In Tennessee churches, a new message: Gun safety
On a hot evening in Columbia, Tennessee, a pastor, a physician, and a Republican gun owner sit together at the front of a church. The topic is a new one for this congregation: solutions to gun violence in Tennessee.
As people trickle in, neighbors wave to each other and shake hands with the mayor and two members of the Tennessee state legislature. The city’s emergency services departments are present in uniform, “to show community support” for the effort, one member says.
The event on July 28, called Faith, Firearms, and Community Safety in Middle Tennessee, is part of an effort to promote discussion in faith spaces of gun safety and education around gun violence in advance of a special legislative session the state’s Republican governor has pledged to call Aug. 21.
Conversations like the one at First Presbyterian Church have been happening across the Volunteer State this spring and summer. The choice of venue is a deliberate one. In a state where an overwhelming majority of residents identify as Christian, churches are seen as a place where respectful listening is still possible.
Having conversations about gun safety in a church sanctuary
