BALTIMORE – Our piercing grief over the senseless loss of lives to gun violence is only equaled by profound shock at how routine this has become in the United States. We agree with our President – our nation has a moral obligation to confront the blood soaked reality that guns are central to episodic mass shootings and daily gun violence as well as the reality that we can do something about it.
We must not become complacent over mass deaths by armed people in our churches, kindergarten classrooms, synagogues, movie theaters, shopping malls and community colleges. We cannot accept that there is no longer any place in our society that we can consider as safe to worship, spend time with our family and friends, or even to attend school. The time for sensible gun policy is long overdue and in the meantime, we continue to mourn the loss of our children, our colleagues and our loved ones.
And we should no longer accept that guns are the common thread in the deaths of thousands of men, women and children every year from accidental shootings, stray bullets, acts of criminal violence, police officers, domestic violence – and more than 21,000 deaths by suicide in homes and communities in every state by people struggling with mental illness.
We must ultimately fight the root causes of crime and poverty in America while supporting sensible gun law reforms that reduce the number of guns and gun-related deaths nationwide. National background checks, limits on military-style weapons and other measures can be taken that can reduce this deadly threat to life. We must demand that our elected leaders support responsible gun ownership while reducing the prevalence and reliance on weapons in modern society.