The Senate Chaplain Rev. Barry Black called for action after a mass school shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School that left six dead, including three students, in Tennessee on March 27.
“I have heard, ‘My thoughts and prayers are with you,’ and that is valid for any person, again, who is told to ‘pray without ceasing.’ But I also know there will come a time when action is needed,” Black said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Black’s comments came after a wave of calls by Democrats to reintroduce gun safety legislation following the shooting at Covenant School in which 28-year-old shooter Audrey Hale killed three adults and three 9-year-old boy before being shot by the police.
Black said he always tries to be “in the spirit of prayer,” continuing to say that the “tipping point” for him was that the shooting took place at a church school.
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“It was just the tipping point for me to see 9-year-olds dying in a place that was supposed to be a city of refuge, in a place that was preparing them not just for time but for eternity,” said Black.
The Senate Chaplain Rev. called for action. Barry Black after a mass school shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School left six dead, including three students. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images/File)
Black, who has served as Senate chaplain since 2003, did not address whether he received criticism from senators after saying “thoughts and prayers are not enough” shortly after the shooting. Black did say that members of the 118th Congress who attended his Bible study agreed to “fast and pray” on mass shootings, among other topics, and “how to better this problem.”
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“These are challenging times where people are hurting, and they’re hoping that the government will somehow help ease their pain,” Black said of people’s view of government.
Memorials for six victims killed in a mass shooting are placed outside Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 30, 2023. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital/File)
“I shouldn’t have to walk, as chaplain of the Senate or as a citizen, into a Walmart wondering as I look around if the AR-15 is going to start spraying bullets. You know, what am I going to do? The Father Us or the Hail Mary?” Black said.
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Efforts to reintroduce gun control legislation have gained momentum since the shooting, with the White House calling on Congress to “do something.” Instead, Republicans say there is a mental health crisis facing the country that no gun law can fix.
Efforts to reintroduce gun control legislation have gained momentum since the shooting, with President Joe Biden calling on Congress to “do something.” (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta/File)
“How many more lives must be lost before Congress acts?” Sen. said. Ed Markey, D-Mass., at a news conference the day after the shooting. “How many families must be torn apart?”
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Republicans have previously opposed expanded funding for gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arguing that such efforts would lead to “propaganda” for gun confiscation.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
