One More Gun Death Too Many — and Three Things You Can Do About It - Shane Claiborne

One More Gun Death Too Many — and Three Things You Can Do About It

by Shane Claiborne 02-08-2010

At about midnight we heard the shots ring out. My friend ran to the door and I heard him yell, “Shane, a kid has been shot, come down.” As we looked down the street we could see a young man staggering as he walked down our block. Then his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. We called for an ambulance and ran outside to be with the boy. My friend talked to him tenderly, looking into his eyes as they struggled to stay alert. We could see the wounds in his chest, torn by bullets. I grabbed his hand and held it as we prayed… and as we hoped. The ambulance came and drove him off. The next morning we heard that 19-year-old Papito died that night from the gunshot wounds, on Feb. 5, 2010. Papito was the fourth shooting in the last few months within walking distance from our house.

Right now in Philadelphia there is a homicide every 48 hours. A few years ago it was one a day. One a year is too many. I remember Dr. King saying something to this effect:

We are all called to be the good Samaritan, and lift our injured neighbor from the ditch on the Jericho road … but after you lift so many people from the ditch, you start to say, ‘Maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be reimagined … so folks don’t keep ending up in the ditch.’

After you see so many kids shoot each other, you start to ask where are they getting the guns? In our neighborhood, one of the answers to that question is The Shooter Shop. The Shooter Shop is a gunshop located a few blocks from our house here in Kensington, and it has statistically been one of the worst gunshops in the country – for having guns sold there later tracked to violent crimes on the streets. A group of local clergy and community organizers have now approached the owner of The Shooter Shop (as we did Colosimo’s gunshop, and we are urging him to sign a Code of Conduct, a 10-point covenant created by a national association of mayors committed to decreasing violence on the streets.

We will also be starting to vigil outside his gunshop this Saturday, Feb. 13, one week after this latest shooting. We will walk from the spot where Papito was killed to the gunshop three blocks away. There are three things I want to invite you to do, if you are one of those folks who doesn’t just like pontificating but likes acting.

1) Pick up the phone and give the owner of The Shooter Shop a call – (215) 426-2215. His name is Mr. Haney, and we are in a respectful conversation with him. Stress to him how urgent the issue is, and that he genuinely has an opportunity lead with integrity and set a precedent for other gunshops in this country. We really hope that he will sign the Code of Conduct. And when he does, we will have a celebration outside his gunshop instead of a protest.

2) Come to the vigil if you are in the Philadelphia area. We will be at The Shooter Shop (2001 E. Allegheny Ave) at 12:00 noon this Saturday. If you are not in the area, start a conversation with your local gunshop and encourage them to commit to the 10 point Code of Conduct.

3) Write or call members of Congress and encourage them to pass legislation that will decrease gun violence on our streets. One such law we are pursuing in Pennsylvania would limit the number of guns to “One Handgun a Month.” Part of the problem is that there are no limitations to how many guns folks can buy, which is why they end up being resold on the streets by “straw purchasers.” We are not even trying to stop the “right to bear arms”; we’re just saying maybe one handgun a month is enough. And for those of us who are Christians, Jesus sure didn’t have much to say about the right to bear arms, but he had a heck of a lot to say about loving our enemies… so we hope Christians of conscience can help lead this important struggle for peace.

Keep our neighborhood in your prayers. Pray for Papito’s family, for those who killed him, and for the arms dealers in our world (both gunshops like The Shooter Shop and gunshops like Lockheed Martin). We had a powerful memorial for Papito this week, where about 100 of us gathered as a neighborhood with Papito’s family. We prayed. We cried. We read scripture. We ached for an end to the bloodshed.

Rest in Peace, Papito, my brother. And we will do our best to make sure that other lives are not taken the way that yours was.

May God continue to heal all that is broken in our hearts, in our streets, and in our world.

[UPDATE: Due to the snow, the vigil and rally at the Shooter Shop has been postponed until next Saturday, February 20 at Noon. Many of us will gather next saturday at 11:45 at 3220 Potter Street (near where Papito was killed), distribute candles and walk over together with neighbors. The good news is we are having dozens of folks call interested in participating, and we waited until we were confident postponing the event this weekend was our best option. It will allow us another conversation with Mr. Haney, and to continue to pray and build momentum for this witness. Thanks everybody.]

Shane Claiborne is a founding partner of The Simple Way community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. He is the co-author, with Chris Haw, of Jesus for President.

Categories: Activism, Violence and Nonviolence

GritsJr

Keep up with your peaceful protests, Shane! Many of us outside Philadelphia are standing with you and praying for your success! You make me proud to be an American and a human being. You exemplify man's best qualities: compassion, restraint, determination.

willhouk

Great post Shane. I am sorry to hear about the violence in your neighborhood. I plan on calling the owner of the shop and talking with him. I am from a small town in Nevada and I own many guns for hunting. I think the idea of signing a pledge is great, and it is a way around the old debates about the 2nd Amendment and what not.

One thing I noticed though. There is a typo on the pledge page. Number 2 says, "Maors Against Illegal Guns..." Mayors is spelled incorrectly. I point this out to help, not to sound nit-picky. God bless you Shane, you are an inspiration.

whenheavenfell

good job, ignoramus.

the UK's violent crime is SKY HIGH. they have the equivalent of SWAT teams routinely patrolling through london, because violent gang crime is so nightmarish. you don't know what you're talking about. also see: australia. their recent ban has led to a dramatic increase in violent crime, especially robbery and rape.

calledme

"Those in favor of stricter gun legislation have one goal in mind: to take guns out of the hands of the people." I'm in favor of stricter gun legislation, and I don't know who "the people" are. I'm in favor of following the example of countries who don't have the horrendous number of annual deaths from firearm violence. The idea that our freedom as individuals and as a nation depend on the right of every person to carry a gun has no validity; I live in NM where lots of people have guns for a variety of reasons and we don't have constant news items about people who save themselves and others by shooting at someone else. Now the legislature has a bill on its way to law that will allow licensed gun owners to carry their weapons into establishments that serve alcohol. I don't want to be "protected" by a gun owner while I'm eating out -- especially one who has been drinking. I'm thinking I'm supposed to be one of "the people" and I can't find anything good about allowing anyone free access to anything one owns with the sole intention of killing something. I can't find anything in the NT teachings which would encourage us to take this on particular cause as the Gid-given focus for anyone's life.

Yamasen

One's perspective or worldview deeply influences which facts and statistics one trusts. A statement made earlier talk of how there are no studies showing decrease of deaths due to gun control and later someone giving D.C. as an example went unchallenged. American data is sadly affected by the fact that gun control has been limited to very small areas, meaning guns can easily come from nearby communities. However, countries with a bit more guts in this area, like Australia and Brazil, have seen significant decreases with stricter gun control laws. http://www.factcheck.org/2009/05/gun-control-in... http://www.apc.org.nz/pma/gunaus.htm http://www.upenn.edu/ldi/issuebrief12_7.pdf

Some are saying we must remain within our American cultural bubble to solve our problems since other cultures are too different. Well, if headhunters in Papua New Guinea can learn a more peaceful way to exist from folks from a different culture, can't we? Australia and Brazil, unlike Japan, the UK and Canada, are countries that had violence at a similar or in Brazil's case, greater rate than the U.S.A. To say we can't learn from their success is to please ignorance. The crisis of violence we have demands a multi-pronged approach, not just stricter gun control laws, but also curbs on TV Violence and teaching anger reduction tactics and such. To say carte' blanche that guns are not part of the problem smacks of the emperor has no clothes - let's not say the obvious. Amazingly some have used the above cases and twisted the data to say the opposite - that Australia was a failure. Whatever side one is on, looking carefully at data is essential. One other caution - Americans often like to look at something in the short term, say it doesn't work and toss it. How one goes about gun restrictions, buy back programs and the like, makes a huge difference in the success rate - it it a wholistic approach or top down.

Please let's not buy into the lie, though, that restricting guns won't do anything. As well as the above examples, having lived in Japan for 12 years, I can say how wonderful it was to travel around the biggest metropolis in the world and not to experience the fear often felt at night in a much smaller city here. Yes, there is a culture that makes this possible, but part of this culture involves the strict restriction of guns. I was told with certainty by a friend here that though gun murders were low, murder by swords more than made up for that. That was quite a sad mistruth - not even close according to any reliable statistics you chose to look at. During the evening news, they reported any murder in the whole country of 128 million. How long would that take here for the Eastern U.S.A.?

VasuMurti

Article by Junling Hu:

A gun is a consumer product, sold for money and purchased by individuals. While all consumer products including teddy bears are subject to strict federal laws, guns are given a free pass. There is no safety regulation on guns thanks to NRA’s lobbying effort. Unsafe guns lead to accidents and death of adults and children at home. The real suffers are gun owners.

A gun is also a lethal weapon. Falling into the wrong hand, it enables a criminal to kill, a gang member to fight, and a teenage to get revenge. Guns are more deadly than tobacco, alcohol or gambling combined. While all of these are off limit to youngsters, and a 20-year-old can be arrested for drinking beer, he can walk free for buying a gun.

The debate of gun laws is muffled by the slogan, “We need less government regulation”. It is as if government regulation is always a bad thing. These people ignore the fact that government regulates every aspect of our life today. From water to air, to drugs and toys, everything touching us is regulated by law. Without clean air act, we will be breathing dirty air ejected by power plants, we will be drinking unsafe water. Without government regulation, medicine with fatal side effects will not be pulled off shelves and toys with lead poison can stay on the market. Government regulation ensures our housing safety, our food quality, our driving safety (through speed limit and safety belt law). As we live in a society, government acts as the mediator and enforcer that no individual can do.

The freedom of owning a gun has little to do with abiding gun laws. Everyone can own a automobile, but they still need to register and get license for their cars. Everyone has the freedom of owning a house, but they still have to watch for zoning regulation and fire safety requirements.

Sensible gun laws governs manufacturing standard, product safety, and accessible by minors and criminals. Sensible gun laws ensure the safety of our street, our school, and most importantly the safety of our home.

Common sense gun laws such as closing gun show loophole, assault weapon ban, and child-lock are fundamentally needed to ensure guns not fall into wrong hands. Yet, all these basic laws are fought against by NRA lobby. How far can we go in this extremist view of so-called “individual freedom”? The consequence of suffering is demonstrated by deadly shooting every day, in every corner of America. Each day, more than 80 people die from gun shooting, from accidents at home, to dispute with neighbor, to random shooting on the street. The deadly consequence of “gun freedom” is the death of our young, 4-year-old shot while playing with guns, 15-year-old while in heat of argument, 19-year-old walking out of a nightclub.

America does not have to be a society soaked in blood, because the bloody consequence was caused by powerful gun lobby that stripped away our basic protection from law. Let’s work to enact sensible gun laws. We ask for sensible regulation on guns, as we ask for regulation on food and drugs. Gun issue is no longer a private matter but a public safety issue. It affects all of us. Let’s pass sensible gun laws now.

Nathan Bedford

Owning a gun should be no different than owning and operating a car. Both offer advantages when used safely by responsible people. Before I am permitted to drive in my state, I must pass a written test and demonstrate that I can safely operate a car. I must periodically return for a vision test and when my sight degenerates to the point where I can no longer see the road, then the state is not obligated to renew my license. Not so for guns. Anyone know of any laws that prohibit the use of guns by sightless people? You can be sure that the NRA would oppose any such proposal.

jamescartee

Shane, I must say that your blog and books continually inspire as an up and coming author myself to stay focused in prayer and thoughts towards others. I am about to finish my Masters at Auburn University, and your influence has seriously made me consideration taking a radical direction with the next stage of my life. I will be praying for you in regards to the Shooter Shop. If you actually read these comments, please take a look at my blog http://www.jamescartee.blogspot.com.

I would love to have your feedback if you have the time. Poetic Out,

James L. Cartee

Ngchen

Not knowing the totality of the circumstances of that particular "road rage" encounter, it's hard to say who was and was not the aggressor. After all, could he have reasonably feared for his life? But yes, it is good that ultimately no one was physically hurt. There is a world of difference between drawing a gun, and actually firing; however, if one draws, one has already made firing a distinct possibility. Pro-gun people have noted how MANY would-be assaults and murders probably have been averted when one of the parties in the conflict showed the gun at some point.

Is any of this ideal? Of course not! Far from it! I personally think (and yes I struggle with this too) that too often we feel that threats and such are the only way to deal with people, and/or resolve issues. Reality is, if something has already degenerated to threats, EVERYONE has already lost in a way (since there is a total reduction in joy whenever one is threatening others or being threatened.) And yes, there is something very wrong with someone who for whatever reason relishes threatening and/or shooting people. Responsible gun owners are NOT in this category, and gun courses do emphasize this point.

Finally, why does it matter how many dollars a gun costs? Shouldn't the poor and rich have similar access? I'm no fan of Wally World due to their anti-union activities, but if they can somehow sell quality guns for less due to greater efficiency, so be it.

Patricia

As I said, there's the ONLY the guns contingent, and then there's the everything BUT the guns contingent - it's clear which camp you reside in :).

WaveTossed

"I pursued him for about 5 miles and followed him into his drive to talk about my displeasure and he pullled out something like a 40 caliper handgun. Thought he was touch Sh t. People who think they have to pull guns on people to show how tough they are aren't!!!!!!!!"

Someone like him needs to be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

WaveTossed

"Well, yes, our culture IS a problem but so is the lack of reasonable gun regulation."

First, we must deal with our violent culture. Once that happens, then we can address what regulations are truly needed.

WaveTossed

But also a country's culture must be considered as well. Japan, the UK, Europe, and most other countries don't feature the explosive violence that our own culture features. Switzerland has no gun laws at all, and the crime rate in this country is low as well.

Taking this issue out on inanimate objects like guns doesn't truly address the real issue of explosive violence present in U.S. culture. Guns don't make decisions in their minds (they actually don't have minds) to kill and maim others. It's people in the U.S. who think that they have to kill and maim when they don't get their way. If someone were to wave a magic wand and -- poof!! All guns disappear: we would still have explosive violence; people would simply find other weapons or means.

Patricia

It might be helpful to having an honest discussion of those on the "no guns" end of the spectrum could admit that guns are not all evil.

AND, as in this case, if those on the "unrestricted gun" end could stop blaming everything else EXCEPT guns for gun violence. In this case, the claim is our culture is the problem, not the guns. Well, yes, our culture IS a problem but so is the lack of reasonable gun regulation.

It's not one or the other, it's both. And we ought to address both.

kansasmennonite

Well excuse me for naming my 22 caliper "gauge". I certainly am not an expert on guns. It's kinda funny that one can buy a semi automatic cheaper than a bolt action 22 at Wallyworld.

Why does it seem that when one gets "into" guns the less of a peace stance the people exhibit? My former church follows this trend quit readily.

I had a gun pulled on me once when I was younger. It was over a road rage type of scenerio. The car came around me at high rate of speed after a corner throwing rocks onto my car. I pursued him for about 5 miles and followed him into his drive to talk about my displeasure and he pullled out something like a 40 caliper handgun. Thought he was touch Sh t. People who think they have to pull guns on people to show how tough they are aren't!!!!!!!! Some people who perhaps are fully "legal" should not have guns, period!

Nathan Bedford

Look at Washington DC on a map, please. It's adjacent to Virginia which meets much resistance whenever it tries to restrict gun purchases. It's also located right on I-95 which runs right through the heart of "God's Country". Your statement relating the violence there is valid only if you assume that the nation's capitol exists in total isolation from the remainder of the country.

ckgmailOTscholar

1. I didn't suggest banning guns. I have not made that suggestion on this
site or elsewhere.

2. I made an observation that guns are very effective instruments with which
people can kill people. Of course knives and baseball bats are also. But
knives and baseball bats are used "up close and personal." lf you decided to
kill me with a knife or a baseball bat, I might have a chance to defend
myself. If you decide to shoot me with a scope and a high powered rifle from
a 100 yards away, I'll never know what hit me.

3. I don't know of anyone who holds that banning or limiting acces to guns
will miraculously change the characters of Americans who believe in solving
their problems with violence.

4. When a gang banger or drug dealer shoots a rival, he is attempting to
solve a problem with violence. When a police officer shoots a perp, however
justified the shooting may be, he/she is attempting to solve a problem with
violence. When a military drone targets and kills a suspected terrorist in
Afghanistan, Pakistan or wherever, that is an attempt to solve a problem
with violence.

5. I will repeat, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people, but guns are
very effective tools with which people can kill people." Much more effective
at much longer range than knives, baseball bats, or other tools of human
ingenuity.

WaveTossed

"Guns don't kill people. People kill people. But in countries where private handgun ownership is restricted or forbidden, a lot less people are killed by a lot less people with guns :)."

That is not because guns are restricted or banned in other countries. That is because those other countries don't have the culture of violence that we here in the U.S. have.

Washington D.C. has some of the strictest gun regulation laws. And these laws haven't increased the murder/violence rate at all. If anything, the more gun restriction/banning laws are passed, the higher the murder rate has gone up.

WaveTossed

"Guns don't kill people, but guns are very effective instruments with which people can kill people."

So are knives and baseball bats. The fallacy here is that banning guns or strictly limiting them will lead to a miraculous change in the characters of Americans who believe in solving their problems with violence.

Objects (such as guns) aren't people. Objects don't make bad choices to take out their anger against others in violent ways. Focusing on the objects rather than the people takes responsibility away from people; this enables people to make bad choices to commit violence.