PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Pittsburgh community came together to make a call to end gun violence.
The goal of Thursday’s event was an emotional response to the trauma of gun violence and mass shootings in Pittsburgh and Buffalo.
“Guns are out of control, and our kids are killing kids,” said Rev. Eileen Smith, the executive director of the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace.
Church leaders and non-profit organizations teamed up for Thursday’s interfaith event at First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh. Some people blamed the shootings on today’s culture and social media.
“Our children are playing video games that make them proficient at warfare,” said Victor Muhammad, a student minister at Mosque 22. “There is a whole lot of look at me in this world.”
The solution?
“We have to stop the vanity of these lifestyles and care more about our fellow human being, to treat others as we want to be treated,” he said.
“Keep the faith and know that God is with us every step of the way,” Smith said.
Will events like Thursday’s impact or change the gun violence problems?
“It’s not stopping the violence, but you can’t grow seeds that are not planted. It is inducing people with the word, change and positivity.”
Organizers lit candles to remember the victims of recent shootings in Pittsburgh and Buffalo.
Pittsburgh police said of the 27 homicides this year, six of them were 18 years old or younger.