“Put the Gun Down” — Mercy Students Speak Out Against Gun Violence
Just two months into 2024, over 2,200 people have died from gun violence in the United States, and there have been 55 mass shootings, defined as an incident in which four victims have been injured or killed (Gun Violence Archive). A 2023 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that firearm fatalities are now the leading cause of death of children and teenagers in the United States.
As Mercy ministries we are compelled by our Catholic identity, our commitment to the Sisters of Mercy Critical Concerns and our own Core Values to take action. Recently several of our Mercy students were featured in A Matter of Spirit, a publication of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center. Editor Emily Sanna wrote in an introduction to the issue: “This issue [allows] young people to speak in their own words about the impact gun violence … has had on their lives.”
Eliyani Torres, a sophomore at St. Catharine Academy (Bronx, New York) shared her experience of losing a friend to gang-related violence. She reflected, “… We live in a messed up world where gun violence is everywhere. You don’t even have to be in a gang or anything. They’ll just shoot you automatically. They shoot up schools for no reason. And it’s just unacceptable. Put the gun down.” Eliyani was interviewed together with her guidance counselor, Helen Rieke, who addressed the challenge of her role to offer students a safe space.
Emma Lemieux and Abigail Gomes, seniors at Mercy High School (Middletown, Connecticut), discussed their short film, “Are You With Us?” which explores the impact that gun violence threats have had on their lives. “We’re the ‘lockdown generation’: we’ve become so desensitized to lockdowns and, unfortunately, school shootings and just gun violence in general,” Emma said. Abigail recalled realizing as they made the film that “there’s so many people that have been in that horrifying position my character was.” The students’ film, which was one of the first-place winners in the 2023 Social Justice Video Contest, can be viewed here.
Also in the issue, Sister Susan Walsh, RSM, Acting President of Mercy Career & Technical High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) offered her perspective as a school administrator. “It’s hard for me to hear that students feel like they won’t live past 20. That’s real, and they have examples of that [in their own lives],” she said.
As you read the magazine and think about ways to integrate it into the life of your school community, we invite you to review the following resources:
- Mercy Education resources on nonviolence available for all grade levels, faculty and staff.
- Spirituality resources including a Novena Against Gun Violence and a Prayer Service to End Gun Violence are available from Nuns Against Gun Violence.
- Transforming Grace: The Work of Transformative Justice is a program through the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) reflecting on nonviolence as a means to effect change. While this initiative is focused on the U.S. election, the materials relate across cultures and geography.
Also, make sure you’ve marked your calendar for the 2024 Mercy Education Conference themed on nonviolence, taking place October 9-12, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Image for the 5th Sunday of Lent, Year B, by Father Maximino Cerezo Barredo, CMF. This illustration was featured in A Matter of Spirit.
