This article is also published on our sister site Lincoln City Church News
A group of concerned citizens rallied at D River State Park Saturday morning to make the public aware of gun violence.
Catholic church member Jack Stone, who held the American flag at the rally, spoke about recent gun violence:
“We had another experience of this yesterday. Another two people — students — killed. This is something that should have ended a long time ago and I think people are starting to take some action.”
The rally was planned and advertised two weeks prior to the Saugus school shooting on Thursday.
Members of Lincoln City’s Congregational Church were out en masse holding signs and speaking to people about gun violence and offering possible solutions, such as universal background checks and removing high-capacity rifles.
“Our children are dying, among other people, and it’s not the way to solve problems.” Lincoln City resident Jean Altemus said.
Congregational Church member Jay Roelof, a U.S. Veteran, said the rally was part of a movement of Congregational Churches nationwide called Just Peace Action Team.
According to Roelof, only one individual asked if rally members were trying to “take our guns away,” and after a brief discussion the man left satisfied he could “keep his guns.”
“No one has given us the finger yet,” Roelof said.
Cars honked at the 20 people who participated in the event as they drove by on Highway 101.
“This message goes to the heart of our whole culture,” Former pastor of Congregational Church Charles Busch said. “For those of us standing here, we’re disarming our own hearts.”
Here are some stats I found on a website dealing with bullying. We must stop gun violence in schools however, the grief for family and friends is the same and worse in some cases for a child who takes their own life out of fear and dread to go to school. The numbers for suicide for these kids being bullied is, at least one hundred times those murdered by somebody who is mental. To be that young and desperate that you don’t want to live anymore is outrageous when you live in America.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.
Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above
According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
My thought on gun control: I know I should have guns, but I don’t know about you. I trust myself, but I don’t trust you. #ArmTheKids