Ministry News

Detroit Church Unloads Community Guns

Details: Tuesday, 01 December 2009 11:41

Some churches impact their communities by feeding the poor. Others change lives by caring for single mothers and widows, or by providing child care services. But in Detroit, one congregation believes its most potent weapon to enforce community change is to buy guns.

This past weekend St. Cecilia Catholic Church offered the public $20 for each gun traded in to the church. Though firearms had to be unloaded before they would be accepted as part of the gun buyback event, church officials placed no other conditions on the offer, which they said was their way to bring more peace to the urban community.

"There is a need for this," said pastor Ted Parker. "This is our contribution to peace."

Detroit police helped St. Cecilia with the community event and, along with church staff, made good on their promise to not ask questions regarding any of the firearms brought in. The guns didn't even have to be in working condition.

"Getting unwanted and unused guns out of homes can help prevent unnecessary or accidental shootings that can occur when these firearms are left unsecured," Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans said in a statement.

St. Cecilia agreed to buy back 75 guns, and judging by the line that had formed before church doors had opened, the event was a success. [detnews.com, 11/28/09]

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Comments

0 #6 wee cee 2009-12-01 15:38

From the above comments i see tat these pple are pro guns and wht u want guns for is wht i cant understand!

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+1 #5 Russ 2009-12-01 10:19

I agree with Brian's comment. Gun buybacks are absurd in the extreme. Even Godless criminals would not trade a gun worth hundreds of dollars to anyone for $20. A gun buyback is a public relations stunt meant to sway public opinion toward the anti-self defense/anti-gun agenda.

A better approach might be a community outreach that would educate on legal gun ownership, gun safety and self defense, to offset and protect against the high incidence violent crime.

Using the same logic as the gun buyback for $20 program, you might pay for the community outreach by having a similar "no questions asked" buyback of stolen goods, illegal drugs and most especially cash received for drugs, prostitution and the sale of stolen goods.

Maybe the best solution of all would be to offer $20 to any family that will sit and listen to a message of salvation and redemption through Christ Jesus!

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0 #4 Donald Moeser 2009-12-01 10:09

It's a bit strange that a church would get this much press for something as irrelevant as a "gun buyback" program.

I wonder who at Ministry Today thought this was news worthy.

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+1 #3 Brian Hansen 2009-12-01 08:07

Gun "Buy Backs" such as this do not work and have never worked to reduce violence. I highly doubt any of those 75 guns that came in would have been used in crime anyways, and $20 is not alot of money for something that usually sells for several hundred dollars each. All this does is send the wrong message about lawful gun ownership by trying to portray it in a negative light, while ensuring that the real hoodlums are still armed.

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