"The term "gun violence" is a dog whistle. "
Then you can substitute the phrase "violence committed with guns"
whenever you hear the whistle if it helps you understand a little 
better.
A major problem is the people concerned with "violence committed
with guns" and those who facing confusion over the language.
It's talking past each other.
Talking past each other will never lead to any kind of middle ground
where the issues of mass shootings and needless deaths can be 
adequately addressed.
.
So write that down:  "gun violence" = "violence committed with guns"