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Episcopal bishops to lead anti-gun violence march in Salt Lake City

By: 
Marjorie Cortez / Deseret News

[Deseret News] The effort started with four Episcopal bishops who wanted to focus the attention of their church and the broader public on the issue of gun violence.

A short time later, 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012, killing 20 schoolchildren and six staff members, along with his mother and himself.

"Within two weeks, we had 25 to 30 bishops who wanted be a part of this, this was in 2013. Since then, we've grown to 60 bishops," said the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, N.J., a founder of Bishops United Against Gun Violence.

At 7:15 a.m. Sunday, June 28, during the Episcopal Church's General Convention in Salt Lake City, Bishops United will lead a march and rally to urge people of faith to seek common ground to curtail gun violence.

As Bishops United prepared the final details of the Utah event, the nation experienced another mass shooting Wednesday night.

Nine people died in a shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., police said. Dylann Storm Roof, 21, a white man who joined a prayer meeting inside the historic black church for approximately an hour Wednesday night, is accused of fatally shooting six women and three men. Roof was captured without resistance Thursday after an all-night manhunt.