Black clergy, pediatricians in TN partner to tackle gun violence as public health crisis

By Liam Adams,

Nashville Tennessean

(Source The Tennessean):

  Following most state legislators’ disinterest in a proposal to address gun violence as a public health crisis, Tennessee clergy are teaming up with pediatricians to tackle the issue head on.

The African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee will work to collect data on gun violence and develop prevention strategies in a new statewide campaign as part of a formal partnership with the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s the latest step for the clergy collective in its advocacy for gun reform, which other faith groups have followed suit in the wake of The Covenant School shooting in March.

“This is a Kairos moment,” the Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, chair of the steering committee for the African American clergy collective, said in an interview. “This is too critical an issue to let it die in the temple of governance in the state Capitol.”

The clergy collective is using its new statewide campaign to pivot from a legislation-driven effort to more direct action. The faith-based advocacy group worked with state lawmakers to introduce a bill in this year’s regular General Assembly session to address gun violence as a public health crisis.

The proposed legislation sought to enhance public health data collection, and research and access to trauma-recovery services. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, and the clergy collective’s leaders were unable to meet with Gov. Bill Lee at their request to discuss the legislation after the Covenant shooting.

Lawmakers’ unwillingness to deal with most gun reform proposals during the special session in August was another motivator, Turner said.  “If those in state government aren’t prepared to do it, we as clergy and thankfully those in the medical community feel it’s incumbent upon us to do all that we can,” Turner said.

In June, the clergy collective and medical professionals organized a joint news conference to discuss gun violence and out of that, this newest partnership emerged. Their new statewide campaign will work with the nonpartisan Sycamore Institute to collect public health data on gun violence.

Other faith groups and leaders have joined efforts to advocate for gun reform at events such as the Moral Monday rally and Linking Arms for Change event. Meanwhile, Brent Leatherwood, president of the Nashville-based Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, which is the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm, talked about the organization doing work around “sensible solutions” to address gun violence at a meeting last month.

“We’re seeing the impact around schools, churches and all across our community and we’ve got to do something about it,” Turner said.