News and Views

From the Gun Violence Prevention team of the Baltimore-Washington Conference

 Five people, including four Morgan State University students, were shot Oct. 3 at Morgan State University, a historically Black university in Baltimore. The shooting occurred during a homecoming celebration as students walked outdoors to a reception following the coronation of the homecoming court.  The school’s marching band was practicing at the stadium and after hearing the gunshots, locked themselves in a bathroom. One student who watched from his dorm room as students ran in panic in the yard below noted “You are supposed to be safe on campus.”  

Gun violence is a daily presence for this generation. In fact, firearm injury is the leading cause of death for children and teens both in Maryland and throughout the U.S. It surpasses car accidents and children’s cancer. Communities of color are suffering disproportionately. Black Americans are 12 times more likely than Whites to die by gun homicide.  Our hearts go out to the victims and families of this senseless shooting and to the entire Morgan State community.

We condemn the culture of violence that has overtaken our communities. While knives and fists are also violent, guns can kill and maim many more people quickly. The trauma cast on these communities by firearms can last a lifetime, even for those who were unharmed physically.  We urge a new way of thinking. We should not make firearms into false idols of security, but rather trust in the Lord and treat each other with love.  “I fear no evil, for Thou art with me” (Psalm 23). 

In addition to a new way of thinking about guns, we believe the gun industry as well as the shooters, must be held accountable.  We urge support for national gun policy to crackdown on illegal trafficking that makes the guns easily accessible to criminals instead of the registered owner, and we support universal background checks including for online and gunshow sellers. We believe the gun industry should be accountable through civil lawsuits for the harm it has caused to our communities, the same as tobacco and pharmaceutical companies are.  We must seek the courage to speak out and act against hatred, against violence, against all the oppressive evils in our culture. We must work to create a world in which all people are valued as beloved children of God.

Take action:

Support non-violence -- buy a ticket to October 14 Silence the Violence Concert at National UMC in Washington, D.C. and virtually. All proceeds go to benefit Traron Center in DC. TraRon works with children and youth in the District of Columbia who have lost loved ones to gun violence, offering them after-school programs including art therapy and modeling non-violent behavior.

Learn about Gun Industry Accountability in Maryland: 

• Interfaith program Nov.  5, 7-8 p.m., at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, featuring survivors and elected officials   It will also be live streamed, and registration is required for both in person and live stream attendance.  
• Review the UMC position on gun violence  
• See Bishop LaTrelle Easterling's statement on gun violence following the Morgan State University shooting