Jews and Blacks Join Forces in Fight Against Gun Violence

With gun-related violence reaching epidemic proportions in the nation’s capital, Jews and African Americans are joining forces to heighten awareness of the issue and support legislation regulating access to guns.

Activists from the two communities took part Thursday in a gun control rally outside the Washington headquarters of the National Rifle Association. Despite bitterly cold temperatures, several dozen people turned out, holding signs reading “Guns Are Killing Our Children, Our Families, Our Dreams.”

Sponsored by the Washington Black-Jewish Dialogue, it was the first in a series of eight such rallies to be held on consecutive Thursdays.

Organizers pointed out that 66 people had been killed in Washington since the beginning of the year and that 56 of the homicides involved the use of a gun.

Known in recent years as “the murder capital,” Washington has received worldwide attention for its high homicide rate. But organizers of Thursday’s rally emphasized that gun violence is a nationwide concern.

Spokespersons at the rally spoke on behalf of the Brady Bill, named for former White House Press Secretary James Brady, who was badly injured in an attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life.

The bill, which has been introduced in Congress and supported by some Jewish groups, would establish a national one-week waiting period for handgun purchases.

“We have no illusions that the vigils will suddenly put an end to the violence, but we hope” that people affected by gun violence can express their frustration, said Jeffrey Weintraub, Washington area director for the American Jewish Committee, one of the event’s organizers.

The Rev. Albert Gallmon Jr., pastor of a Washington church and another organizer of the event, expressed frustration with the NRA’s encouragement of gun purchases. “It’s time for us to get mad at gun violence,” he said.