Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough as gun violence plagues the nation | Opinion

The events of the past two weeks show the grip gun violence has on our country. As we start to emerge from restrictions to slow the advance of a pandemic, we return to the mass shootings endemic to a society saturated with guns.

We have had mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado. Here in Philadelphia, we had a gunfight outside a nightclub. Even in 2020, during the pandemic Philadelphia had the second highest number of 499 homicides, with records going back since 1960. Nationwide, we saw over 41,000 gun deaths, and based on trend and year by year data from the CDC that would be more than we have had in a single year in 40 years. The shootings go on and on, with no end in sight. Will anyone in power take action to bring peace to our city and our country?

I am a community activist who has great faith in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and I’m committed to living as if he meant the things he said. Jesus comes at the end of a line of prophets who preached peace.

» READ MORE: 10 ideas to stem the tide of Philly’s gun-violence crisis | Opinion

I try to have my own work reflect the prophetic tradition, and part of what I do is work to turn guns — tools designed to kill — into garden tools, tools designed to cultivate life. This echoes the prophetic tradition: the books of Isaiah, Micah, and Joel all look forward to the day that swords are beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.

But the work that I do, on both the individual guns and in the individuals I interact with, is but a small drop in a sea of violence. Each gun destroyed is a victory, and each person whose heart is changed is a new ally, but to end systemic violence, we need systemic solutions. And that can start with closing the loopholes in our background check system.

We have hundreds of millions of guns in this country, and more are coming into service every day. Our nation’s response to challenges seems to be to purchase firearms: we did it ahead of elections and at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The rate at which Americans buy guns overwhelms the systems we have in place to try to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. In the 30-year existence of the background check system, nine out the ten weeks with the highest number of background checks initiated happened since March 2020. This sort of pressure on the process for checks results in delays. Background checks cannot be completed, and are therefore waived.

We need real action to change these habits and close these loopholes in our background check system. Too often, our leaders, when they hear of another tragic shooting, offer their “thoughts and prayers” and return to business as usual. I am a person of faith, and I believe that prayer works, but I also believe that gun violence is reflective of both heart problems and legal and policy problems. We need more than thoughts and prayers to solve the violence that is besetting America and Philadelphia right now.

Christians this week are celebrating Holy Week, observing the unjust death of God’s own son. While Christians hold that Jesus’ death is unique, it also is a sign of God entering into the suffering of the world, suffering with us, even to the point of crying out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

» READ MORE: ‘Their lives were snatched away’: My family’s struggle after losing two members to gun violence | Opinion

A decade ago, after a shooting in my neighborhood in North Philly, we had a Good Friday service outdoors that ended with the victim’s mother in tears. “I understand something today,” she said, tears streaming. “God understands my pain, because God knows what it feels like to lose your son.”

But just as Christians believe that the Easter story doesn’t end on Good Friday, I believe that God wants to work in America to end the pain of gun violence. As the end of the pandemic is on the horizon, Americans are wondering what their society will look like as we “return to normal.” It is horrifying to me that as we return to our pre-pandemic lives, America and Philadelphia seem to be returning to the pre-COVID-19 normal of mass gun violence. We need to seize the opportunity for real change. This week and every week, let us commit to working to heal our communities, in Philadelphia and across America.

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living “as if Jesus meant the things he said.”