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CV NEWS FEED // The bishops of the Archdiocese of Atlanta issued a response to the September 4 Apalachee High School shooting just hours after it occurred, expressing their sorrow and reiterating previous calls for gun safety legislation.
“We were grief-stricken to learn the news of this morning’s shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia,” Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv. wrote in a letter published by the archdiocesan newspaper, the Georgia Bulletin.
Archbishop Hartmayer was joined in the letter by the three auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese, Bishop Joel M. Konzen, S.M., Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III, and Bishop John Nhàn Tran.
Wednesday’s shooting left four people dead and at least nine hospitalized. The suspect, a 14-year-old boy named Colt Gray, has been taken into custody, according to CBS News.
“Our first priority must therefore be to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of those who would carry out violent acts against children in schools, against their families or against themselves,” the bishops stated, lamenting the fact that a young teen is allegedly responsible for the tragedy.
“The shooting at Apalachee High School is another grim reminder that this priority has not been addressed,” the bishops added. “The time is now. We cannot wait for another tragedy to happen.”
The bishops also highlighted a 2023 statement on gun safety legislation from the Bishops of the Province of Atlanta.
The bishops quoted from the 2023 statement, “Once again, we implore elected officials to work together, regardless of political or religious affiliation, to enact laws and provide services that will prevent the repetition of such tragedies.”
The bishops concluded by asking the faithful in the Archdiocese to pray for healing and solutions:
May we be united in our resolve to work together for an end to the violence that [plagues] our society. We ask the Lord to grant eternal rest to those who have died. And we pray in a special way for the victims’ families and friends, may they know the comfort, love, and healing power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
