This month public schools in the United States will welcome some 50 million students, following the 2021-2022 school year that was rife with gun violence. According to an Education Week report in July, there were 27 school shootings for the academic year.
“School shootings have transformed America's schools and teachers into being on the front lines of gun violence. As a result of this and many other factors, students, teachers, and administrators are experiencing poor mental health outcomes, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout, “ said Ingrid Cockhren, CEO of PACEs Connection.
Throughout August, History. Culture. Trauma. hosts Cockhren and Mathew Portell examine America’s school system. This week they share an encore podcast with guest The Rev. Deanna Hollas. She is the gun violence prevention ministry coordinator with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, a founding member of the Everytown for Gun Safety Interfaith Advisory Council, and the co-founder of Retreat House Spirituality Center. Her congregation is in Dallas, TX. The podcast airs June 18 at 1 p.m. PT.
Two major gun law developments occurred earlier this summer—the signing of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the Supreme Court’s ruling against the State of New York’s concealed-carry law.
“This is the first time in 26 years that Congress has passed major gun safety legislation and I especially want to thank my own senator, John Cornyn (R-TX) for leading this effort,” Hollas said. “While this legislation will save lives, we know there is still more work to be done to keep communities safe from gun violence.”
Of the Supreme Court's ruling against the State of New York regarding its concealed-carry law, Hollas said, “The Supreme Court is out of touch with the overwhelming majority of Americans who support gun safety measures. This decision will make Americans less safe as we know where there are more guns, there is more gun violence."
Hollas joined the June 2 podcast following more than 60 mass shootings in the United States in the month of May 2022, including the Buffalo, NY, killing of 10 Black adults and at a grocery store, and May 24 killing of 19 students and two teachers in a Uvalde, TX, elementary school.
She recently wrote a blog post, “Why White Churches Need to Start Chopping Up Guns” in her role with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
Earlier this summer, Hollas’ vision for the first National Guns to Gardens Day became a reality with scores of congregations and organizations across the nation collecting hundreds of guns to be ground up and turned into garden tools.
According to her biography, “Rev. Hollas empowers and equips individuals and congregations across the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination to embody Jesus' call to love God and love thy our neighbor by being informed and active in the prevention of gun violence.”
The Hollas holds a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology and a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary.
- Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Gun Violence Prevention Congregational Toolkit
- “Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence,” by Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin
- “Common Ground: Talking About Gun Violence in America,” by Donald Gaffney
- Books by James Atwood, including “Collateral Damage: Changing the Conversation About Firearms and Faith”
Tune in here for this Thursday's History. Culture. Trauma. podcast.
To hear prior episodes via your favorite podcast service, use the links below.
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