Tuesday; what would you need to put down your gun or get someone you love to put down their gun, and what would you need to persuade you to turn in people who are harming others, particularly those who kill innocent children? He mentioned job training programs, drug rehab and conflict resolution programs.

“This is a solvable problem in our city,” he said during his message, given as he sat in a room surrounded by tables stacked with rapid-fire weapons that had been confiscated by Birmingham police.

Woodfin acknowledged that the city may be on the cusp of a record year for homicides.

Birmingham Police Department data shows that, as of Monday, the city has had 134 murders, which does not include killings that are ruled justifiable. The same time last year, that number was 113.

With 36 days left in the year, Birmingham could surpass its all-time homicide record of 148 set in 1933. In recent years, the city notched 144 homicides in 2022 and 141 in 1993.

Woodfin said he asked the police chief about motives for the homicides this year and was told the top three are fights, revenge and the drug trade.

Facing increased calls to tamp down on violent crime, the mayor created the commission, which is modeled after one the city organized during surging violence in the 1990s under Richard Arrington’s administration. Using other cities as models, it provided a number of short-term and long-term recommendations to improve police operations, refocus resources and improve community relations, according to city officials.

The City Council also passed a $15 million police recruitment and retention package in October.

But Woodfin pointed out in his message that most cities across the nation are short on police officers and do not see the level of violence Birmingham is experiencing.

“Birmingham, Alabama, is not suffering from random acts of violence. We’re suffering from acquaintances, friends, homies, partners who know each other fall out for whatever reason. And then one or both of them go back and forth and start hurting each other,” said Woodfin, who several times called many Birmingham murders dumb and reckless.

Personally, Woodfin said, he’d like to see an amendment that would allow Birmingham to in some way bar people from walking around and driving around with rapid-fire weapons. But the state recently went the other way, lifting all restrictions so people can carry guns anywhere, any time – no permit required. Undoing that is beyond his power, he said.

Three surveys will let you share your ideas for lessening violence.

1. Community Member Survey: For all Birmingham residents, including business owners, neighborhood association leaders and nonprofit initiative leaders.

2. Church Leader Survey: For faith leaders interested in youth development and community safety.

3. Teachers and Parents Survey: For educators, parents and guardians working with youth.

Officials ask that residents complete the brief, anonymous surveys by Dec. 3.

Woodfin in his message urged people to pray for families who are missing loved ones at their Thanksgiving dinner tables.

He recalled the first time he saw someone shot. He was 9 years old and watching TV with his younger sister in their North Birmingham home when they heard a pop. He rushed out and found his sister on the ground, shot in the leg.

In 2012, his brother was shot and killed. Recently, Woodfin said, his wife woke him up in the middle of the night because he was crying. He’d been dreaming about his brother. Woodfin said he also lost two cousins and a grade-school classmate to gun violence in 2024.

He said he’s not alone in the trauma of missing a loved one killed by violence. Many people in Birmingham are waking up screaming and crying from their dreams or living with a void.

“That’s pretty jacked,” he said. “It’s messed up.’’