A Nov. 1 shooting in Thornton, Colo., prompted an immediate response from resident Bishop Karen Oliveto, who urged United Methodists in the four-state Mountain Sky Area to resist becoming "nonchalant" about gun violence in America.
Three people died after a suspect began firing randomly into shoppers at a Walmart in Thornton, a suburb north of Denver. The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Scott Ostrem, was arrest Nov. 2, according to the Thornton Police Department as reported by ABC News. No motive has yet been determined, although police reported the suspect had a history of debt and run-ins with the law.
The Denver Post reported that the coroner had released the identifies of the three Walmart: Pamela Marques, 52, of Denver; Carlos Moreno, 66, of Thornton; and Victor Vasquez, 26, of Denver.
Gun Violence Cheat Sheet
The Mountain Sky Area of The United Methodist Church includes Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and a portion of Idaho. Bishop Oliveto wrote in an email letter:
"Last night, a man fired shots into a crowd in a Walmart in Thornton, Colo. News outlets report that he “nonchalantly” walked into the store and opened fire, killing three people.
"Let us pray for those who have lost family and loved ones in this shooting. Let us pray for those who witnessed the shooting, who will carry the scars of trauma from this experience. Let us pray for people around the world who live with the reality or threat of violence every day.
"May we never become nonchalant about these acts of violence. May they continue to disturb us, to create in us a dis-ease so that we never accept them as the way things are and the way things will be. May we recommit ourselves to following the Prince of Peace, the One who continues to teach us the ways that lead to reconciliation, justice, and Beloved Community."
She concluded her letter by encouraging pastors to use a resource, Gun Violence Pastoral Cheat Sheet, from the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society.
Meanwhile, the one-month anniversary of a mass shooting in Las Vegas passed with no legislative action to curb the controversial "bump stock" that enabled the shooter, Stephen Paddock, to turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons capable of multiple bursts of gunfire. Paddock's attack on the Route 91 Country Music Festival on Oct. 1 left 58 people dead and nearly 500 people injured.
On the NPR program, "The Takeaway," U.S. Rep. Dena Titus (D-Nevada) of Las Vegas said "we may never know" Paddock's motive for the horrific massacre. Herself a gun owner, Congresswoman Titus said a bipartisan bill has been introduced in Congress to give the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms the authority to regulate "bump stocks," but that the National Rifle Association is actively working to kill the legislation.
"[Las Vegas] will never be the same," the congresswoman said. "But we're strong, we're resilient, we're healing. I'd say to the rest of the country, if you want to help us heal, don't cancel your trip.
"Las Vegas came together as a community like never before in the worst of circumstances. People tend to think of us as Disney World for adults, [but] we're real people, we go to real schools, real churches, we give blood. You saw the doctors and nurses and first responders and silent heroes; it was pretty amazing."
Congresswoman Titus said to "never forget the victims. ... [Because of their injuries] some people's lives have been changed forever."