Moms, allies march against gun violence

WASHINGTON (UMNS) – Moms were not the only participants at the Million Mom March on the National Mall on Mother’s Day, May 14, but women were the overwhelming majority among the hundreds of thousands there.

The marchers included people from a wide variety of faith backgrounds, among them United Methodists. The multitude included not only women but also men and children.

Penny Church of Herndon, Va., put a note in the Floris United Methodist Church bulletin and coordinated transportation for a group of about 20 adults and children that came to the event.

"It’s just shameful in our country that we allow such violence around our children," she said, while holding her 14-month-old child, Cameron. Her husband, Steve, was attending to Emily, 4 ½, who had hurt her foot at the beginning of her subway ride and already had sat or fallen in a mud puddle. The family’s oldest child, Ian, 13, was chatting with other teens from the church.

Ian's sandwich-board-style poster summed up his opinion: "Children have the right to attend school without fear of being shot."

"Congress has to hear our voices," said Corinne Lingebach of Fairfax, Va. She urged passage of federal gun laws to unify the controls throughout the United States. "We have to protect our children."

"Who would ever have thought we'd have to spend a Mother’s Day" demonstrating for gun controls? she asked.

The day’s events followed closely the United Methodist General Conference’s passage of a resolution calling for a sweeping ban on handguns and a wide range of other weapons. The church's highest legislative body adopted the resolution May 9. The position calls on the U.S. government and others around the world to outlaw "ownership by the general public of handguns, assault weapons, automatic weapon conversion kits and weapons that cannot be detected by traditionally used metal-detection devices."

With Lingebach were family and friends from Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Washington. Daughter Michelle, a high school student, commented, "It’s so ridiculous that people are so desensitized to violence." Lacey Lamano, a friend of Michelle’s from youth group, nodded in agreement.

"I'm not asking anyone to give up their guns," said Linda Smalls, also of Fairfax. "Just use common sense," she said, citing safety locks and other restrictions. "There has to be some common sense about this."

Chris Anderson, another member of Floris United Methodist Church, said she felt called to attend despite her 12-year-old daughter’s fear that her mother would be killed in a shooting there. The child was deeply affected by the killings in the Columbine High School in Littleton, CO., more than a year ago. She is still having nightmares and fears for herself and family members. This has led to many conversations about religion and life, Anderson added.

Anderson was wearing an enlargement of a cartoon by Meyer for the San Francisco Chronicle that showed a mom saying to a maternal looking NRA that the baby Congress has her nose. Both baby and mother have noses shaped like the end of a gun.

A member of the ASAP songwriters' guild, Anderson has written a song about Columbine in which she describes Jesus weeping and the nation's founders wringing their hands. "Rise up all you parents against tyranny,she sings. "Don’t buy the lie that violence entertains. Someone’s making money off the sons' and daughters’ souls."

The event on the mall began with speakers, music and an interfaith worship service and continued through more speeches and music from two stages. Weather was perfect: warm sun and cool breeze. And many people had brought blankets or folding chairs.

Near the day’s midpoint, a march to stirring music brought people from near the Washington Monument east toward the Capitol to the main stage. Led by drummers and high-flying banners, the marchers resembled earlier armies that went into battle on foot. However, this was an "army" of peace, including mothers with children in strollers, fathers with toddlers on their shoulders and thousands of people carrying signs.

In many respects, the event was like a family reunion picnic, though for many it was also like a visit to the cemetery where relatives are buried.

Slogans included: "Politics will kill our children," "The NRA needs a time out," "Protect kids not guns" and "I'm the Mommy, that’s why!"

Several people wore T-shirts bearing a picture of a child who was shot to death with the name and date of death. Some carried banners that cited a name or names and a date. One group passed through the area in single file. They each carried a sign that was simply a charcoal sketch of a person’s face mounted on black poster board.

"I think it was a success," said Frances Jett, a staff member from the United Methodist Board of Church and Society who worked to get participation from within the denomination. "I hope there is some follow-up. If nothing happens between now and November, I hope people will remember this when they go to the polls to vote."

The Women’s Division of the churchwide Board of Global Ministries brought eight of the United Methodist Women conference social issues coordinators from many parts of the United States to Washington for a weekend of training and advocacy. They also attended the march and spent the following day calling on their respective members of Congress.

Both agencies endorsed the event as part of their ongoing focuses on children.

Further Reading:
Million Moms March Against Gun Violence
Moms plan to mobilize for children’s safety May 14
UMW Action Alert: Million Mom March for Sensible gun laws, Safe kids
Gun Violence in the US: A GBGM Resolution