The number of gunshot-related incidents in Franklin is not just alarming.

It has become downright frightening.

Hardly a single edition of this newspaper is published anymore without a report of shots fired somewhere in the city. While we would prefer not to report such information, it is our responsibility to do so in order that local citizens are aware of what is taking place. What we would much rather report would be a story on how the city has decided to tackle the issue of gun violence. Unfortunately, as far as we know, no such plan exists.

This is not a policing problem, although it has been frequently reported that the Franklin Police Department is understaffed. Contrary to what some may say, our police department does a magnificent job of dealing with gunshot-related incidents when they are reported. That truth is evidenced by the fact that, while there are an alarming number of shooting-related incidents in our small city, there have been no police involved shootings in recent years. Tough leadership and excellent training are no doubt contributing factors.

The fact is that there are too many people in Franklin who possess not only guns, but also ill intent. It is only a matter of time before one of our local officers is forced to return fire. We have all seen in recent years what happens to a community when the police are involved in a shooting, whether the shooting is justified or not. It is time for city leadership to seriously address this issue, in a meaningful and transparent manner, before the unthinkable happens.