Security guard injured by gunfire at Family Research Council in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.  – A shooter opened fire on a security guard at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Family Research Council this morning.  Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy issued the following statement in response:

We don’t yet know the details of today’s shooting at the headquarters of the Family Research Council, but our thoughts and prayers are with the injured security guard and his colleagues at FRC.  What we do know is that these all too frequent shootings must stop.  Whatever our disagreements, be they substantive policy arguments, misguided bigotry, or petty misunderstandings, guns cannot be the answer.  Rather than disrespecting people because they hold ideas with which we disagree and turning on them with violence, we must find our way back to civility.  Otherwise, as a nation, we will lose our democracy and our moral compass.

Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.