I've heard a lot of talk over the last few days that the shooting in Connecticut was the last straw. Reverend Canon Gary Hall, during a sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC was one of those people . . .
Calling the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School "the last straw," Rev. Canon Gary Hall used his sermon Sunday to appeal to the faith community to rally behind gun control efforts. . . .
"The entire American faith community can no longer tolerate this persistent and escalating gun violence against our people," he said. . . .
"The best way for us to mourn the Sandy Hook shooting is to mobilize the faith community for gun control," Hall said at the apex of his sermon.
The normally-subdued congregation stood to its feet in applause.
Hall pledged his and the community's help in crafting and taking the action of stronger gun control.
Remember this:
The normally-subdued congregation stood to its feet in applause.
This has never happened during a sermon at the national Cathedral. It's akin to the crowd breaking out in applause during a sermon at St Peters Cathedral in Rome.
Conversations are occurring across the country about gun control and its not just liberals and independents. My girlfriend was talking to her Republican parents last night, and her mother, a former elementary school librarian, was heartsick. Her father talked about owning and firing guns when he was a kid, but couldn't understand the need for gun owners to posses semi-automatic weapons. The idea of hunting with a semi-automatic weapon was appalling to him.
My brother, an evangelical Christian, is beside himself. He voted for Mitt Romney, but can't understand why the politicians won't do anything about gun control. He lives in Houston, TX and has three school age children. He supports gun control.
It isn't going to go away this time. Too many people have images of their kids being killed by guns. It's too hard to get the image of 6 and 7 year old children being senselessly killed out of your head.
I can't get it out of my head. I can't stop myself from crying whenever I think about it.