Church Leaders Respond to Mass Shootings
Leaders across the Episcopal Church are responding with prayer, advocacy and educational efforts after 18 people were killed in two mass shootings six days apart.
Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a network of more than 100 bishops including Bishop Sean, released a statement in response to the March 16 shooting in Atlanta:
“On Tuesday, another white man who should not have had a gun shot and killed seven women and one man at massage spas in the Atlanta area. Six of his victims, all women, were of Asian descent. The gunman had been a patron of at least two of the spas where the massacre took place; and in the aftermath of the shootings, he confessed, saying that he considered the women at the spas to be a sexual temptation he needed to eliminate because of his Christian faith.”
The Episcopal Deputies of Color, a group whose leaders include Justice Rose Sconiers of St. Philip’s, Buffalo, also released a statement about the Atlanta shooting:
“We mourn the lives lost and stand with the victims and families. We are hurt that members of our Asian community wake every morning fearing acts of violence and have become the scapegoats for this pandemic. We lament the complicity of silence and we express our gratitude for many who stand in solidarity with the Asians and Pacific Islanders during this troubling time.”
Gabrie’l Atchison, president of the James Theodore Holly chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, urged members of the partnership dioceses to pray for Asian and Asian American victims of hate and their families. “Use your platform to talk about this tragedy and against hate in all its forms,” she wrote. “Listen to the stories of anti-Asian racism collected by the group Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Read about the experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki.” She noted that CNET has compiled a list of resources on this topic.
Bishop Kym Lucas of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado released a video message in the wake of the mass shooting at a Boulder supermarket on Monday, March 22 in which 10 people were killed. She also joined bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Methodist Church in a brief, scripture-infused prayer service in the wake of the mass shooting.
The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations (OGR) is urging Episcopalians to contact their senators and urge them to support reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes an important gun violence prevention measure.
The House of Representatives has voted to reauthorize the act but some Republicans in the Senate object to key provisions in the bill, including closing the boyfriend loophole. The new legislation would bar people convicted of abusing, assaulting or stalking a dating partner from buying or owning a gun. Visit the the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations website to send a message to your senators asking them to support the Violence Against Women Act.
OGR is also urging support for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446), which were passed by the House with bipartisan support. Visit the OGR website to send a message to your senators supporting these important pieces of legislation.
Read Episcopal News Service’s coverage of the Atlanta and Colorado shootings.
