Ferris Robinson
The sanctuary of the church is a sacred space. It is a holy place. When Voices for a Safer Tennessee asked Father Robert Childers if the sanctuary of Church of the Good Shepherd could be used as a place to gather the community in response to gun legislation, he did not hesitate.
"Yes,” he said.
He explained that the Good Shepherd School is filled with children every day of the week. Children abound on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. Children are welcome at all services, and fidgeting and occasional crying during communion, when the children leave their Godly Play classrooms and join their families for the breaking of bread, highlight the sense of community. 211 Franklin Road on Lookout Mountain should be a safe place for children, he said, and holding a community meeting about their protection in the sanctuary was the perfect spot. Father Childers referenced this passage from Luke as he welcomed people of all religions and communities and political parties: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16).
Voices for a Safer Tennessee is a nonpartisan organization with the goal of making Tennessee a safer state regarding gun violence. It was formed after the mass shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. Men, women, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, all support the three tenants of VST. There are only three, and they are three common sense suggestions that probably any person who wants to keep their children safe can agree upon.
1. Temporary Transfer Laws will prohibit a person who clearly presents an imminent risk of danger from accessing a gun.
2. Secure Storage Laws would ensure firearms are secured within a fully enclosed compartment and locked.
3. Background Checks would flag purchasers with felony convictions, domestic abuse restraining orders, and/or a history of adjudicated mental illness. They are currently not required for private firearm sales in Tennessee.
These three things are common sense gun laws, and folks of all sides of the political fences would probably agree that keeping children safe is a good thing. The board chair of Voices for a Safer Tennessee, Todd Cruse, grew up hunting with his father, who instilled in him the rule that along with the right to bear arms is the responsibility that comes with it. That makes sense.
Mr. Cruse said that to change the trajectory the country is on, with Tennessee leading the country as ninth highest in gun violence, we all need to unite and agree on these three commonsense tenets.
Before the gathering at Good Shepherd, Mr. Cruse enjoyed lunch in Chattanooga with a few folks. When the waitress realized the reason they were here, she said she was so glad to be out of high school because she wouldn’t have to worry about being shot anymore.
This fear is real. I grew up being scared of tornados and Russian spies but never came across either one. But firearms are the leading cause of death in children in the U.S. There have been 389 school shootings since 1999, according to the Washington Post, with 42 in 2022.
This is a public health crisis. Dori Waller, VST board member, reminded us all the importance of finding a common ground regarding common sense gun legislation.
I didn’t know Evelyn Dieckhaus, and I have never met her mother, Katy. Katy told us that Evelyn was in the process of reading the Bible. Highly organized, she underlined passages and bookmarked certain verses with colorful tabs. This little girl had made a to-do list for the month of November 2022 that included finishing her book project … early. She also was working on keeping her mind humble and being kind. Her goals weren’t abstracts - she recorded a series of tasks under each of them. Her list of ways to be kind was long, and it included remembering birthdays and including others and lifting people up and apologizing and forgiving.
Evelyn was murdered in the Covenant shooting. Her mother, Katy, is living the unimaginable.
But she is bravely working to make her state safer.
As the meeting concluded, folks in the pews noticed parents gathering in the driveway outside the long windows to pick up their children for Good Shepherd School. In a few minutes, they would talk about their days on the way home, look at artwork and settle in for a snack at home. Meanwhile, Katy shared that she still tucked Evelyn in at night, even though she is no longer here.
To make your voice heard, go to 5calls.org for more information.
* * *
Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. Her website is ferrisrobinson.com and you can download a free pollinator poster there. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.