Roundtable on combating gun violence held in Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Ala.(WSFA) – Gun violence is a top concern for many people in Montgomery.

A community advocate who lost two family members to gun violence is partnering with local churches to bridge the gap between the church and young people.

Preachers, community members and lawmakers from across the River District gathered at a roundtable on Friday to discuss how best to address this issue.

Community members at this roundtable agreed that the next step against gun violence in Montgomery is reaching out to young people.

After losing her brother and son to gun violence that same month, Shanta Penick turned her pain into strength by reaching out to influential members of the community and bringing those people together to create an action plan.

“I feel like an action is being planned to get outside the four walls of the church house because we, the people, are the church,” Penick said.

Action plans include partnering with schools to create mentoring programs and build trust among youth, churches and the community.

There’s no timeline for when these plans will come true. Right now things are still in the planning stages.

Each church leader plans to take the night’s suggestions back to their congregations for feedback.

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