Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they鈥檙e following. Gun violence is a major topic of the day as a gun control advocacy group stages and the faith-based community takes a approach with gun buyback programs.
Tracy Ross is The Colorado Sun鈥檚 Rural Economic Development Reporter. She told KUNC a national movement of churches has risen with the common goal of stopping gun violence. , a Catholic church in Denver, is a in this movement.
Most Precious Blood and other churches are working with organizations like and to buy back firearms, dismantle them and repurpose the parts for gardening tools.
鈥淔rom a public health perspective, [the goal] is to get the guns off the street and out of homes before they end up used for violence or self-harm,鈥� Ross said. 鈥淚t's the whole 鈥榮words into plowshares鈥� idea in response to firearm-related deaths in Colorado, which were at least 2.5 times higher in 2022 than they were in 1980.鈥�
In a related story, protestors are demanding that Gov. Jared Polis take executive action on gun control.
The governor has already said what is proposing is . The group is asking Polis to declare a state of emergency due to gun violence, enact a total ban on all guns (including in law enforcement) and establish a mandatory gun buyback program.
鈥淭he women are fine with it in a sense,鈥� Ross said, 鈥渂ecause even though they know it would be really nearly impossible for what they want to happen, they believe that what they're doing illustrates a depth of feeling of at least them and other advocacy groups so that they're elevating the conversation and getting it out there in this kind of heightened sense.鈥�
