On Sandy Hook anniversary, Utahns lament plague of gun violence

Several dozen people met at Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City on a snowy Sunday afternoon to mourn Americans who have lost their lives to gun violence.

It was the second anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which left 26 adults and children dead in Newtown, Conn.

It also was the day after thousands of citizens took to the streets in cities across the country to protest the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and other black men who have been killed recently by police.

"I have begun to wonder if we are going back to the era of lynching," the Rev. France Davis said in his opening remarks. "I am gravely concerned for the young people between 15 and 30, whose number one cause of death is firearm homicide."

Davis, longtime pastor at Calvary, a mostly black congregation, added that he has a son in that age group.

The epidemic of gun violence, he said, "touches all of us."

Sunday's 80-minute service was organized by the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah.

It featured speeches by several of Utah's religious leaders who addressed the group, while photos of gun violence victims were continuously displayed on two giant screens on both sides of the pulpit.

"Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes," sang Calvary's male chorus. "But that's OK, Jesus will fix it after a while."

Though not everyone concurs with proposed solutions, most people agree the nation has too much gun violence, said Bishop Scott Hayashi, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. "Why is the answer to everything to use a weapon?"

Enough is enough, the bishop said. "It's a small step for more of us to gather and say, 'Let's stop this.' "

After Hayashi's remarks, attendees came forward one by one to light 50 small, white candles — one for each state — for those felled by guns.

First up were Ron and Norma Molen, who founded the prevention group after their son was shot to death while in college.

Others mentioned loved ones — a brother, father, uncle. One woman intoned, "This is for Martin, Bobby and John."

Religious people tend to be complacent about gun violence, said the Rev. Jerrod Lowry, pastor at Community of Grace Presbyterian Church in Sandy, looking to others to fix the problem.

" 'God's gotta do something,' they say," Lowry said, "or the bishop, the pastor, the elders. Last but not least, they organize a committee to study the issue."

But God is calling "all of us to do something," the pastor said. "We cannot wait for anyone but ourselves. The responsibility is on us. We are to pursue justice that God wants for this land."

Are we going to just "light candles and pray? Or are we going to … stand up and do something?" Lowry asked. "My prayer is that we can stand together and walk together so that next year we don't have to light more candles."

Catholic Bishop John C. Wester concluded the service by saying, "As a community, we need to send a clear message to state and federal elected officials that we will no longer tolerate the continued march toward a culture that prioritizes deadly weapons over human life. "

God's kingdom on Earth, said Wester, leader of the state's 300,000 Catholics, "does not include creating or maintaining a culture where possession of deadly weapons is viewed as a badge of honor."

Since the Newtown massacre, there has been "unprecedented momentum for smart gun laws at the state level," the Catholic bishop said. "Ninety-nine laws strengthening gun relations have been passed in 37 states. Ten states have made major overhauls to their gun laws."

In today's world, Wester said, "we are called to eschew guns in favor of life."

Firearms may be fun to shoot or a pleasant hobby, but they are so deadly, he said. It's time to give them up.

"We need to be reminders to our fellow men and women that self-defense is about protecting life," Wester said, "not threatening the lives of others."

Respect for life, the bishop said, does not "come from a holster."

pstack@sltrib.com

Twitter: @religiongal