Over the last few weeks, three more people in our community have fallen victim to gun violence.

That’s three more sets of family and loved ones mourning the sudden and tragic death of victims that should still be walking amongst us.

In case anyone here still doubted, the latest deaths should remove any uncertainty about the gun problems our community has.

Last year, Natchez and Adams County had more than a dozen murders, which most believe to be a record, perhaps since the French and Natchez Indians fought more than 300 years ago.

Sadly, at not even one-quarter the way through 2019, we’re tracking on pace to meet or exceed the deadly 2018 statistic again this year.

The latest three killings, police investigators say, were connected to domestic disputes.

And for the people who quietly shrugged off the many dead bodies last year as only a criminal problem, or as only a problem within the black community since all the victims were black, take note, the latest three victims this year were all white.

They don’t appear to have been involved in drug trading or any criminal behavior. They were, as far as we know, law-abiding citizens and it shows you that violence can affect anyone regardless of race, creed or religion.

They were simply victims of armed and upset people who picked up a gun thinking it would solve their problems.

It never does.

Please pray for our community to gain the collective wisdom and restraint to use firearms sensibly, not emotionally.