we still have the historical things that are happening, the drugs, the gangs, the money. but so many more people are dying over small interpersonal days puts. they are using gun violence to solve petty beefs. reporter: it is a culture, it s a way of thinking. reporter: as the country grapples with the historic increase in the homicide rate and a re-imagining of police departments, back in austin, they are looking for solutions as fast as they can. we need to get ahead of that problem and as a community, as a city, that is what he we re doing. and that was ryan young reporting. thanks for watching. ac 360 starts now. good evening. if all news is ultimately about the difference and the distance between then and now, then this was the biggest news night. funeral services in washington for the late senator bob dole. contrast between then and now was a stark and as sad as the moment. today was a reminder of a place, a way of doing politics, a set of values and a country that
remained steady in recent years. mayor scott says it s something many mayors around the country are dealing with. we still have the historical things that are happening, the drugs, gangs, the money. but so many more people are dying over small, interpersonal disputes. they are using gun violence to solve petty beefs. it is a culture. it s a way of thinking. reporter: as the country grapples with the historic increase in the homicide rate and a re-imagining of police departments, back in austin, they are looking for solutions as fast as they can. we need to get ahead of that problem and as a community, as a city, that s what we are doing. reporter: don, as you know, this is friday night so a lot of people go out to have a good time. it s also where we see the spikes in crime across the country because when you add alcohol or when you add people in large crowds going out, um, sometimes violence happens. in the city like austin, they are watching the downtown area very closely o
the decision to pull the trigger is made when an individual puts their hand on the gun and walks out the door. they have predetermined if they need to use that gun, they have it and they will. it s about consequences or the lack of consequences, there is no fear of those consequences because for the last 18 or 20 months we re just getting on track now because we have had no trials, no indictments, no grand juries, and so there s a perception out there in the street that even though we might arrest you, there are no real consequences. and we have to get back to them understanding those consequences. there s a lot to unpack there, commissioner, and i want to dive into it. let s start with guns. there has always been petty beefs, conflict, but these cities are awash in guns. you have pointed out there s an enormous number of guns coming into cities, they can be ordered online, assembled in one hour, they cannot be traced, so how much is that influx of guns