'Enough is enough': Springfield faith leaders gather to push for gun reform

Roughly 40 people gathered Tuesday afternoon in the basement of the building that houses Brentwood Christian Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church to participate in the "Enough is Enough: Faithful Steps to End Gun Violence Now" event calling for the end of gun violence in America in the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas.

"We gather as we have had to gather on far too many occasions with a sense of heartbreak, individually, collectively," said Rev. Dr. Phil Snider of Brentwood Christian Church. "We know we should not have to go through this kind of trauma time and again. We know it is not right."

The event was hosted by Missouri Faith Voices, a nonprofit that is run by many faith leaders from around the state that pushes for various political reforms including gun safety measures. Numerous pastors and leaders from around Springfield spoke.

Rev. Christie Love, the pastor at Connecting Grounds church in Springfield, spoke about her teenage son and the fear he has of being involved in a school shooting.

"He talked about the trauma of hiding and practicing and having people bang on walls in his school. He talked about what it was like to have his favorite teachers try to equip them for survival in a place that should be safe," Love said. "I never had to grow up looking at my world through that kind of perspective."

She added that it was time for change to happen and that the church should be leading the charge.

"As a faith leader I declare that enough is enough," she said. "We have to address the misuse of faith, theology and scripture that has combined to create a toxic culture of American Christianity that is willing to sacrifice our own children on the altar of our rights and individualism. The church should be leading the efforts in making peace and change, but often we are the loudest voice in opposition."

Love pointed to specific changes that could be made, including universal background checks, waiting periods, closing the "gun show loophole" and many others, adding that something her son said had been sticking with her.

"He told me something that I can't get out of my head," she said. "'Guns aren't an expression of freedom, love is."'

NAACP Springfield President Kai Sutton also spoke at the event, discussing her recent run-in with gun violence when her cousin was killed in a shooting in downtown Springfield back in May.

"I feel like maybe this was too soon," Sutton said. "But I also felt like I had to be here."

More: 2 men killed, 1 injured in downtown Springfield shooting, police say

Her cousin was just 23, Sutton said, and had two daughters, one about to turn 1 and the other about to be born.

"They didn't deserve this," she said.

When it comes to stopping gun violence, Sutton said she isn't exactly sure where to start, but she thinks fostering communities is a big part of it.

"How do we move forward? I don't know," she said. "I think settings like this is a good start. I think community is where it starts, family building and having tough conversations are good."

Rev. Chris Miller at Trinity Presbyterian Church touched on his experiences with guns (he used to compete in marksmen competitions) and how his views have shifted over the years.

"Over the years, things for me have changed," Miller said. "I don't really know when the scale tipped.

"Are all guns inherently evil? I don't tend to think so. But I do think that, like anything that has the capability of causing great harm in an instant, our society must do more."

Miller added that what freaks him out most about guns is maybe how easy they are to get. He told a story about how when he went to purchase a firearm he needed two forms of identification but didn't have another one besides his driver's license. He said the shop sold him a second form of ID, a fishing license, and for $12 and roughly 10 minutes of his time, he was able to purchase a gun with two forms of ID.

"That was terrifying to me, how easy it was," he said. "Compared to when we bought a car and we were there for hours."

Miller added that though he enjoys guns, the benefits, for him, do not outweigh the cost.

"I think they're fun," he said. "But I've made a choice that the fun I find in that does not counterbalance the danger that I know is there."

The meeting also acted as a call to action. Those in attendance were asked to contact their representatives to push for a number of things including banning assault weapons and ghost guns, background check legislation and other similar bills, and improving national mental health services.

"We don't have the luxury of doing one thing at a time," said Missouri Faith Voices Executive Director Darryl Gray.

Gray went on to say the road ahead is not easy and will take a lot of work.

"If there was an easy solution," he said. "I feel like we would have done it already."

More: He was shot 5 times but lived. What one man’s case says about crime in Springfield.

To round out the event a representative from Raw Tools, an organization that destroys unwanted firearms and re-purposes them into gardening tools, cut up an AR-15 and a handgun. The representative, Ryan Lindsay, said the parts will then be sent off to a blacksmith, melted down and and turned into gardening tools.

Lindsay added the idea is loosely based on a Bible verse from the book of Isaiah which states, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

"We're doing that with guns," he said.

However, he added that for those wanting to destroy their weapons, it's better to have someone familiar with the process do it, instead of trying to do it themselves.

"You have to be careful, the ATF has very specific guidelines on how to cut and destroy guns," he said. "If you do it wrong you could be making an illegal weapon."

Snider said the event was just the start of a conversation he and other leaders in Springfield wish to start about gun violence.

"I hope this acts as a catalyst," Snider said. "There is so much to be done."

Jordan Meier covers public safety for the Springfield News-Leader. Contact her at jmeier@news-leader.com, or on Twitter @Jordan_Meier644.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield faith leaders push for gun reform after mass shootings