Must address violence

I live in Little Rock because I have been assigned as Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Arkansas. It’s a wonderful city that I have come to love. But something has happened this past year. Gun violence has exploded. Not only murder, but injuries to innocent bystanders, including children and babies.

So once again I awoke Saturday morning to multiple news stories about gun violence, including one about a shooting at a downtown nightclub that injured two dozen people.

I don’t pretend to fully understand the complexity of what is going on. But I do know that what should be greeted by a huge outcry has been greeted with deafening silence. Especially from the Christian community. So let me say it loudly and clearly. We are in a crisis. And the crisis must be addressed. Not used for a partisan political purposes, but addressed. Not manipulated to create greater divide among people, but addressed. Not ignored, but addressed.

Certainly, it may be painful on so many levels to deal honestly with it. But we have no choice.

GARY E. MUELLER

Little Rock