‘Thoughts and prayers’ not enough to end gun violence, religious leaders say

It’s all too easy to fall into despair, give up or become cynical about the epidemic of gun violence gripping the nation.

Latasha Hobbs of Jacksonville, Florida, says don’t do it. Don’t give in.

“Our country is hurting. We have our children falling victim to senseless gun violence. It’s going to take all of us to put this violence to rest,” said Hobbs.

Painful experience has shaped Hobbs’ views on the subject. Her son Maurice was shot to death last year, two days after turning 18.

Thoughts and prayers are a fine response, she said, as long as they come with some sort of action.

“I pray with my feet,” she said, referring to being active in the movement against firearms proliferation and violence. “I can’t assume the problem is just going to go away.”

Hobbs and hundreds of others say they will be doing just that Sunday during a public memorial for gun violence victims in Florida and across the nation.

The ecumenical and interfaith event will feature a number of speakers, from Jewish and Christian faith leaders to those, like Hobbs, directly impacted by gun violence.

The “Community Embrace Service” was timed just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday as a way underscore the impact firearm deaths have on families and communities, organizers said.

“It’s about forming relationships and being present in communities impacted by violence,” said Susan Rogers, pastor at The Well at Springfield, which she founded in Jacksonville in 2011 with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida and Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church.

The inspiration for the event also includes the gruesome procession of mass shootings in recent years.

Event speakers cited the August 2018 mass shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, when a gunman killed two and injured 10 before killing himself.

But the city also has seen hundreds of other fatal shootings in recent months and years. Other motivations include the recent massacres at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a bar in Los Angeles. These and other tragedies have some faith groups seeking ways to translate feelings of loss and frustration into action.

“Right now in Jacksonville, groups of people impacted by gun violence are trying to change local laws to require background checks at gun shows,” Rogers said. “There is definitely interest in what we can do practically.”

‘Called to be peacemakers’

On Nov. 11, Rogers’ congregation hosted a question-and-answer discussion with Hobbs and Rob Rakowski, a church member and gun owner, about firearm ownership, lax firearm laws and violence.

The conversation was preceded by Rakowski’s donation of a .22-calibre rifle to a non-profit that creates garden tools from melted-down guns. The spade created from Rokowski’s rifle was presented during his and Hobbs’ talk.

“It sent a chill up my back,” he said. “The transformation from something that could be used for killing into something that can be used for growing food is somewhat indescribable.”

Rakowski said he was moved to participate by the increasing number of shooting deaths, which he said are growing despite increased awareness and debate around the problem.

“It’s obviously not an effective conversation,” he said.

His son’s struggle with mental illness also moved him to contribute the rifle. He said it’s too easy for persons with mental illnesses to legally obtain firearms.

“I do believe shootings are ultimately a people issue, whether it’s mental illness or rage or whatever,” he said. “But where I am coming at it here is the easy access to guns either through lax laws or careless gun owners.”

Solutions may ultimately be reached through conversations that move beyond the polarized dimension they usually take, he said.

“From a faith standpoint we have an opportunity to get involved in that divisive conversation and help bridge that gap,” Rakowski said.

“I say that as a gun owner. I still own guns. But I am called to be a peacemaker and my hope is to bring a voice to that middle ground.”

‘Without faith we don’t have anything’

Religious groups can also make an impact just by being visible and supportive after tragedies strike, said, Beth Tjoflat, vicar of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and also of Church without Walls, both in Jacksonville.

The worst thing to do is nothing, she added.

“As people of faith we need to show up and support our neighbors and be with each other,” said Tjoflat, who is scheduled to speak Sunday. “It is human to want to gather and to offer that space where people can bring their grief, confusion and anger – especially as we are rolling into the holidays.”

Giving up or becoming cynical in the face of rampant gun violence betrays the love God shows people of faith, and that which they are to show their neighbors, she said.

“We have to show up. We have to care. It’s not an option,” Tjoflat said.

Sissi Shepard said she’s grateful so many spiritual leaders, faith groups and other organizations are involved with the Sunday vigil.

Sponsors include Women’s March Jacksonville, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America and Faith in Public Life. Speakers include Baptist, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran and Muslim leaders.

“Without faith, what do we have? We have to have some sort of faith to move forward,” said Shepard, a Jacksonville resident whose son, Keegan Von Roberts, was shot to death by a neighbor in 2017. Prosecutors, citing Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, did not file charges.

Shepard said the loss of her son and the exoneration of his killer have left her wholly dependent on faith for a sense of justice and peace.

Shepard, who is a member of 11th Street Baptist Church in Jacksonville, said she will speak against Stand Your Ground during the vigil. But she knows it will take a much bigger movement to get that and other gun laws changed.

“Without faith and prayer and Christian leaders to get out and fight, we don’t have anything,” she said.