Check our June 2025 Prayer-Study-Action resource.
In the wake of several memorable acts of gun violence early in 2023, including the mass shooting in Nashville, TN, the Pax Christi USA National Council decided to form a gun violence prevention working group. The group’s particular emphasis is exploring the root causes of gun violence in our society, analyzing its etiology through both an intergenerational and multi-cultural lens.
The members of this working group are active in their local groups, and meet together monthly to share ideas on the different ways to spread the message of nonviolence and impact both state and federal legislation pertaining to the passage of common-sense gun laws.
Another important focus of the group is education. Members are reading American Carnage by Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg. Based on studies done on gun violence, this book shatters the myths that are often substituted for truths by those who want to promote the unregulated use of guns in our society.
For more information about the Pax Christi USA gun violence prevention working group, contact Sherry Simon at sherrysimon0320@gmail.com.
Pax Christi USA statements
- Our country must prioritize children over guns, August 29, 2025
- Pax Christi USA decries epidemic of gun violence, February 2023
- Statement in response to the shooting in Jacksonville, FL, August 2023
- Statement on the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, November 2022
- On the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 2022
- Backgrounder on Gun Violence: A Mercy and Peacebuilding Approach to Gun Violence, January 2020, from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Events/webinars
- Beating guns into plowshares: A challenging conversation with Shane Claiborne, May 2024
- Stop in the name of God: Multi-generational perspectives on gun violence, May 2024 (Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore)
- “Say Their Names!” June 2023
Resources
- Interfaith Gun Violence Prevention Toolkit
- Prayers on gun violence (from Social Justice Resource Center)
- Op-ed: Protect women, keep domestic-violence gun law, November 2023
- Take action: Urge Congress to act on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023
- Wear Orange June 4-6 to advocate for a future free from gun violence
- Video: Gun violence virtual memorial (created for May 2024 webinar)
- June 2025 Prayer-Study-Action
- June 2024 Prayer-Study-Action
Books
- Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence, by Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin
- American Carnage: Shattering the Myths That Fuel Gun Violence, by Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg
Websites
- Raw Tools – a creative response to turning weapons into plowshares
- Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund with links for messages to Congress on several gun violence-related issues
- Everytown for Gun Safety action page
- Brady Campaign to end gun violence
- March for Our Lives, a youth-led movement to promote civic engagement, education, and direct action to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence.


